"jSh.Radio / Gateway": Any split times from control sites are output through this device.
Note: there must only be one such device in the radio network powered on at any time during the competition. Otherwise, split time transmissions may be lost due to incorrect routing.
"jSh.Radio / Router": You need one such device for each control (or finish) location. Additional devices may be placed in the competition area to act as repeaters, forwarding data from other remote sites towards the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" device.
Connectivity
SPORTident SRR1 drop-in module. This module is used in a "jSh.Radio / Router" device to receive up to 8 BS8-SRR SI-stations and any SPORTident Air+ Active Cards (SIAC) in the vicinity of approximately 8 metres line-of-sight.
RS232 DB9 male connector: provides a serial line at 38400 baud. This can be used to connect one SPORTident BSM7-RS232 station at a control site to a "jSh.Radio / Router" device, or to source the data from the radio network out of the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" device.
USB-B connector: provides a virtual serial port at 38400 baud using the SPORTident driver for BSM7-USB stations. This can be used to source the data from the radio network out of the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" device.
Bluetooth drop-in module. This can be used to source the data from the radio network out of the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" device, using the Bluetooth serial port profile (SPP).
Radio
Data transmission and reception takes place on the frequency 869.525 MHz. This frequency band may be used licence-free in the entire European Union by short-range devices (SRD) as long as certain regulations are respected (specifically EU R&TTE directive ETSI EN 300 220 and EN 301 489). jSh.Radio transmits with a maximum power of 27 dBm (500 mW effective radiated power, ERP) and always uses listen-before-talk (LBT) to avoid transmission collisions, thus complying with the EU directives and regulations. Usage in other countries may be possible if the applicable regulations allow the use of the frequency mentioned above at the given power.
The reception range of a pair of jSh.Radio devices will vary very strongly depending on obstacles along the transmission path. Line-of-sight range can reach as much as 2 kilometres, while open park with scattered trees may provide ca. 1 km, open forest provides roughly 500 metres range, and dense forest around 250 m.
Note that all jSh.Radio devices will automatically build a mesh-network as soon as they are powered on, then periodically check the network routes and rebuild new routes if devices are moved or switched off. The network will pass data from one "jSh.Radio / Router" device to another in as many hops as are necessary to finally reach the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" device. Thus, even control sites far away can be connected, so long as a route through multiple "jSh.Radio / Router" devices can be achieved.
A few tips to improve jSh.Radio performance:
As a rule of thumb, always mount the jSh.Radio devices at least 2 metres above ground level, for instance tied to a tree or post next to the control.
Earth masses (embankments, hills etc.) will absorb radio transmissions completely. Try mounting another "jSh.Radio / Router" device (this device does not need to be at a control site, but could be) at a high location, thus adding a "repeater" device to your network to provide routing between the "jSh.Radio / Gateway" and sites situated behind the hill.
Tree foliage, especially when wet, will reduce radio range. If you find that a far-away control site cannot reach the network, try placing an additional "jSh.Radio / Router" device (this device does not need to be at a control site, but could be) mid-way between the closest jSh.Radio device (Router or Gateway) and the control you are trying to connect, thus adding a "repeater" device to your network.
Note: it is often preferable to place these "repeaters" along broad straight paths or roads, providing a line-of-sight connection to another repeater further away.
Power supply
3 * AA (Mignon) 1.5 Volt batteries. The use of alkaline batteries is recommended, these provide ca. 1800 mAh capacity, which will allow ca. 32 hours of uninterrupted use or ca. 4 competition days at 8 hours each.
Note: The use of NiMH or similar rechargeable batteries is possible, however these will probably provide not more than one day of usage before needing a recharge.
"jSh.Radio / Gateway" devices connected via USB will source power though the USB connector. In these devices, the power-switch will be without function while USB is connected (the device will power on automatically).
Note: USB idle power consumption will not exceed 50 mA, during data transmission short bursts of 500 mA current will be drawn.
Operation conditions
jSh.Radio devices are housed in plastic boxes with snap-closing clips and silicone seals. They are fully weatherproof regarding to wind, rain and snow when closed, however they are not completely water- and air-proof. To avoid humidity condensation on the insides of the boxes, avoid subjecting the devices to rapid temperature changes, especially in cold and foggy winter conditions.
The electronic components are specified to work in the temperature range -20 to +85 degrees Celsius.
Note: Alkaline battery performance degrades drastically when temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, Lithium batteries should be used.
Software Compatibility
The jSh.Radio network passes on data sent into a "jSh.Radio / Router" device without any change at all. Data messages passed in should not exceed 120 bytes.
jSh.Radio networks have been tested to work successfully with SPORTident BS8-SRR and BSM7-RS232 controls in "Autosend" mode.
Note that the SPORTident SRR-modules require the BS8-SRR stations to be programmed in "Autosend" mode with the "Extended protocol". This can be activated using the SI-Config software after selecting the "View - Expert view" menu option:
In the newer SI-ConfigPlus application, the naming has changed slightly - "Legacy protocol" must be switched OFF:
For use with SPORTident Air+ equipment, the SI-stations need to be programmed with the option "SIAC radio last rec" activated:
The same configuration in SI-ConfigPlus - select the option "Radio: Send last record":
Software compatibility for SPORTident split times has been successfully tested with SI-Config v.2.x; Stephan Krämer / Sportsoftware products OE2003Speaker / OS2003Speaker and OE2010 / OS2010; and both the Swedish OLA and MeOS software products.
Note: OE2003 and OS2003 do not directly understand the "Autosend" split times in "Extended protocol". A free data translation software "jSh.Radio controller" is available that translates the "Extended protocol" (0xD3) messages to "Base Protocol" (0x53) messages. You may download it here:
The "jSh.Radio controller" software above is also very useful for testing the radio network on the competition day: the status of the radios in the competition area can be queried, and test punches can be sent to the competiton timing / speaker software.
In some usage scenarios, you may need to create a "virtual serial bridge", connecting two serial ports together. A suitable software for this task is com0com, downloadable here.
Support and Contact
This documentation can be found online at http://radio.jsh.de.
You are very welcome to send any comments and further questions to the developer directly: eMail simon@radio.jsh.de, preferably in English or German language, but other languages may be arranged upon request.
jSh.Radio postal address: Simon Harston /Gundolfstr. 14 /D-64287 Darmstadt / Germany.
For further contact details, including phone numbers, please check the jSh.Radio flyers, which can be found at the top of this page.