DR600

User Manual and Installation Guide

K-Band Doppler Radar DR600
(Applies to both DR600-DFT and DR600-OFD versions)
Rev 1, 11th January 2018

DR600 in weatherproof enclosure DR600 open frame

Version (DR600-DFT) Version (DR600-OFD)

Houston Radar LLC

12818 Century Dr. Stafford, TX 77477
Http://www.Houston-Radar.com
Email: sales@Houston-Radar.com
Contact: 1-888-602-3111

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This device conforms to the CE mark and conforms to the requirements of the applicable
European Directives as follows:

EN 60950-1
ETSI EN 300 440-1 V1.4.1
ETSI EN 300 440-2 V1.2.1
ETSI EN 301 489-1 V1.7.1
EN 55022 Class B
EN 61000-4-2 8 kV/4 kV
EN 61000-4-3 3 V/m

FCC ID: TIADR600

This device meets the FCC requirements for RF exposure in public or uncontrolled
environments.

This device complies with FCC part 15 Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference and 2. This device must
accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.

Changes or modifications not approved by Houston Radar could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

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IC ID: 21838-DR600

This device meets the IC requirements for RF exposure in public or uncontrolled

environments.

Cet appareil est conforme aux conditions de la IC en matière de RF dans des

environnements publics ou incontrôlée.

IC Warning

This device complies with Industry Canada license exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: 1. this device may not cause interference, and
2. this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device.

Cet appareil est conforme avec Industrie Canada RSS standard exempts de licence (s).
Son utilisation est soumise à Les deux conditions suivantes: 1. cet appareil ne peut pas
provoquer d’interférences et 2. cet appareil doit accepter Toute interférence, y compris
les interférences qui peuvent causer un mauvais fonctionnement du dispositive.

Warning: DR600-OFD radar is supplied in an open frame format with exposed antenna
and electronics and thus is a static sensitive device. Please use static precautions when
handling. Warranty does not cover damage caused by inadequate ESD procedures and
practices.

Note: Specifications may change without notice.

Note: Not liable for typographical errors or omissions.

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 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 5
INSTALLATION .............................................................................................................. 5
MOUNTING....................................................................................................................... 5
DIRECTION POINTING ....................................................................................................... 6
RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE FOR THE SS600-OFD ......................................................... 6
HOOKUP ........................................................................................................................... 7
Power Input ................................................................................................................. 7
Serial Connection........................................................................................................ 7
Measured Speed Output:............................................................................................. 7
Setting variables from an ASCII Terminal program via ASCII commands ................ 8
WIRE SIGNAL DESCRIPTIONS (TERMINAL BLOCK)......................................................... 10
WIRE SIGNAL DESCRIPTIONS (DB9 CONNECTOR) ......................................................... 10
USE ................................................................................................................................... 12
Internal Clock ........................................................................................................... 13
Configuring the Unit ................................................................................................. 13
Configuring the Radar with Houston Radar Stats Analyzer GUI............................. 17
STEP 1: Connect to Radar ........................................................................................ 18
STEP 2: DR600 Setup ............................................................................................... 19
STEP 3: Select the radar units .................................................................................. 20
STEP 4: Set the radar cutoff speeds (low and high speed cutoff)............................. 21
STEP 5: Set Detection Sensitivity ............................................................................. 22
STEP 6: Set Detection Direction & Target Selector ................................................ 22
STEP 7: Set “Slow Speed Targets Filter” and “Tuning Fork Test” Modes ............ 24
STEP 8: Setup Baud Rate, ASCII Format, and Output Precision ............................ 25
STEP 9: Select Speed Output Interval .................................................................... 256
STEP 10: Select Speed Measurement Mode ........................................................... 267
STEP 11: Configure the trigger outputs ................................................................. 288
STEP 12: Select RS232 (serial data output) mode ................................................... 30
STEP 13: Optional Advanced In-Radar Traffic Statistics logging ........................... 31
DR600 SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................ 32
GENERAL ....................................................................................................................... 32
APPROVALS ................................................................................................................... 32
DATA INTERFACES ......................................................................................................... 32
MECHANICAL ................................................................................................................. 32
PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................... 33
ORDERING OPTIONS ....................................................................................................... 34
APPENDIX A: CONNECTING TO THE RADAR TRIGGER OUTPUTS............. 35

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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the Houston Radar directional Doppler Speed Radar
DR600. This state of the art 24GHz K-band microwave Doppler radar is specifically
designed for the license free battery operated speed measurement and monitoring market.

