ORION® Mobile Reading Software IMPORTANT: This manual contains important information. READ AND KEEP FOR REFERENCE. ORI-IOM-35 (1/14/11 10:52 am) P/N 62014-043 Rev.
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Installation & Operation Manual CONTENTS About This Manual.................................................................................................................................. 7 Intended Audience............................................................................................................................................................... 7 Reason for Reissue...........................................................................................................................
ORION® Mobile Reading Software Reports ....................................................................................................................................................................14 Alerts........................................................................................................................................................................14 Help.............................................................................................................................
Installation & Operation Manual Best Practice.......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Splash Screen........................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Read Meters.................................................................................................
ORION® Mobile Reading Software Scenario ................................................................................................................................................................................ 60 Steps...................................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Processing Meter Readings Not in the Route.........................................................
Installation & Operation Manual About This Manual This manual is accessible through the interactive Help section of the ORION® Reading Software (ORS) software. Help topics provide direct access to specific information. Intended Audience This document is intended for field technicians to collect accurate utility meter readings from homes and businesses using the ORS software from the convenience of their vehicles.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) ORS Terminology Terms used in this document are described in this section. The ORS terminology is alphabetically listed in the following table: Baud Rate The speed of communication from one electronic component to another, specifically from the GPS to the laptop and the Receiver to the laptop. Field An individual data item on an ORS page. GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System List View This view shows a current list of meter readings.
Installation & Operation Manual System Components 1 2 3 2 4 3 4 Figure 1: Components The components of the system are: 1. Panasonic ToughBook™ laptop computer installed with the ORS software. 2. ORION mobile receiver 3. Magnetic antenna 4. GPS receiver Equipment Setup The instructions in this section allow you to set up the equipment in the vehicle: 1. Place the magnetic mount antenna on the roof of the vehicle. Ensure that the area around the base of the antenna equals the height of the antenna.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Software Initialization 1. Power up the laptop and enter "ORION" in the log in window. Result: The windows desktop is displayed. 2. Double-click the ORION Reading Software desktop icon, which displays the ORION logo. 3. Alternatively, you can navigate to the desired destination: < Start/Program Files/ Badger Meter, Inc./ ReadCenterMobile/ReadCenter-Mobile.exe.> 4. In the User Name window, enter your initials or any three digit numeral, for example, 123. 5.
Installation & Operation Manual Splash Screen The Splash screen is the initial screen that is displayed when you log in to the ORS. Figure 2: Splash Screen 1. Select the appropriate language, if other than English. See Figure 3. 2. To view a list of all registered trademarks, click the Trademarks button. See Figure 4. 3. Type your User Name/Initials in to the blank field. 4. Select Accept. 5. Select Cancel to exit the program.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 3: Language Change Options Figure 4: Trademark List Page 12 12-10
Installation & Operation Manual Main Screen The after the Splash screen, the Tool Bar, Main Menu and Status Bar appear. Figure 5: Main Screen Tool Bar The Tool Bar contains the different commands and configuration options that make up ORS. Figure 6: Tool Bar Start The Start button begins or resumes the meter reading process. Select Start to navigate to the next screens including “List View” or “Map View.” Pause The Pause button temporarily pauses the meter reading process.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Settings The Settings button allows you to change the settings that control the behavior of the ORS software. It holds the information that controls all of the subsystems including the ORION® Receiver and GPS connection information, and the map display options. Note: A password is needed when you click on Setup. If you do not set up a password for yourself in the Reading Management Software, the default password is "ORION.
Installation & Operation Manual Load The Load button loads the route from a specified location. Note: If the button is inaccessible, it indicates that the route was already selected. Start Reading The Start Reading button activates the GPS and the receiver, and switches the view to your choice of the List and/or Map Views. Unload When you have completed the meter readings, click the Unload button on the Main Menu to write the meter reading data to a storage device, such as a memory stick.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 9: No Signal Detection Message Map Control The Map Control buttons are located on the right and left sides of the display when either List View or Map View buttons are selected from the Menu Bar. These buttons perform the following map control functions: Figure 10: Right Side Buttons Select Meter The select meter option allows you to select a meter icon to display the details of the meter.
