pingStation 3

User and Installation Guide

REVISION B

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© 2022 uAvionix Corporation. All rights reserved.
uAvionix Corporation
300 Pine Needle Lane
Bigfork, MT 59911

http://www.uavionix.com
http://www.uavionix.com/support

Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this guide may be

reproduced, transmitted, disseminated, downloaded or stored in any
storage medium, for any purpose without the express written permission of
uAvionix. uAvionix grants permissions to download a single copy of this
guide onto an electronic storage medium to be viewed for personal use,
provided that the complete text of this copyright notice is retained.
Unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual or any revision hereto
is strictly prohibited.

uAvionix® is a registered trademark of uAvionix Corporation, and may not

be used without express permission of uAvionix.

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1 Revision History
Revision Date Comments
A 11/1/2021 Initial release
B 6/17/2022 Screen layout update, DHCP fallback and
information broadcast

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2 Warnings / Disclaimers
All device operational procedures must be understood prior to operation.
uAvionix is not liable for damages arising from the use or misuse of this
product.

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3 Limited Warranty
uAvionix pingStation 3 products are warranted to be free from defects in
material and workmanship for one year from purchase. For the duration of
the warranty period, uAvionix, at its sole option, will repair or replace any
product which fails under normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be
made at no charge to the customer for parts or labor, provided that the
customer shall be responsible for any transportation cost.
This warranty does not apply to cosmetic damage, consumable parts,
damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, water, fire or flood, damage
caused by unauthorized servicing, or product that has been modified or
altered.
IN NO EVENT, SHALL UAVIONIX BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL,
SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER
RESULTING FROM THE USE, MISUSE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
PRODUCT OR FROM DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCT. SOME STATES DO
NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Warranty Service
Warranty repair service shall be provided directly by uAvionix.

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4 Contents
1 Revision History ....................................................................................3
2 Warnings / Disclaimers ..........................................................................4
3 Limited Warranty ...................................................................................5
5 Introduction ............................................................................................7
6 Installation .............................................................................................9
6.1 Mechanical Mounting Recommendations ......................................9
6.2 Connection to the POE network ...................................................11
7 Configuration .......................................................................................12
7.1 POE Installation ............................................................................12
7.2 Configuration URL ........................................................................13
7.3 Connect ........................................................................................14
7.3.1 Configuration Items .................................................................16
7.3.2 Health Statistics ......................................................................19
8 Update .................................................................................................20
8.1 Update the pingStation 3 system software ...................................22
8.2 Update ADS-B receiver software .................................................25
9 Virtual Radar Server Receiver .............................................................27
9.1 Configure pingStation 3 ................................................................27
9.2 Configure Virtual Radar Server ....................................................29
9.3 Configure Virtual Radar Moving Map Home Location ..................32
10 Support ................................................................................................35

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5 Introduction
pingStation 3 is a dual band (978MHz and 1090MHz), networkable ADS-B
receiver with a Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) interface enclosed in an IP67
rated protective enclosure. pingStation 3 provides ground surface or low-
altitude ADS-B surveillance within line of sight of the antenna, with range
dependent upon the output power of the transmitting ADS-B transceiver.
pingStation 3 is robust enough to be permanently mounted outdoors in
harsh environmental conditions, and small enough to be used as a mobile
asset for roaming operations. Installation is simple with included pole-
mount bracket, and a single POE cable which provides both power and
data communications. Configuration is accomplished via a simple web
interface. An integrated GPS provides precision timestamping for
messaging.
Multiple pingStation 3’s may be networked together to provide a wide area
low-altitude surveillance volume. Data messages are available in multiple
formats as described within the pingStation 3 ICD (UAV-1005951-001).

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Figure 1:pingStation 3-dimensional drawing

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6 Installation
6.1 Mechanical Mounting Recommendations
pingStation 3 is supplied with an installation bracket and hose clamps to
mount to poles of various sizes.

Figure 2: Installation views from below (left) and above (right)

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Seat and tighten the hose clamp mount into the pingStation 3 and secure
with provided screws using a screwdriver. Select the appropriate hose
clamp size based on the diameter of the mounting pole. Tighten hose
clamps to secure pingStation 3 to the mounting pole.
Connect the pingStation 3 with the M12 connector using Cat5e or better
ethernet cable. It is recommended to use shielded Cat5e cable to protect
against EMI interference depending on your installation location.
Seat M12 plug into the pingStation 3 M12 receptacle then install and
tighten the connector as shown. M12 X Code cables can be sourced to
accommodate longer installation runs. Alternatively, a shielded, waterproof
coupler can be installed to extend a cable run to the POE switch/injector
location.
Mount pingStation 3 as high on the pole as possible, preferably at the top
with an unobstructed 360° view of the sky.
Secure the ethernet cable to the pingStation 3 mounting arm or to the pole
using a zip tie in a drip loop configuration for strain relief.