Utilizing high performance, ultra-low power DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology,
and microwave components based on a planar patch array antenna with integrated low
power PHEMT oscillator, you will find that this high quality product meets your exacting
standards for performance and reliability.

Some of the highlights of this product include:

 Complete bi-directional speed output Doppler radar with digital processing
 Best in class low power usage of only 8.1 mA at 12VDC (0.097 Watt)
 0.6mph (1km/h) to 200+mph (322 km/h) of speed measurement range
 Advanced CFAR DSP based algorithm yields consistent performance and speed
detection
 Capable of 790+m (2600+ feet) pickup distance for incoming vehicles on open
and level road in range boost mode. Trucks picked up at 940+m (3100+ feet).
 Two RS232 and two ‘open collector’ vehicle detection trigger outputs
 Radar internal software is upgradeable in the field via RS232 PC interface
 All radar configuration parameters can be set by user via RS232 serial port
 Extensive built-in self test
 Supports our popular Advanced In-Radar traffic statistics
 Android App to collect data when coupled with Houston Radar Bluetooth
module
 Pin, form-factor, and interface compatible with our previous generation DR500
radar
 Wide variety of mounting and enclosure options

INSTALLATION
Mounting:
DR600-OFD is supplied in an “open frame” format. It requires a weatherproof enclosure
before it may be used outdoors. Alternatively it may be mounted as a component in
another product that already has a weatherproof enclosure.
The DR600-OFD should be mounted such that the connector points left or right
(Horizontally).

The DR600-DFT is supplied in a weatherproof encapsulated enclosure with a pigtail

connection. This unit may be mounted outside without any further protection from the
environment. The DR600-DFT should be mounted such that the cable gland is positioned
down and the mounting bosses are horizontal.

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Rotating the unit by 90 degrees from the suggested optimal mounting is not
recommended, and doing so will cause detection range to be significantly reduced.

Direction Pointing:

The DR600 is directional in nature. It may be configured to detect and measure

the speed of incoming, outgoing, or bi-directional traffic. It then rejects traffic
moving in the opposite direction (unless set to bi-directional). Direction of
detection is configured via the bits in the radar’s MO and MD variables, or
preferably, via the GUI.

Statistics are only gathered for incoming traffic when placed in incoming or bi-
directional mode. No statistics will be collected in outgoing mode.

For optimal performance:

 Radar should be mounted as suggested in the section titled “Mounting”

 Radar should be pointed into the direction of the oncoming traffic.
 Radar should be placed along the side of the road to minimize the angle of the
oncoming traffic to the radar.
o If radar cannot be placed right along the side of the road, it should be
pointed at least 100-150 feet (30-45 m) up the road into oncoming traffic.
 The radar may pick up rotating fans. Avoid pointing it at fans or compressors.
 Radar should be mounted at least 3 feet (1 m) high from the road for optimal
performance and at least 6 feet (1.9 m) for maximum pickup distance

Recommended Enclosure for the DR600-OFD:

The DR600-OFD radar needs to be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure for outside use.
The following needs to be observed for optimal performance:

1. The front face of the radar is the antenna and the face that must point into traffic.
2. Any cover or window in front of the unit MUST be at least ¼” away from the
face.
3. Do NOT spray any conformal (or other) coating, paint, or other substance on the
antenna.
4. The optimum material to use as a front window is Lexan (Polycarbonate) plastic.
5. The optimum thickness of the polycarbonate window is one half wavelength at
24.125Ghz, or about 3.5 to 3.7mm (0.137” to 0.146”) thick.
a. Alternatively, a thin window of any plastic material may be used. The
maximum thickness in this case should be no more than 1 mm (40 mils).
b. Standard 0.25” thick Lexan should be avoided as it has particularly high
reflection coefficient due to this specific thickness.
6. Other plastic materials may be used as a front window, but the optimum thickness
will wary with the material’s dielectric constant. Please contact us for details.

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Alternatively, you may consider the weatherproof version, DR600-DFT, which is
available from Houston Radar.

Hookup:
Power Input:

The DR600 radar features a wide operating input voltage range of 5.0V-30V. In a typical
application, it may be powered from a nominal 12V DC source and will feature best in
class operational power consumption of 8.1mA (average).

This ultra low operational power translates directly into a longer battery life, or the option
to use smaller batteries and solar panels.

Note: The radar employs aggressive power saving measures that include turning off parts
of the circuit that are not being used at any instant. To get a true measure of the power
usage of the circuit use a multi-meter that has an averaging function and does not suffer
from auto ranging during measurements. Otherwise you will get current readings that
fluctuate from 1 mA to 30 mA.

