The RF450 Spread Spectrum Radio is the latest addition to our line of wireless telemetry products—transmitting over distances up to 60 miles. The RF450 is a 900-megahertz, license-free radio specifically designed to work with Campbell Scientific CRBasic dataloggers (the CR800 series, CR1000, CR3000, and CR5000). The RF450 radio contains a radio module from FreeWave Technologies and a Campbell Scientific interface board.
Features
The RF450 is optimally used in a point-to-multipoint network. Traditionally, a multipoint network is used in applications where data is collected from as few as one or up to many dataloggers and reported back to one central site. The central site is typically a PC running LoggerNet, but could be a datalogger.
An RF450 in this type of network is designated as a master, where it is able to simultaneously communicate with numerous slaves. In its simplest form, a multipoint network functions with the master broadcasting its messages to all slaves. The slaves respond to the master only when given data by the datalogger.
Point-to-multipoint applications take advantage of the low power mode available in the RF450. This reduces the required power at remote sites from about 75 mA to less than 10 mA in most applications.
Specifications
Spread spectrum radios spread the normally narrow-band information signal over a relatively wide band of frequencies. This process makes communications more immune to noise and interference from RF sources such as pagers, cellular phones, and multi-path. User-selectable frequency hopping patterns reduce the radios' susceptibility to RF interference from other spread spectrum devices. Realistic reliable transmission distance is approximately 13 miles.