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6.2 Connection to the POE network
The pingStation 3 connects to a network via POE using an M12 X-Coded
connector.
POE Specifications:
Parameter Value
Standard 802.3af (802.3at Type1)
Maximum power 15.4W
Voltage Range 37 – 57V
Maximum Current 350mA
Maximum Cable Resistance !"#

Supported Cabling Shielded Cat 3 and Shielded Cat 5

Supported Modes Mode A (endspan), Mode B (midspan)
Power Management Power Class 0
Maximum Cable Length 100 meters

Figure 3: M12 to RJ45 wiring diagram

Caution!
Absolute maximum DC voltage +57 V. A higher DC voltage value will
! permanently damage the equipment!

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7 Configuration
7.1 POE Installation
pingStation 3 must be powered via POE. This can be accomplished with a POE
capable switch, or with a standalone POE injector.
Connect the shielded POE cable to an active POE switch or a regular switch via a Class
0 POE power injector as shown below.

Figure 4:pingStation powered by POE switch

Figure 5: pingStation powered by POE injector

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At power-up an IP address will be assigned to the pingStation 3 by the local DHCP
server. This IP address is dynamic and assigned by your local network. Determining
the assigned IP address is required for configuration. The pingStation 3 IP address can
be determined by accessing the local DHCP server and reviewing the connected
devices or by using industry accepted network scanning tools.
Directions for each DHCP server, router, or network scanning tool differ. Refer to the
instruction manual for these devices or tools to help determine the IP address assigned
to the pingStation 3. The MAC address for each pingStation 3 can be found on the
device housing.
Optional: You may wish to configure your DHCP server to reserve an IP address for
pingStation 3 in order to ensure its address does not change in the future. Refer to your
router or DHCP server instructions for how to reserve IP addresses.

7.2 Configuration URL

pingStation 3 settings can be observed and changed by navigating via web browser
from a PC or mobile device which is on the same Local Area Network (LAN) as the
powered pingStation 3. The IP address assigned by the DHCP server serves as the
base URL.
pingStation 3 base URL:
http://###.###.###.###/

Note “###.###.###.###” is the IP address of the device

Displays Health statistics, position and version information. Use to
program the target UDP address and Port number.
pingStation 3 status URL:
http://###.###.###.###/api/v1/status
Displays the status json sentence/
pingStation 3 traffic URL:
http://###.###.###.###/api/v1/traffic
Displays the current traffic json sentences.
pingStation 3 update URL:
http://###.###.###.###/update
Provides ability to update firmware.

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7.3 Connect
Note: Any IP addresses shown in this document are examples only, and are not
applicable to your pingStation 3 IP address.
The base URL displays configuration items as well as dynamic pingStation 3 statistics.

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Figure 6: Example configuration screen

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7.3.1 Configuration Items
Configuration Configuration Description
Category Item
UDP Output The supported UDP delivery format. Only one
Format option can be selected.
UDP JSON Aircraft data will be JSON formatted and
pushed out a UDP pipe to the UDP target
address on the UDP target port.
UDP ASTERIX Aircraft data will be ASTERIX CAT021
CAT021 formatted and pushed out a UDP pipe to the
UDP target address on the UDP target port.
UDP Disabled Disables UDP aircraft data output.
UDP Target IP The IP address or hostname of the UDP
Address or listener on the server.
Hostname
UDP Target The port number the UDP listener is listening
Port on.
TCP Output The supported TCP delivery format. One option
Format can be selected.
TCP Aircraft data will be Compressed VRS
Compressed formatted and delivered to a TCP for use with
VR Virtual Radar Server.
TCP ASTERIX Aircraft data will be ASTERIX CAT021
CAT021 formatted and delivered to the TCP target
address on the TCP target port.
TCP Disabled Disables TCP aircraft data output.
TCP Push IP The IP address or hostname that we will be
Address or sending TCP data to
Hostname
TCP Port If TCP Push IP Address or Hostname is valid
this will be the port that we will connect to
deliver the compressed VRS tracking data to
the push receiver on the other end of the
connection.