Your power supply to the radar must be capable of supplying up to 100mA of current for
up to 5 seconds at a time (startup current is higher as the radar is initializing its internal
systems).

Serial Connection:

The DR600 features an RS232 interface that is used to output speed, access statistics
data, and configure the unit.
The RS232 interface is factory set to “cable detect” mode and will power the interface
chip down to save power if the radar RX line is not connected. Cable detect mode may be
disabled and the interface forced ON via a bit in the “MD” variable. This can also be
configured through the GUI.

Measured Speed Output:

The DR600 will send out the measured speed via the ASCII interface as a 3 digit speed
with an optional direction indicator. The format is:
[?,+]nnn[.ddd][\r,\n]
The format of the speed output can be adjusted to any combination of:
“?”: Optional prefix sent when 000 selected to be sent when no vehicles are detected
“+”: Optional prefix sent when nnn speed is sent for incoming vehicles
“-“: Optional prefix send when nnn speed is sent for outgoing vehicles
“nnn”: Three digit ascii speed in the units selected via the UN variable
“.ddd”: Programmable number of digits (0-3) after decimal point
“\r”: Carriage Return character, optional line ending

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“\n”: Line Feed character, optional line ending
At least one or both of the line endings must be selected with ASCII format. No line
ending is not an option. Please see serial port configuration section for details on how to
select the above format.
Alternatively, the radar may be set to output a single byte speed in binary format. No line
termination is issued when format is set to binary. A fractional value cannot be output
when the binary output mode is selected.

Setting variables from an ASCII Terminal program via ASCII commands:

All the radar variables can be set and queried via a simple ASCII command set over the
serial port. ASCII commands may be issued via an ASCII terminal program like
Hyperterminal or Teraterm Pro. Alternatively, you may issue these commands from an
attached microcontroller.

All settings are written to FLASH memory and are non-volatile. Do not update
settings on a periodic basis, e.g. every second or every minute. Only change settings
when the user needs it. The FLASH memory has a limited number of write cycles
and will wear out with an excessive (>10,000) number of writes. On the other hand,
setting the variable to the same value repeatedly is OK because the radar recognizes
that the variable has not changed and does not update it in FLASH.

The ASCII commands are:

get (to get a config variable)

set (set a config variable to a supplied value)
reset (resets the radar. Required after changing variables MO, MD, RS, RA, and CY.
LO, HI, SP, ST, SF, UN do not require a reset.) Some variables may not be present on all
radars.
info (print out some info about the radar. Info is in the format of <tag>=<value>). New
tags may be added in the future. Order of tags may be moved around.

Variables are case sensitive. Commands are not.

Success is indicated by an "OK".
Failure is indicated by either:
"ERROR" - Command was recognized but some other error occurred (variable not
present, format not correct etc.)
<nothing returned> - Command was not recognized. Entire line was silently discarded.
This ensures that spurious characters, such as the return character, do not generate
"ERROR" messages unexpectedly.

To set a variable (variables are documented in the user manual):

set: <case sensitive variable name> <value>[Enter]
e.g.
set:LO 5

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alt format:
set:LO=5
sets the low speed cutoff to 5 etc.

To get a variable (variables are documented in the user manual):

get:<case sensitive variable name>[ENTER]
e.g.
get:LO
returns
LO=5 (if value is presently set to 5).

If sending the ASCII command via an attached microcontroller, the “[ENTER]” key
press should be replaced by the carriage return and/or line feed ASCII character.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

Wire Signal Descriptions (Terminal Block):

Molex
Wire Signal Direction
Connector Description
Color Name (wrt Radar)
Pin #
1 Red VIN PWR VCC Power Supply
2 Green TX1 Output RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
3 Gray RX1 Input RS232 Receive Signal into radar
4 Brown RX2 Input RS232 Receive Signal into radar
5 Black GND PWR Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)
6 Yellow TX2 Output RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
7 Violet Trig O/P 1 Output “Open Drain Output 1”. See Note 1.
8 Orange Trig O/P 2 Output “Open Drain Output 2”. See Note 1.
9 Blue GND PWR Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)

Wire Signal Descriptions (DB9 Connector):

Signal Direction
DB9 Pin # Description
Name (wrt Radar)
1 VIN PWR VCC Power Supply
2 TX1 Output RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
3 RX1 Input RS232 Receive Signal into radar
4 RX2 Input RS232 Receive Signal into radar
5 GND PWR Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)
6 TX2 Output RS232 Transmit Signal from radar
7 Trig O/P 1 Output “Open Drain Output 1”. See Note 1.
8 Trig O/P 2 Output “Open Drain Output 2”. See Note 1.
9 GND PWR Radar GND (battery “-“ terminal)

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

Note 1: See Appendix A for detailed description on how to hookup an external

device to be triggered when radar detects incoming objects. Incorrect hookup may
result in the output devices being destroyed and will not be covered under
warranty.