Installation & Operation Manual Zoom Default Select this button to return to the default setting to view the map. The left side buttons perform the control functions: Figure 11: Left Side Buttons Legend Click this button to toggle between the distance legend and the icon legend. Find Address Click this button to enter a specific address. Select OK when finished entering the address and the map will center itself to the address. Show All Services 1.
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Installation & Operation Manual Loading and Unloading a Route This section describes detailed ORS screens and procedures that begin with loading the ORION Software and culminate with the unloading process. Out-of -Scope The examples provided in this section do not include Reading Data Management Software procedures to create route information to Load ORS, nor does it include Reading Data Management Software procedures to store the captured meter information. Load Example 1.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 13: Route File Selection 5. In that screen, select the drive letter from the drive list of the flash drive. 6. From the folder options, select the folder containing the route data. 7. Click the small plus sign to open a folder and display its contents. Result: When ORS identifies the route files, a green check mark is displayed beside the folder containing the route files. Click Select to begin loading the route file. 8.
Installation & Operation Manual When the route files have been loaded, meters can be read. The Main Menu indicates the Load button as inaccessible and the Start Reading button is accessible. Figure 14: Main Menu - Start Reading Reading Example 1. Click the Start Reading button. Refer to the Start Reading screen. 2. Select the List View button.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 15: Tool Bar - List View Button 3. Page 22 The List View displays details about each meter on the line to identify quickly a particular meter. To view all the details about a specific meter, click the Meter Details button for that meter. The Service Details window will open.
Installation & Operation Manual Figure 16: Service Details As meter readings are received from the ORION Receiver, the line on the List View for that meter is removed from the list so as to monitor the reading status and missed reads in real-time. When all the meters are read, the List view goes blank and the following Audit message appears.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) If you select the Map View on the Toolbar, the following screen is displayed: Figure 18: Map View 1. To view the meter details, select one of the meter icons. Note: If more than one meter is present in the reading area, ORS indicates a list of related meters from which to select.
Installation & Operation Manual In the Map View, when a meter reading is received, that meter’s icon changes to reflect the status of the meter. Successfully read meters are displayed by a green circle. Meters with a tamper condition are displayed as a T inside a circle, and potential water leaks are indicated by an asterisk (*). Misread meters are displayed as a red square. A blue diamond indicates an insufficient proximity to a meter. 2.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Unload Example 1. To Unload received readings, click the Unload Route button on the Main Menu. Figure 20: Unload Readings 2. Page 26 Highlight the folder Click to write the meter readings to the selected drive or folder to be transferred to the Reading Data Management Software.
Installation & Operation Manual Quick Read The Quick Read Feature allows you to read a ORION unit without having a route loaded. This is handy when you wish to verify the installation of a unit, if you wish to verify that a unit is operating correctly, or if you wish to collect the reading and status of a unit without loading a route. The Quick Read screen displays each reading received from an individual ORION endpoint or within range of ORION endpoints.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 22: Quick Read: Technology Selection and Serial Number Entry -- To read a particular ORION meter, enter the endpoint serial number in the “Limit to S/N” field. Details Summary This section provides a detailed description of screens and screen-buttons functions. Best Practice The recommended practice for meter reading is to engage a second person, not the driver, to monitor progress.
Installation & Operation Manual If Then the Trademarks button is selected, a list of Trademarks button references in ORS is displayed the Change Language button is selected, a list of languages that can be used with ORS is displayed the View License button is selected the ORS software license is displayed. The utility must accept the software the first time the software is used. Figure 23: ORS Start-up Screen Do not use ORS while driving.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Main Screen The Main Screen allows you to choose the ORS functions you wish to perform. The functions are divided into the following three areas: • The top button bar with Setup and Help functions. • The left side buttons devoted to meter reading. • The right side buttons for other ORS functions.
Installation & Operation Manual Load The Load Route button loads the route from a specific drive and directory. 1. When ORS alerts you with a message reading: "Route Files Found", Click OK. If Then If the route files are not found in the selected folder or drive... the “No Route Data Available” message appears. If the route file has corrupted information in the account the ORS software generates error messages. numbers or the endpoint serial numbers...