If TCP Push IP Address or Hostname is not

valid, this is the port that the TCP server will
listen for incoming connections on to deliver the
compressed VRS tracking data.
pingStation3 IP networking options for pingStation3. Default
Network is DHCP, static IP optional. Warning: Only use
Address static IP if necessary, it is possible to lock
access out of pingStation3 if configured
incorrectly.

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 Configuration Configuration Description
Category Item
Preferred Fixed IP address number of the device which
Static IP will not change. The network administrator
Address assigns this number. Set this field to 0.0.0.0 to
enable DHCP (Default). Updating this field
causes a system reset.
Subnet Mask Mask used to the IP address into network and
host address. Updating this field causes a
system reset.
Gateway IP Address used to send packets out of the local
Address network. Updating this field causes a system
reset.
DNS Address This is the IP address of the Domain Name
Service. Updating this field causes a system
reset.
Advanced The system will always enter DHCP client
Recovery mode at power up. If a DHCP server is present
Options on the network, it will override the Preferred
Static IP address.
Use DHCP This checkbox enables or disables the DHCP
Fallback for Fallback functionality for recovering units with
Static IP bad or forgotten static IP addresses.
Recovery
Data Filters Options to reduce or increase the amount of
data transmitted. These are useful on metered
connections.
Altitude Ceiling Entering a non-zero value will result in a filter
in Feet MSL which only returns aircraft data below the
entered value in feet Mean Sea Level (MSL).
Entering zero results in all aircraft data being
returned.
Max Radius in Entering a non-zero value will result in a filter
Miles which only returns aircraft data within the range
from the receiver’s GPS position in miles
specified. Entering zero results in all aircraft
data being returned.
Station Info This is the rate that the pingStation 3
Interval In information packet is returned. Mobile
Seconds pingStation 3s will want a lower number in this
field for more regular GPS updates. The
default is once every 30 seconds.
ASTERIX User definable fields for CAT021 format. Not
CAT021 Data applicable to Compressed VRS or JSON.

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 Configuration Configuration Description
Category Item
Source ID
Settings
ASTERIX Code allotted to the geographical area in which
CAT021 the ADS-B station operates.
System Area
Code
ASTERIX Code allotted to the ADS-B station providing
CAT021 traffic information.
System
Identification
Code
Note: When modifying any configuration item, press the Update button to store
the changes. These fields are non-volatile and persist through power cycles.

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7.3.2 Health Statistics

Statistic Description
UAT Basic The number of UAT basic aircraft messages received.
UAT Long The number of UAT long aircraft messages received.
1090 DF17 The number of 1090 ADS-B aircraft messages received.
1090 DF18 The number of 1090 TIS-B messages received.
Current Aircraft The number of aircraft currently being tracked. The aircraft
are deprecated from the list after 60 seconds since last
contact.
Current Range The range in miles of the last processed aircraft from the
pingStation 3.
GPS Fix Type The gps fix type as follows:
0 = Not present
1 = Not locked
2 = 2D fix
3 = 3D fix
4 = Differential GPS fix
GPS Satellites The number of satellites the pingStation 3 can currently see.
Latitude The latitude of this pingStation 3.
Longitude The longitude of this pingStation 3.
Receiver BPS The communication speed to the ping receiver.
GPS BPS The communication speed to the GPS
Version The version of software this pingStation 3 running.

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8 Recovery Methods
When in static IP mode and the user enters a bad network configuration or
the user forgets the programmed Static IP Address, we provide 2 methods
of recovery.

8.1 DHCP Fallback

• The system will always enter DHCP client mode on power up.
• If we have a static IP address configured, it will be loaded as the
default into the network interface.
• If we have a static IP address configured and the unit is on a
network with a DHCP server, the DHCP address received from
the DHCP server will overwrite the static IP address in the
network interface.
• If we have a static IP address configured, the DHCP requests will
stop after 75 seconds. The 75 seconds was chosen because the
default port configuration on some switches can take 60+ seconds for
the link to come up.
• If we have a static IP address configured and we have a hybrid
network that supports both DHCP and static IP addresses, DHCP
will overwrite the static IP address so the network administrator
can create a DHCP reservation based on the MAC address for
that IP address.
• Note that the DHCP Fallback option can be disabled by unchecking
the checkbox under “Advanced Recovery Options”.