The DR600 features two low impedance outputs that can trigger/turn on an
external display/device to bring it out of power saving mode when a vehicle is
detected. Both outputs are under radar software control and the typical
functionality is to turn both on together when a vehicle is detected. This logic,
however, is completely customizable. See later section for details.

When a vehicle is detected, with the typical configuration, and the speed is above
the “LO” speed limit and below the “HI” speed limit, both pins are pulled down to
GND and held low as long as a vehicle is tracked. These pins are released as soon
as the radar detects no further traffic.

These are “open drain” (AKA open collector) outputs capable of sinking 500 mA
each. You must limit the current externally to ensure that no more than 500 mA
goes into each pin when they turn on. They may be connected in parallel to
double the sink capacity to 1000 mA.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

USE
Turn on the power to the DR600 to make it operational. No other action is required. The
radar will typically activate OUT 1 and OUT 2 open drain outputs whenever it detects a
vehicle that is above the programmed lower speed limit (the “LO” value) and below the
programmed high limit (the “HI” value). The units (e.g. km/h, mph, fps, mps) are
determined by UN variable. The trigger output behavior can be changed. See later
section.

The radar will also keep sending out the speed in user selected ASCII format over the
serial interface while a vehicle is tracked (If detection direction selection matches the
direction of travel for the vehicle).

Connect the radar to a PC RS232 serial port and use the provided Windows configuration
software to program the high speed limit (“HI” variable). If you do not want an upper
detection limit, set this value to the maximum value available on the slider control. If
you wish to disable the upper limit by setting the “HI” variable directly, set the variable
to the highest detectable speed listed in the radar specifications.

Set the “LO” variable to set the lower detection speed limit. The outputs will be de-
asserted for vehicles below this speed limit.

Green LED flashes

when radar is running
giving a visual OK
signal.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

Internal Clock:

The radar has a built in clock/calendar function. This is used to keep the time to
date/time stamp the historical archive records saved by the Advanced In-Radar traffic
statistics collection feature that is available as an option in the radar.

The DR600 radar features a built in clock backup battery that will keep the clock
time in the case of power failure for over 10 years.

Configuring the Unit:

The radar’s internal parameters may be configured via the radar’s RS232 port after
connecting to a PC’s RS232 serial COM port and using the Houston Radar configuration
program’s Graphical User Interface (GUI). While this is the most convenient way to
configure the radar, customers may also set the configuration variables directly. This is
very beneficial when the radar is part of a system and connected to another
microcontroller.
The radar configuration variables and their functionality are described below.

The radar supports significantly more options than can be easily listed here. If you
need to manipulate the variables directly, we highly recommend contacting us or
using the GUI to set the options. After setting the options in the GUI, the radar
configuration can be downloaded, and the variable names and values can be
examined with a text editor.

Configuration Description
Variable Name
RS Sets the primary RS232 serial port’s baud rate and output format. Do
not change this value unless you understand the implications.
RA Sets the auxiliary RS232 serial port’s baud rate and output format. Do
not change this value unless you understand the implications.
UN Lower Byte: Sets the internal speed units of the radar. All LO, SP, HI,
SI speeds are interpreted to be in these units.
0 = MPH 2=FPS (Feet per second)
1 = KM/H 3=MPS (Meters per second)
Upper Byte: Sets number of digits after decimal point.
LO Low speed cutoff. Vehicles are not detected below this speed. Should
be set to be less than HI. Speeds above this limit trigger the O/P1 and
O/P2 outputs (depends on trigger configuration) and ASCII speed
output.
HI High speed cutoff. Vehicles are not detected above this speed. Should
be set higher than LO speed. Speeds below this limit trigger the O/P1
and O/P2 outputs (depends on trigger configuration) and ASCII speed