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 26: File Error Figure 27: File Error Verify and correct the corrupted data in the Reading Data Management Software and possibly the billing system, to read the intended route correctly.
Installation & Operation Manual List View List View presents a list of unread meters in reading sequence order. As meters are read, they are removed from this list. Figure 28: List View Details allow the user to view meter details, enter codes/messages and perform manual meter readings.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Map View 1. If you click the Map View, ORS displays the map of the area, with the reading location as the focal point. 2. If you click the Start Reading Meters button, the map centers at the starting location. Once the GPS system determines the correct location from the satellites, the screen shows the map centered at the vehicle’s location. Figure 29: Map View 3. 4. Page 34 A meter icon identifies each meter’s status and location.
Installation & Operation Manual Legend: Figure 30: Legend Icons Read A green circle indicates a successful reading with no problems reported. A green circle that contains the letter “L,” indicates a successful reading of an acoustic leak detection module (Permalog®). Unread A blue diamond indicates an unread meter. A hollow diamond indicates a meter without an ORION® endpoint. A blue triangle with a hollow “L” indicates an unread acoustic leak detection module.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Split View If you select both Map View, and List View, the current listing of unread meters appear at the top as well as the current map on the bottom. When using a mouse, height adjustment of each area is accomplished by placing the cursor on the line between the two areas. When the cursor changes to an arrow, click and drag to adjust the height as preferred.
Installation & Operation Manual Figure 33: Current Reading Example Current Reading • Account Number - This field indicates the account number sent by Reading Data Management Software.. • Service Type - This field contains the description of the service being measured by the meter, such as Water, Electric, Gas, etc. • Module S/N - The serial number of the ORION endpoint mounted on the meter. The serial number allows ORS to identify each meter uniquely.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) • Name • Addr • Mtr L • Mtr # • Trn # The last of the meter reading fields on the right side of the screen pertain specifically to the meter reading that was gathered: • Actual Read Method: This field indicates the type of technology used for reading, for example: ORION. • Read Date / Time – This field contains the date the reading was taken.(-These fields are not present) • Reader ID – This field displays the identification of the meter reader.
Installation & Operation Manual The Comment Codes/Messages tab is used to display any Codes /Messages relating to a meter. Figure 34: Comment Codes/Messages • Reader Codes - Reader codes are values that the reader can create about a specific meter. These values are channelized into ORS by the Reading Data Management Software. • Trouble Code -Trouble codes are values that the reader can create for problems related to a specific meter.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Enter/Edit Meter Reading 1. To enter a reading manually, select the Enter/Edit Meter Reading button. See Figure 34 on page 39. Figure 35: Enter Meter Reading Manually enter a meter reading on the touch screen or type the reading on the laptop keyboard. If the meter reading has dials set from right to left, click the box to reset the option to "L-to-R.
Installation & Operation Manual Add/Edit Trouble Code 1. To report a trouble condition at a meter, click the Select button in the Trouble Code area. Figure 36: Trouble Codes The Trouble Code screen allows you to send a trouble code (such as a broken wire, missing unit, or damaged unit) to the utility. Note: The trouble codes are defined in Reading Data Management Software and sent to the ORS. 2. To select a trouble code, select the appropriate code from the list of codes available and click OK.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Add/Edit Reader Codes 1. To report non-trouble information about a meter, click one of the Select buttons in the Reader Code area (see Figure 34 on page 39). Figure 37: Select a Comment Note: You can select up to three comments and send those comments back to the office for a given meter. Note: The Reader Codes are also defined in the Reading Data Management Software and sent to ORS. 2. To set a Reader Code, select the code and then select OK.
Installation & Operation Manual Add/Edit Text Message This option allows users to record text messages or notes that can be utilized later when reporting issues to Technical Support. For more information on Technical Support, refer to "Using Technical Support" at the end of the manual. Figure 38: Adding or Editing Text Note: Text messages up to a maximum length of 139 characters can also be sent back to the utility. 1. Click in the Extended Comments text box. 2.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Find The Find icon allows you to perform searches based on specific criteria. Figure 39: Find Menu 1. Page 44 To search for a meter, enter information about the particular meter into one of the search fields.
