$PRAVE,0001,0001,3308.9051,-11713.1164,195348,1,10,168,31,13.3,3,-83,0,0,,*66

In this example field 12 has value 3.  The field 12 value is the hexadecimal binary representation of the bits.  Refer to the following table:

The stock RV-M7 GX has up to 3 digital inputs, using the input pins of the RS-232 serial port.  An open circuit or ground is a 0, and if they are connected to a positive voltage greater than 3V, they are a digital 1. If all 3 pins are allowed to float (nothing connected – same as ground) the value should be 0.  If positive voltage is applied to a pin the pin value will be 1.  The field 12 value will be 1 or 2 or 4, depending on which pin had the voltage applied.

Note that the weatherproofed (-WX) model has less RS-232 pins and only 2 digital inputs.  Inputs 1 and 2 are valid, but input 0 is indeterminate (state can float).

In the RavTrack PC software it is easy to not monitor this missing pin, so any change of state or change of value of this pin would not matter to the software.  Simply configure this input as unused.

On the M7 series of transponders, if an input is left floating/unconnected, the transponder will read it as a digital 0 (low), and report it this way.

The steps to take to setup the RavTrack SQL database in SQL Server 2005 or 2008 are as follows:

1. Using the Management studio, create a database with the name “RavTrack”. You do not need to create any tables in the database, as RavTrack PC will create them the first time it connects to this database.
2. Using Management Studio, create security login accounts for the users that will be using RavTrack PC on the network.  Right click on Databases > Security > Logins > New Login…  to create a new login account for each user. Set the Server Role to “serveradmin”. 
   
3. Using Management Studio, assign the new user login to the RavTrack database.  Right click on Databases > RavTrack > Security > Users . Add User…  to add the new user to the database.  Set the Role Members” to db_datawriter and db_datareader. 

Management Studiois a very good tool to use not only for configuring SQL Server, but also to verify that connections to the RavTrack database are OK.   On any workstation that you feel there is a login problem with the database, login to that workstation with the user name and password, run Management Studio, and try to access the RavTrack database.  If you can access it and list the tables, then the user name and password has the proper rights configured on the server. 

There is a verion of Microsoft SQL Management Studio for every version of their SQL Server program.

As part of the RavTrack PC installation, a run-time redistribution module is installed on the computer along with RavTrack PC. The Crystal Reports run-time module allows crystal reports to be generated by RavTrack PC, and viewed by the user.  But, it does not include the report editor.  To customize your own Crystal Reports, you will need to by a full-version of Crystal Reports 10.   The run-time module included with RavTrack PC will give you the ability to view the Crystal Reports you generate with RavTrack PC’s report generator.

Installation Problems

There is often an installation error with the Crystal Reports run-time on certain Windows Vista machines.   If during the installation of RavTrack PC you get an error message about Crystal Reports, you can ignore it because there is a simple solution that can be performed after the installation of RavTrack PC is complete.

If, after RavTrack PC is installed and operating, you get an error when trying to open the report generator in RavTrack PC  (View > Reports), then you should manually install the Crystal Reports 10 run-time module.  To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Close RavTrack PC.
2. Download the Crystal Report run-time module from Raveons server at: http://ravtrack.com/downloads/CRBasicVS2008_redist_x86.zip
3. Unzip the file to your local disk.
4. Open Explorer, and go to the directory where the .zip file was stored to.
5. Double click on the  CRRedist2008_x86.msi file to run the installation program.
6. Follow the instructions in the installer, and let it install.
7. Once the Crystal Reports installer has finished, start RavTrack PC, and verify the report features are working.

But, when the number of users running RavTrack PC increases, or when the size of the Log table is large, Microsoft’s SQL Server is a superior product, albeit a bit more complex to install and manage. 