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

output.
SP Flashing speed limit. Any speed higher than this value “flashes” the
speed output at 50% duty cycle. To “flash” the ASCII speed, 000 are
interspersed in the “nnn” speed output on the serial port. Set to HI
value to never “flash” the speed output.
SF 1 = Select Fastest Target if multiple targets are detected on the road.
0 = Select Strongest Target if multiple targets are detected on the road.
ST Target detection sensitivity. Valid values are from 10 to 100 and are a
percentage of max range. Note: This is not a range setting but detection
sensitivity. Thus, if vehicles are being detected at 1000 feet with an
“ST” value of 100, an “ST” value of 50 will reduce detection range to
approximately 500 feet (range values provided are for example only).
MO Radar mode bitmask. Bits are as follows:
Bit 0: SI3 ASCII command compatible flag. Contact us for more
details.
Bit 1: Enable ASCII console output on primary RS232 serial port.
Bit 2: Enable ASCII console output on auxiliary RS232 serial port.
Bit 3 to 7: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 8: Disable power optimized mode. RF ON all the time.
Bit 9: Disable microwave transmitter (Testing only).
Bit 10: Enable extra filtering for “slow” (<20mph/32km/h)
Bit 11: Enable average speed output (see note 1).
Bit 12: Detection direction. 0 = only incoming, 1 = only outgoing (see
note 2).
Bit 13: Enable tuning fork compatible mode for 120s after power up.
Bit 14: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 15: Enable statistics rain filter.
MD Radar mode bitmask number 2. Bits are as follows:
Bit 0: Enable low voltage power down below 5VDC.
Bit 1: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 2: Force enable on the RS232 interface when set. Sets to “cable
detect” mode when bit is cleared. Power usage is increased by about
12mW if this interface is force enabled or if RS232 cable is connected.
Bit 3: Disable “count up” on startup. Speeds the startup by about 3s.
Bit 4: Save traffic statistics (if enabled in radar) in 3mph/5kph speed
bins rather than original default of 5mph/10kph speed bins.
Bit 5: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 6: Enable range boost mode.
Bit 7: Disable display blinking.
Bit 8: Enable bi-directional traffic mode (see note 2).
Bit 9: Enable auxiliary serial port. Increases power usage by about 12
mW.
Bit 10: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 11: Display target signal magnitude with individual target speeds.
Bit 12: Enable echo of received ASCII chars on serial ports

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

Bit 13 to 14: Reserved in DR600 radar.

Bit 15: Enable individual vehicle statistics records (requires statistics).
IO Radar IO configuration bitmask. Bits are as follows:
Bit 0: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 1: Set: IO 1 Active high. Clear: IO 1 active low.
Bit 2 to 3: IO 1 Blink options
0: Blink disabled
1: Blink on even cycles when trigger is active
2: Blink on odd cycles when trigger is active
Bit 4 to 7: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 8: Reserved in DR600 radar.
Bit 9: Set: IO 2 Active high. Clear: IO 2 active low.
Bit 10 to 11: IO 2 Blink Options
0: Blink disabled
1: Blink on even cycles when trigger is active
2: Blink on odd cycles when trigger is active
Bit 12 to 15: Reserved in DR600 radar.
HT Output Hold Time in seconds. Once the output is triggered, it is held
for this amount of time from the last trigger source before going
inactive. Note: Only the digital outputs are held. The ASCII speed
output is not held. The ASCII speed output goes to 000 as soon as
target is no longer tracked.
BN Time interval in minutes for logging statistics records to flash.
TA Time interval in seconds for averaging and displaying average traffic
speeds when average speed output mode is enabled.
TR Radar triggers configuration bitmask. Bits are as follows:
Bit 0 to 5: IO 1 Mode options
0: None
1: Trigger for target detected above SP
2: Trigger for target detected below SP
3: Trigger for any detected target
4 to 63: Reserved in DR600 radar
Bit 6 to 7: IO 1 Direction options
0: Incoming
1: Outgoing
2: Bi-directional
Bit 8 to 13: IO 1 Mode options
0: None
1: Trigger for target detected above SP
2: Trigger for target detected below SP
3: Trigger for any detected target
4 to 63: Reserved in DR600 radar

Bit 14 to 15: IO 1 Direction options

0: Incoming

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

1: Outgoing
2: Bi-directional
CY Radar cycle time in ms. Valid values include 50-1000ms. As cycle
time decreases, power increases. Range is decreased by approximately
30% if cycle time is less than 115ms, and 50% if cycle time is less than
85ms. It is advised to place the radar in range boost mode if cycle time
is below 85ms. The only valid value for gathering traffic statistics is
380ms. Setting any value other than other than 380ms on a statistics
activated radar will prevent statistics from being recorded.