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8.2 Power on information broadcast

• On power the system will do a UDP broadcast of system information

when the static IP address has been set
• The broadcast will be to 255.255.255.255 port 6667
• The system will broadcast the system information once every 5
seconds when is static IP mode
• The information will be broadcast for 120 seconds to allow for link up
and monitoring time
• The information broadcast will be as follows

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 o uAvionix signature
o MAC address
o IP address
o Subnet address
o Gateway address
o DNS address
o Lat
o Lan
• The format will be binary

Signature Bytes 0-18 uAvionixuAvionix

MAC Address Bytes 6-11 0x04714b107c85
IP Address Bytes 12-16 0xA16EA8C0
Subnet Mask Bytes 17-20 0xffffff00
Gateway Bytes 21-24 0x016EA8C0
Latitude Bytes 25-28 0xFB9B1511
Longitude Bytes 29-32 0XFA88DCDD

9 Update
The pingStation 3 supports software upgrades thru a web-based flashing
system. The user will launch the update webpage, select a firmware binary
file and press a button to start the update process. There are two separate
firmware files which can be updated through this process, the system
software, and the ADS-B receiver software.
9.1 Update the pingStation 3 system software
The update process is started by launching http://###.###.###.###/update.

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Figure 7: Example update entry screen

Choose the file to upload by pressing the “Choose File” button.

Figure 8: Example UAV file update selection screen

Press Upload to start the upgrade process. There will be an update %

status at the bottom of the page.

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When the upgrade is complete the pingStation 3 will reset.

Figure 9: Example restart screen

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9.2 Update ADS-B receiver software
The pingStation 3 system software supports in field updating of the ADS-B
receiver software.
From the pingStation 3 configuration page http://###.###.###.###/ select
the “Update” link in line with the ADS-B Version report, or access the
updater directly at http://###.###.###.###/pingUpdate

Figure 10: ADS-B receiver software version

From the pingUpdate page select “Choose File” and select the latest
receiver software. V2.4.43 is shown as an example.

Figure 11: ADS-B receiver file selection

Select “Start Update”

The progress bar will cycle during the update. At completion the updater
will report the status of the update. The status will report “Update
Complete” if successful.

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Figure 12: Update progress bar

Return to the pingStation 3 configuration page http://###.###.###.###/ and

verify the receiver version matches the version uploaded.

Figure 13:Check updated ADS-B version

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10 Virtual Radar Server Receiver
One option for displaying traffic received by pingStation 3 is through the
use of open-source Virtual Radar Server (VRS) software. VRS is not a
uAvionix product.
This is an example of creating a Virtual Radar Server receiver that will
render the Compressed VRS data from the pingStation 3 on a local LAN
VRS installation.
10.1 Configure pingStation 3
Open the pingStation 3 setup screen by visiting the pingStation 3 IP
address using a web browser.

Enable the TCP Compressed VR output

Enter an IP Address or hostname i.e.192.168.0.200 or vrs.uavionix.com
Enter the assigned TCP port i.e. 30003
Note: To display traffic on vrs.uavionix.com, please contact uAvionix
support to obtain an assigned TCP port.

Click Update

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10.2 Configure Virtual Radar Server
Download and install Virtual Radar Server from:
http://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/
1. Open Virtual Radar Server
2. Select Tools > Options
3. Select Receiver Locations
4. Click the + (plus sign)

5. Enter a name for the receiver

6. Enter the latitude and longitude
7. Click OK
Note: Receiver latitude and longitude are available from the pingStation 3
webpage

8.
Select Receivers and click the + (plus sign).

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 9. Configure a receiver as shown below:

Enable: Select Enabled

Name: Enter a name for the receiver
Format: Compressed VRS
Location: Choose the receiver location from the dropdown

Connection Type: Network

Push Receiver: Use to have the pingStation 3 create the TCP

connect
Or

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Address: Enter pingStation 3 IP address to TCP connect

Port: Enter the same TCP port as pingStation 3 setup

Send Keep-alive: Select Enabled
Click OK
10. After setup verify that the Virtual Radar Server shows a Connected
status and that the message counter is increasing. Note that you
may be required to have traffic before the state will change to
Connected.

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10.3 Configure Virtual Radar Moving Map Home Location
1. To view the aircraft on a moving map open a browser to your Virtual
Radar installation. The default address is:
http://127.0.0.1/VirtualRadar
A clickable hyperlink to the page is located on the Virtual Radar Server
window.

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UAV-1005950-001 Page 33 | 35
 2. From the Virtual Radar webpage click Menu > Options
3. Select the General tab
4. Select Set Current Location
5. Click the X (close)

6. Click and drag the red location icon to your location on the map.

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For Virtual Radar Server documentation visit:
http://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/

11 Support
For support with pingStation 3 visit http://uavionix.com/support/

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