You can download RavTrack PC evaluation copy free as well as the technical manual from Ravoen’s web site at: http://ravtrack.com/RavTrack-PC-Software.html 

If you are going to use a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 database with RavTrack PC, then you will need to prepare the SQL Server first, before running RavTrack PC.  Perform the following steps:

SQL Server Installation

1. Install Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server Express.  SQL Server Express is available from Microsoft at no charge. It may be downloaded at: http://www.microsoft.com/Sqlserver/2005/en/us/express.aspx
2. Use the “SQL Server Configuration Manager” software program that is installed with MS SQL Server to configure the server.
3. Using the SQL Server Configuration Manager, enable the TCP/IP Client Protocol (SQL Server Configuration Manager > SQL Natice Client Configuration > Client Protocols > TCP/IP).
4. Also download and install the “Management Studio” for SQL Server.  The Express version may be downloaded at the same website as the SQL Server Express is downloaded from.
5. Set the default transaction time-out of Management Studio to 1000 seconds (Tools> Options> Designers> Transaction Timeout)
6. Using the Management studio, create a database with the name “RavTrack”. You do not need to create any tables in the database, as RavTrack PC will create them the first time it connects to this database.
7. Using Management Studio, create Login accouts for all users what will be accessing the SQL database using RavTrack PC. 

Troubleshooting:

If you are having trouble connecting RavTrack PC to your SQL server installation, check the following items:

1. Shut down RavTrack PC using FIle > Exit, and restart it.  Whenever the database type is changed in RavTrack PC, you should restart the application.
2. Install Microsoft’s Management Studio applicationon the computer running RavTrack PC.  Use Management Studio to connect to the server to verify that the SQL Server is running properly and accessible from the workstation.
3. Make sure the the TCP/IP Client Protocol is enabled on the SQL Server.
4. Make sure you are logged into RavTrack PC as an administrator with the ADMIN account.
5. Make sure you have purchased and installed an “Unlimited” license on RavTrack PC. The “Limited” version will not connect to an SQL Server.
6. Make sure you created a database on the SQL server named “RavTrack”.  The RavTrack database needs to be on the server before running the RavTrack PC program.  Yse the Management Studio to create the “RavTrack” database on the server.
7. You should have an account on the SQL Server computer with the same name and password as the name/password that you used to log onto Windows on the RavTrack PC computer. If you have not done this, create a Windows user account and password on the SQL Server computer to match the Windows user/password on the RavTrack PC Windows login account.
8. Make sure the rights assigned to the login account are at least db_reader, db_writer, and db_admin. 

The $PRAVE messages come out of the M7 GX transponder, when it is configured in GPS mode 2.  The serial port of the M7 GX transponder must be connected to the PC running RavTrack PC.   This connection may be a direct RS232 connection, or it may use a terminal server to convert the RS232 from the M7 GX transponder to Ethernet. The Ethernet connection is then made to a LAN or WAN so that RavTrack PC can receive the GPS positions via the nework connection.

To verify that RavTrack PC is receiving $PRAVE messages, you can look at the communications statistics window within RavTrack PC, and see if $PRAVE messages are comming out.

In the “Messages In” column, there are two numbers (xxx/yyy)  The first number xxx is the total number of messages, and the second number, yyy, is the total number of $PRAVE messages that RavTrack PC has received.

If the communications with the M7 GX transponder is OK, the second number will increment each time a $PRAVE message is received, which is each time a transponder reports in. In the above example, RavTrack PC has received 311 position reports using its network connection.

If the second number is 0, but the first number is not zero (ie  123/0)  then the connection to the M7 GX is probably OK, because some messages are coming in.  These are usually the $GPGGA/RMC type messages output from the local GPS in the M7.  They are not over-the-air position reports.  Because the first number is incrementing, the connection to the M7 is OK. But, because the second number is 0, there are not $PRAVE messages coming in.  The most likely reasons that there are not $PRAVE messages are:

1.  All transponders are turned off.

2.  The UHF or VHF antenna to the M7 GX used with RavTrack PC is not connected.

3. The encryption keyphrase is not set corectly, and the My GX cannot receive the position reports.

4. All transponders are out of range of the M7 GX used with RavTrack PC.

5. The transponders are configured on a different RF frequency.

Hopefully you find this information helpfull.  Monitoring the communication statistics is an excellent way to verify the performance of your RavTrack GPS tracking system.  RavTrac PC automatically monitors the statistics, and will turn the communication status button on the bottom of the screen red if no messages are received for a long period of time, indicating that the communications with the transponder used to receive $PRAVE messages has failed.