Configuration Variable Notes:

Note 1: “True Average Speed” output requires the optional Advanced in Radar traffic
statistics collection functionality. Enabling this will disable normal real-time ASCII
speed output.
Note 2: Detection direction is controlled by two different bits. Enabling bi-directional
traffic by setting bit 8 of “MD” to 1 will override the value set in “MO” bit 12.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

Configuring the Radar with Houston Radar Stats Analyzer GUI:

1. Install the provided Houston Radar Advanced Stats Analyzer program on a

Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 computer. 32 and 64 bit operating
systems are supported.
2. Connect the radar’s RS232 port to the PC’s RS232 serial port. If the PC does not
have a serial port, you may buy a USB serial converter dongle (from BestBuy,
Radioshack, or any Internet store).
3. Power up the radar. Ensure the green LED on the front (side or back as the case
may be) flashes every few seconds. Power must be provided externally unless you
are using the Houston Radar powered USB dongle (part #USB-RS-P1). The
Houston Radar powered USB dongle (purchased separately) provides a COM port
to the PC and boosts the USB 5V to 12V for the radar.
4. Start the Houston Radar Stats Analyzer program.
5. Select the “Connect to Radar” option from the top banner.
6. Select the “Connect To Radar” button.
7. Ensure you see a “Radar found on COM” message. The COM # will depend on
your computer
8. Click on OK. Now you are ready to configure the radar.

To Radar RS232 + 12VDC Power

To Windows PC USB port

Houston Radar USB-RS-P1 USB powered RS232 interface to the radar.

For a quick and easy connection from a Windows computer to the radar, we suggest
purchasing our USB-RS-P1 powered USB dongle (shown above). This device
connects to a USB port on a Windows computer and provides an RS232 connection
and 12VDC power to all Houston Radar devices. You can be up and taking to the
radar within a few minutes of receiving your device.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

STEP 1: Connect to Radar Select your COM port

(or “AutoDetect Port”
option) and then click
on “Connect To Radar”.

Click “OK” on the next two boxes.

The box on the left shows you
information about the radar that you
have connected to. You can ignore
this information at this time.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

STEP 2: DR600 Setup

Click on “DR600 Setup” to bring up the

configuration GUI.

You can then set various options in the

radar via the different tabs shown here.

You must click the “Save Changes” button

for your changes to be saved to the radar.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

STEP 3: Select the radar units

Radar units apply to the speed output over the RS232 serial port as well the low limit
cutoff and high limit cutoff settings.

Additionally, if traffic statistics gathering is enabled, statistics are saved in integer mph
boundary speed bins for mph and ft/sec units and in km/h integer boundary speed bins for
km/h or m/s units in the radar.

Select radar units. Units may be set to

one of the values shown. Additional
units may be added in the future.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

STEP 4: Set the radar cutoff speeds (low and high speed cutoff)

Cutoff speeds affect the measurement range for sending speed out over the serial port and
activation of the hardware trigger outputs.

Cutoff speeds do not affect collection of traffic statistics in the radar. Traffic statistics are
always collected over the entire measurement range of the radar. Thus, you can put the
radar (or sign) in “stealth mode” by setting the low and high cutoff speeds to the
maximum value. This will prevent the activation of the sign, but still allow the radar to
collect and save traffic statistics (stats collection option purchase required. Note: The
minimum and maximum speeds the radar will measure are limited by the specifications
of the radar.

Set the minimum and maximum speeds that you

wish the radar to pick up and display. These will
also be the minimum and maximum speeds that
will activate the trigger outputs.
You may enter a number, click the up/down
arrows, or move the slider.

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 Houston Radar DR600 User Manual

STEP 5: Set Detection Sensitivity

You can adjust the radar sensitivity by

entering a value, clicking the up/down
arrows, or moving the slider. The
sensitivity can be reduced if you wish to
restrict the pickup range of the radar.

Check this box to enable full range mode

up to 3000 feet. This option is not
optimal for most installations as it will
detect undesired vehicles at great ranges.

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STEP 6: Set Detection Direction & Target Selector

The radar detects multiple targets internally, but only outputs the
speed of one. This setting instructs the radar to pick either the
fastest speed or the speed associated with the strongest return
signal. This is typically the closest target but could be a distant
target if it is significantly larger (e.g. truck). This has no bearing
on collected stats as all internal targets are used for logging.

Select “Strongest” if you are picking up the wheels of large

vehicles like tractors or trucks and displaying higher speeds than
expected.

Select “Incoming” to detect

approaching targets, “Outgoing” for
receding targets, and “Bi-directional”
for targets in both directions.

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STEP 7: Set “Slow Speed Targets Filter” and “Tuning Fork Test” Modes

If you wish to improve rejection of rain pickup and

other low speed “noise” that the radar may pick up,
enable this option.
When enabled, the radar application logic takes
longer to “validate” targets whose speed is below a
Select this option to enable tuning fork
threshold (typically 20mph). This also improves
detection mode for a short period of
rejection of rain in statistics. However, constant or
time after power up. Direction
heavy rain may still get picked up as a target.
selectivity is disabled during this startup
time and the radar will pickup incoming
and outgoing targets temporarily.

