SonTek/YSI Argonaut-XR Technical Manual - HydroScientific West

Section 10. Recorder Data Extraction with SONREC (DOS)
This program is used to extract data from the Argonaut internal recorder. To learn about its
operation, type SONREC at the DOS prompt.
SonTek/YSI
IMPORTANT: This program should be run from a dedicated DOS environment, not from a
DOS prompt within Windows. Memory resident features of Windows interfere with serial port
operation. Running this program from within Windows will, at the very least, slow down data
retrieval, and can potentially cause the retrieval to fail.
To run from the DOS prompt, use one of the following commands.
SONREC
SONREC
SONREC
where
is the serial port number to which the Argonaut is connected (1 for COM1 or
2 for COM2).
is the communication baud rate setting of the Argonaut; if no value is given, the
program assumes the default setting of 9600 baud. Acceptable baud rate values are 1200,
2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200.
is the baud rate at which data files will be retrieved from the recorder; if no
value is given, it uses the default setting of 115200 baud. Acceptable extraction rate values
are 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200.
For example, the command “SONREC 1 9600 38400” will establish communication with the
Argonaut on COM1 at 9600 baud and download data files using 38400 baud.
For short cables (less than 30 m), the default extraction rate of 115200 baud provides the fastest
downloading time. For longer cables, a slower baud rate may be needed to ensure reliable
communication. If SONREC encounters a large number of communication errors while retrieving
data, it will terminate the retrieval. Note that some computers (particularly older laptop
computers) do not operate reliably at high baud rates and may not be able to work using the
default setting of 115200. If you encounter problems with SONREC, run the program using a lower
extraction rate.
The table below shows the typical download rates achieved with different baud rate settings.
Extraction rates slower than 9600 baud are rarely needed and are not shown here. Actual retrieval
rates may vary depending upon the environment and the type of computer used.
SONREC Data Retrieval Rates
Extraction rate Effective retrieval rate Download time for 1 MB
115200 4800 bytes per second 3.6 minutes
57600 3400 bytes per second 5.1 minutes
38400 2600 bytes per second 6.7 minutes
19200 1500 bytes per second 11.5 minutes
9600 850 bytes per second 20.5 minutes
Argonaut Software Manual (March 1, 2001) 67