Installation & Operation Manual Figure 40: Find Results (Example 1) Result: In Example1, there are several meters that have the value of “3” in their address field. If “30” was entered in the AMR S/N field, the search would be narrowed to the meters fitting both criteria.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 41: Find Results (Example 2) In Example 2, there is only one meter in the system that has “3” in the Addr field and “30” in the AMR S/N field. A search can also be performed by the following methods: • Read Method • Read Status • Search by assigned latitude/longitude coordinates As in the example above, if information is entered in more than one field, ORS will search for meters meeting all search criteria.
Installation & Operation Manual Reports The Reports feature organizes meter reading information in a number of different ways to facilitate easy information gathering. The screen is organized to accommodate report types, filters, and exceptional status filters. • Special Reports: -- Summary: This report contains the current status of in-progress meter reading. -- Audit: The audit report shows all error conditions encountered in ORS according to time and date.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) 1. Select the Reports button (on the Tool Bar - Figure 5 on page 13) to display the Reports menu. Figure 42: Reports Menu To see a report of the meters that have been read, select the Read Services Only button.
Installation & Operation Manual Figure 43: Read Services Result Note: For meter icons that indicate special conditions, refer to "Figure 30: Legend Icons" on page 35. The check boxes beneath the “Exceptional Statuses Filter” allow user-selectable report criteria. For example, to see only those meters that have been successfully read but are reporting a Potential Leak status: 1. Select the Read Services Only button. 2. Select the Potential Leak box. 3.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Each of the Special Reports for the ORS application is described below. Each report is automatically updated as the meter reader views the report and ORS gathers data. Grand Summary Report – This report contains the current status of in-progress meter reading. Figure 44: Summary Report • Total Accounts – The number of accounts that were loaded in the route file. • Total Services – The total number of services that were included in those accounts.
Installation & Operation Manual • Potential Leak – The number of ORION water endpoints reporting a potential leak condition. • Reverse Flow – The number of reverse flow meter readings that were recorded. Audit Report - The audit report shows all error conditions encountered in ORS according to time and date. Here are the different fields reported in the audit report:.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Figure 46: Alert Report This report indicates potential leaks that were sited and provides the addresses associated with those potential leaks. It includes the time and date when the reading occurred. Setup The Setup button allows you to change the settings being used by the software in its operations.
Installation & Operation Manual 1. Select the Settings button on the Tool Bar to see the Password Entry screen.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) General Tab The General Tab displays the Units of Measure, Out-of-Route Options, and Geocoding Options. Figure 49: Settings - General Tab • Units of Measure: Select English or Metric units • Out-of-Route Options: If the Collect Out-of-Route AMR Reads box is checked, any readings received that are not in the route are logged and included when the route is unloaded. If the box is not checked, the laptop only records the readings for the meters in the route.
Installation & Operation Manual Alerts Tab The Alerts Tab allows users to set alerts based on sound preferences. This option also allows the user to set pop up and flashing icon options. Figure 50: Settings - Alerts Tab • Display Service Popup Comments: When the box is checked, any comments sent from the route management system that are associated with a particular meter will be displayed as an Alert Message. If unchecked, the alert will not appear.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Map Tab The Map Tab primarily displays the location, features, orientation and entry and exit zones for Maps. Users can customize the Map display based on their preferences. Figure 51: Settings - Map Tab • Map: This field shows the state map that is currently loaded. • Map Features: Select/deselect map information and detail: -- Display Velocity on Map: When checked, this box displays the speed of the vehicle on the map.
Installation & Operation Manual Note: When you change the value of this setting, you must exit the software and restart it. -- Default Zoom Level: A value of 250 will show 250 feet as 1 inch on the screen. -- Minor Road Cutoff Zoom Level: When zooming out past this value, only the major roads are visible.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Communications Tab Figure 52: Settings - Communications Tab • ORION/Permalog/Datamatic Receiver: -- Com Port: The COM port assigned to the receiver. -- No Data Received Timeout (ms): The time (in milliseconds) needed to determine that the GPS has stopped operating. -- No Packets Received Timeout (ms): The time (in milliseconds) needed to determine that the receiver is malfunctioning. • TRACE Receiver: If reading Trace meters, you must set the COM port.