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STEP 8: Setup Baud Rate, ASCII Format, and Output Precision

Select the “Data Output” tab

You can change the radar serial port (RS232 port)

baud rate and speed output ASCII format here.
Select how many fractional digits you “Enable Speed Output” option tells the radar to send
wish to receive in the speed output. The out speeds when a target is detected.
DR600 can output speeds with up to 3
decimal points of precision. “Disable Countup” option speeds up startup times by
about 3 seconds by suppressing the default 0 through
10 count-up output over the serial port.

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STEP 9: Select Speed Output Interval

You can change the speed output time interval by entering a value or
moving the slider. Click the “Set Stats Compatible Interval” button to set
the update interval to the default value. All other values will disable
statistics if you have a statistics enabled radar.

Power consumption increases with smaller update intervals, and decreases

with larger intervals. An approximate power consumption value is
provided as a reference.

Maximum range will also decrease with update intervals below 115ms. It
is advisable to enable “Range Boost” if the interval is set below 85ms.

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STEP 10: Select Speed Measurement Mode

This configuration is only available if you have purchased the ‘Advanced In-Radar
Traffic Statistics’ option in the radar. This option may be purchased and activated at any
time. Contact us for more details.

If you have purchased the Advanced In-Radar traffic statistics

option, the DR600 can be set to output either real-time target
speeds over the serial port, or internally average all traffic
speeds over a specified interval (say 30 seconds) and output
the average speed.
This is very useful for calculating the average incoming speed
of the road for congestion or incident detection purposes or for
input into “time to destination” type of applications. Targets in
all incoming lanes are used to generate this average speed.

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STEP 11: Configure the trigger outputs

Start by clicking on “Hardware & IO Config” Tab.

Select the behavior of the

hardware trigger outputs of the
radar. There are many options that
allow use in a wide variety of
applications.

The DR600 has two hardware “open drain” trigger outputs that may be used to trigger an
external device or turn on 1 or 2 LED lamps to make a stand-alone speed enabled flasher
or VATCS (Vehicle Activated Traffic Calming Sign). Enable one or both the outputs and
they will be activated if a speed is detected between the low and high speed cutoff values
(set on the “Detection & Units” tab).

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Output Hold Time: Set a value here if you want to hold or extend the trigger when it’s
activated. This is useful to turn ON an external device for a minimum amount of time
when triggered by the radar.

Active High: When “checked”, trigger output will be released. Use ~4K to 10K external
pull up resistor to pull up to the desired voltage (max 30 VDC). When unchecked, trigger
output will pull this external resistor down to GND (supply voltage negative/return wire).

Blink Options: Enable this option to make a flasher. The trigger output will activate
when the “Trigger Event” criteria is met. Triggers can be configured to blink on
alternating cycles by selecting “Blink Even” and “Blink Odd”.

Trigger Event: Select what event triggers the output. The speed limit referenced can be
adjusted on the “Detection & Units” tab.

None: Output is not triggered.

Displayed Target Above Speed Limit: Target speed is greater than “Speed Limit”.
Displayed Target Below Speed Limit: Target speed is less than “Speed Limit”.
Any Displayed Target: Any target detected within the cutoff speed range.

Trigger Direction: Select the target direction that will trigger the output.

Incoming: Only incoming targets trigger this output.

Outgoing: Only outgoing targets trigger this output.
Bidirectional: Any direction targets trigger this output.

Trigger Output Configuration:

Some “Trigger Event” options are dependent
on a speed limit. This value can be adjusted
using the “Speed Detection Limits” control
on the “Detection and Units” tab.

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STEP 12: Select RS232 (serial data output) mode

The DR600 radar turns off the internal RS232 serial driver if it does not detect any
RS232 voltage level on the RX pin. It automatically powers this chip back up once you
plug in a RS232 cable. This saves power when you are not connected to the device.
However, if you must use the RS232 interface in TX only mode (e.g. connected only
RS232 TX and GND to your microcontroller), you must configure the RS232 interface to
be “always ON”.

Normally you would connect RX, TX, and GND to the RS232
interface. If you connect only TX and GND, you must select
“Always ON” or the RS232 interface will power down.