Raven’s private tracking system uses a very secure AES encryption algorithm, so that only authorized radios can track the GPS transponders.  It would be bad, and maybe even disastrous if GPS tracking were not secure.  Law enforcement, military, and security forces use GPS tracking to do their job and GPS tracking provides extra security for their operations.  And if the bad guys were able to track them, their operations and their lives could be in jeopardy.

This is why Raveon takes GPS tracking security very seriously, and tracking systems based upon less-secure communication methods should be carefully considered.  Most all other GPS tracking systems us cellular radio technology, such as GSM networks to send their data.  Anyone using a public GSM system must carefully assess all aspects of the system’s security.

In 2009, a German computer engineer announced that he’s deciphered the 21-year old 64-bit encryption algorithm that protects the GSM standard.  According to the New York Times, the German encryption expert “aimed to question the effectiveness of the 21-year-old G.S.M. algorithm” and its use to protect the world’s GSM based GPS Tracking communications.  Having the code itself isn’t enough to eavesdrop, but it certainly helps people along the path. The GSM Association responded by calling the publication “theoretically possible but practically unlikely.”

It may be only a matter of time before the technology is readily available to eavesdrop on GSM communications.   Right now, it is believed that only the US military and certain foreign governments have the ability to eavesdrop on GSM communications.  Technology marches on, and the security of GPS tracking using GSM networks may be left behind.

See www.ravtrack.com for mor information about secure, private GPS tracking.

A free version is available from Microsoft, called “Express”.  For small AVL systems where the number of tracked vehicles is small (< 25) and the update rate is fairly slow (< 30 seconds), then the EXPRESS version is probably a good choice. But, for systems requiring higher performance, Microsoft provides a number of high-performance options.

The following table describes the primary differences between the various SQL implementations.

Scalability and Performance

Feature	Express	Workgroup	Standard	Enterprise	Comments
Number of CPUs	1	2	4	Max OS supported	Includes support for multicore processors.
RAM Used	1 gig(GB)	3 GB	OS maximum	OS maximum	Memory limited by operating system.
64-bit Support	Windows on Windows (WOW)	WOW
Database Size	4 GB	No Limit	No Limit	No Limit
Partitioning					Support for large-scale databases
Parallel Index Operations					Parallel processing of indexing operations
Indexed Views					Indexed view creation is supported in all editions.

Raveon’s GPS transponders utilize the WAAS signal, so accuracies of 2-3 meters are possible.  Laboratory tests with the M7 series of GPS transponders confirm that this is possible, but typically, the accuracy is in the 3-5 meter range.

If the GPS transponder is located indoors, or if there are very tall buildings near the transponder, the accuracy will be degraded due to multipath of the GPS signal.

From the Google Lat Long blog:

We’ve made a lot of adjustments under the hood, like improving memory utilization so we can show more buildings, layers, and user content. We improved our shaders (that’s graphics-speak for small programs that run inside your graphics processor) to make the atmosphere draw faster. We also worked to reduce stuttering (known as frame drops) to provide an even smoother experience as you fly around the globe. When we draw imagery, we now use compression technology to use less memory and graphics resources. We know that waiting for a program to start-up can be really frustrating, so we improved our start-up time by 25%. In our Google Earth API (which allows developers to include Google Earth right in their websites), we have made API calls significantly faster, which means that our developers can now do even more.

photo credit: Michel Filion

Often, during large-scale construction projects heavy equipment such as bulldozers or front-end loaders are left on site overnight or after hours. It simply does not make sense to move them back and forth. Unfortunately, this can make your construction equipment a target for theft costing tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Luckily, any vehicle or piece of construction equipment can be tracked and monitored in real-time using the RavTrack AVL tracking solutions from Raveon Technologies. With RavTrack, you know with certainty where all your work site assets and equipment are located; all in real-time and without the expensive recurring fees that accompany most other AVL systems. Using RavTrack AVL, you can monitor your job site and keep an eye on how your equipment is being used, even in remote areas where other products fail.