Installation & Operation Manual • RAMAR Receiver: Choose the COM port and the type of RAMAR receiver you are using. -- Type: Choose the type of RAMAR receiver you are using. -- No Data Received Timeout (ms): The time (in milliseconds) needed to determine that the GPS has stopped operating. -- No Packets Received Timeout (ms): The time (in milliseconds) needed to determine that the receiver is malfunctioning.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Geocoding Meter Locations To capture the approximate location of the meters automatically, the location coordinates (latitude and longitude) can be gathered automatically. The GEOCODE feature of the ORS Software assigns the current location of the vehicle to the meter when the meter reading transmission is received.
Installation & Operation Manual The following observations can be made audibly or visibly: Figure 54: Geocoding Once you click the GEOCODE button, you are slowly driving the route under 10 MPH, and a meter reading comes in that requires a location, you will hear a sound and the map display will show a new green circle for the meter that was just read. Each time you receive a meter reading from a meter that requires a location, you will hear the sound and see another green circle.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Processing Meter Readings Not in the Route There are times when it is convenient to read and store the readings of ALL the meters in an area, not just those meters included in the route. For these occasions, the ORION Mobile Reading Software provides the Out of Route Processing feature. When enabled, the features will log the readings of all meters it encounters as if they were in the route. The readings can also be unloaded for use in billing.
Installation & Operation Manual This is handy in the event you are reading Out-of-Route meters on one day, and performing normal meter reading on the next day. If you forget to turn off the Out-of-Route reading, you will be reminded to do so before you begin normal meter reading. Note: It is recommended that you always have this field checked.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Once the route is loaded and you click Start Reading Meters, the following prompt is displayed to confirm your intention to collect out-of-route meter readings. Figure 57: Confirmation Prompt 8. If you wish to collect Out-of-Route Readings, click Yes. 9. If you click NO, the Out-of-Route processing is turned off automatically. Note: You do not need to proceed to the Setup screen to turn off the Out-of-Route Reading feature.
Installation & Operation Manual The Summary report shows the number of Out-of-Route meters read. 10. If you select the Out-of-Route Report button, the Out-of-Route Report is displayed. Figure 59: Out-of-Route Report When meter reading is completed and you unload the route, those meter readings that were not in the route will be added to the unload file. The Reading Data Management Software will then include them in the Unload report, and store them if they are in the database.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Unload Once you complete the meter readings, use the Unload Meter Readings button on the Main Screen to write the meter reading data. The readings can then be uploaded into the Reading Data Management Software. Figure 60: Unload Data When you unload, the data gets automatically archived in case the disk is misplaced or destroyed before uploading to Reading Data Management Software.
Installation & Operation Manual Figure 61: Endpoint Reading Note: You can use the slider bar to view all the readings. 11. When you are done with the Quick Read screen, click Close. Unarchive The Unarchive button loads back a prior route of readings so that the user can save the data (unload) to a disk. 12. Based on the time and date, select the reading session you want to restore and click OK.
ORION® Reading Mobile Software (ORS) Unarchive The Unarchive button loads back a prior route of readings so that the user can save the data (unload) to a disk. 1. Based on the time and date, select the reading session you want to restore and click OK. Result: The readings will be restored and you will return to the main menu, allowing you to Unload the readings again. 2. If you wish to remove a route from the Archives, click on the route and click Delete.
Installation & Operation Manual Exit To end the software session, click Exit. What If Things Go Wrong During the normal course of operations, ORS may run into problems. These problems can occur in a number of different areas: • When ORS finds information in the data base that it was not expecting, • When ORS does not find the expected information. • When the data base inside ORS reports a problem • When the operating system on the laptop reports a problem.
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ORION® is a registered trademarks of Badger Meter, Inc. Other trademarks appearing in this document are the property of their respective entities. Copyright 2010, Badger Meter, Inc. All rights reserved. Due to continuous research, product improvements and enhancements, Badger Meter reserves the right to change product or system specifications without notice, except to the extent an outstanding contractual obligation exists. Badger Meter | P.O.