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STEP 13: Optional Advanced In-Radar Traffic Statistics logging

If statistics logging is enabled in your radar (a separate purchase option),

select how long you wish the radar to collect data in speed bins before it saves
off the log to internal flash memory and starts a new record.
This may be set as fast as 1 minute. We do not recommend setting this higher
than 15 minutes, as the storage mechanism can only log a maximum of 255
vehicles in each speed bin. Hence, you must ensure that the traffic density
cannot exceed 255 vehicles per speed bin per record interval.
Note that the supplied Windows analysis program can aggregate multiple bins
and generate reports in half hour or hourly intervals, but it cannot
disaggregate longer bins into finer resolutions once the data has been saved in
the radar. The table shows the tradeoff between logging interval and storage
space.

Record Interval Number of Days

(min) Before Rollover
1 12
5 60
10 120
15 180 Enable this option to turn on a strict
30 360 rain filter for statistics. This will
not affect speed display output.

Stored records When this option is enabled,

may be read by data is binned in 3mph/5km/h
clicking on the bins rather than
“Read Traffic 5mph/10km/h bins.
Stats From
Radar” button Since, this generates
location on the significantly more data; the
“Connection” tab logs are also compressed to
save space in flash memory.
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DR600 SPECIFICATIONS
General
Operating Band K-Band
Frequency 24.125 GHz 10Mhz (US), 24.200Ghz on request
RF Power Output 5mW
Antenna Beam Pattern 9° x 18°
Polarization Linear
Supply Voltage 5.0V DC to 24V DC (30V Max)
Reverse Battery Protected
Nominal Current Draw
Default Update Rate:8.1 mA avg. (+/-1mA) (@+12V DC)
8.9 mA avg. (+/-1mA) (@+12V DC, RS232 connected)
1000ms Update Rate: 3.9 mA avg (+/-1mA) (@+12V DC)
50ms Update Rate: 23.5 mA avg (+/-1mA) (@+12V DC)
Operating Temp. -22F to +176F (-30C to +80C). Electronics designed
and tested to –40C.
Weatherproof Yes (DR600-DFT build option). Open frame also available.

Approvals
Approvals FCC Part 15 (US Version)
FCC ID TIADR600
CE Approved
IC 21838-DR600

Data Interfaces
Serial Communication 2x RS232
Data Rate Baud Rates from 1200 to 115200 baud
Data & Power Connector See Ordering Section

Mechanical
Weight 161 grams (5.7 oz.) for open frame version
349 grams (12.3 oz.) for weatherproof version
Dimensions 3.35”x2.76”x0.71” (85x70x18mm) for open frame version
4.13”x3.66”x1.14” (105x93x29mm) for weatherproof
version

Specifications continued on next page …

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Performance
Speed Measurement Range 0.6mph to 206 mph (0.97km/h to 331 km/h).

Resolution 0.003 mph

Accuracy 0.5% of reading + 0.1mph

Detection Range In non-range boost mode, typically 450+ m (1500+ feet)

for compact vehicles on open and level road with radar
mounted 1.5 m (5 feet) high and pointed straight into
oncoming traffic. 760+ m (2500+ feet) for larger trucks and
vehicles with inherently large radar cross-sections. In range
boost mode (or full range mode), these values increase to
790+m (2600+ feet) for compact vehicles and 940+m
(3100+ feet) for large vehicles. These values will vary with
installation and road conditions. Detection range specified
is typical for speeds between 12km/h and 300km/h (8 to
186 mph). Range will taper off below and above this speed
range.

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Ordering Options
Order Code Description Field Connection Mounting

Right side via terminal

4x holes for up to #8-
DR600-OFD Open Frame block, or left side via
32 size screws
DB9
Encapsulated
DR600-DFT Male DB9 2x #8-32 ¼”
IP68
Right side via terminal
4x holes for up to #6-
DR600-OFMP Open Frame block, or left side via
32 size screws
DB9

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Appendix A: Connecting to the radar trigger outputs

The DR600 radar features two current and voltage limited “open drain” outputs.

The two outputs OD1 and OD2 are brought out on the DB9 connector pins 7 and 8. As
well as the labelled terminal block (if installed).

This device can sink 500mA of DC current at up to 30VDC.

These are low impedance fused outputs, which means that you must externally limit the
maximum current that will flow into these outputs to no more than 500mA.

There are two ways to ensure this:

1. Connect an output device that is rated to draw no more than 500mA at your
supply voltage. This device can be powered up to 30VDC. For example, this can
be a 12 or 24VDC relay coil rated at less than 500 mA coil current or

2. Connect an external resistor in series with the output load and the O/P1 or O/P2
pins. The value of this external resistor should be calculated as follows (ohms
law): R (in K Ohms) = (Vsupply – Vloaddrop) / 500

Radar Internal Circuit

From
Radar
CPU

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