SOLID STATE INSTRUMENTS
CONSIDERATIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL
INSTALLATION
Revision: 1/1/24
GENERAL - The PRL-1600C System is designed to provide mirror-image pulses from the transmitter to the
receiver. This is important for Peak Demand Control since the KW demand is determined by timing the pulses. The
greater the time between pulses, the lower the demand. Conversely, the shorter time between pulses, the higher
the demand. Every effort is made in the PRL-1600C to be a "virtual copper wire" and make the pulses coming out
of the receiver the same pulse width as the pulses going into the transmitter.
The PRL-1600C System is designed for concentrated RF environments where there is a significant amount of RF
traffic on these or adjacent frequencies. Pulses are collected by the transmitter for 10 seconds. The number of
pulses received in the immediate 10-second period is then sent to the receiver which duplicates those pulses over
the next 10 seconds. All output pulses are thus delayed by 10 seconds. The benefit of this method is significantly
reduced RF traffic and high-accuracy due to the expanded error checking and pulse count "true up".
APPROPRIATE PULSE CONSTANT - It is important to properly program the Pulse Constant of the meter such that
there are no more than 2 pulses per second at the peak KW demand of the building or facility. Pulses faster than
this may be lost. If a high pulse rate is unavoidable from the meter and cannot be slowed down, consider one of the
DPR Dividing Pulse Relays (DPR-1, DPR-2 or DPR-4) from Solid State Instruments.
SHIELDED CONTROL CABLE - ***Shielded Control cable must be used between each radio and base unit.***
MINIMUM PULSE WIDTH - Make sure that the pulse width coming from the meter is at least 100mS in duration.
LINE OF SIGHT - Make sure that you have the Receiver Radio/Antenna Unit in a location where the Transmitter's
Radio/Antenna unit can "see" it with a wide field of view. The PRL-1600C is a Line-Of-Sight system, and the
transmitter must have uninterrupted and unrestricted sight with the receiver radio at all times. Make sure that there
are no trees, metal buildings, light poles, rail cars, trucks, buses or any other obstruction that gets in the line-of-sight
between the transmitter and receiver at any time. Interruptions in the line-of-sight may cause pulses to be lost.
Generally speaking, the PRL-1600C will not transmit through concrete, concrete block or masonry walls. We can't
stress this enough: The RF path must be line-of-sight!
HEIGHT - Mount the Transmitter and Receiver Radio/Antenna units up off the ground as high as reasonably
possible, 14' minimum, to eliminate RF reflections, improve reception and transmission distance. The higher the
transmitter is off the ground, the longer the transmission distance and the more reliable the reception by the
receiver.
MOUNTING: If mounting the Receiver Radio/Antenna unit on the side of a metal building, make sure that the
antenna in the Radio/Antenna unit is mounted at least 6.1" away from the metal siding. Use the mounting brackets
supplied with the PRL-1600C to get this distance. You may have to rotate the board to insure that the antenna is
not closer to the metal surface than 6.1", since the antenna is not exactly in the center of the board as well as the
board being mounted in an off-set fashion. If the antenna is closer than 6.1", the signal may be corrupted and
transmissions may be affected. Rotate each radio/antenna units' board if possible so the board is perpendicular to
the transmitter or receiver on the opposite end of the system, keeping the antenna 6.1" away from any metal.
INTERFERENCE - The PRL-1600C is a Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum system that communicates on 50 of
64 designated frequencies. It may or may not work in substations or in other areas where high-power energy and
magnetic fields exist, or where RF energy may jam the signal. The electromagnetic field around high voltage
conductors may cause enough interference so as to keep the system from transmitting correctly or may significantly
reduce the range of the system. It has been reported that other high-power RF transmitters mounted within close
proximity can jam or corrupt the signal even though they are not using the same frequencies.
a division of Brayden Automation Corp.
6230 Aviation Circle, Loveland, Colorado 80538
Phone: (970)461-9600
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