Determining the revision of in-field devices

We are aware that it is likely impossible to visit each and every potential device in the field to determine whether they are an affected revision. In many cases this isn't necessary as the data is sometimes in a different system. This page will provide some ways to determine if the unit is a version which may be affected.

Determining revision from the serial number

We are aware many of our customers track physical devices via serial number. If you have the serial numbers of the SyncBoxes in your network in a database, you can search those serial numbers to determine the affected devices.

All SyncBoxes have a serial number which starts with a four character product abbreviation followed by a two character revision number. After the revision is a set of digits which reflects the sequence of that product in the revision.

For example, a Serial number of SBJBJ000003 is a SyncBox Basic Revision J0 with a sequence number of 3. As a result, all devices which are definitely affected should have serial numbers which start wtih either SBJBJ, SBJAJ, SBJDJ, or SB12J. Serial numbers which have a K or L in the position where the final J is may be affected. Serial numbers with a H or earlier in that position should not be affected.

Determining revisions of Aux or Timing Port connected devices

Several of our products are designed to connect to the Aux or Timing port of the radio. When the device is properly connected, status information should appear in the web interface of the connected radio. In modern versions of the firmware, this is under Home->GPS Status. At the bottom of the screen, there is a section which says "GPS Receiver".

If the GPS receiver section looks like the following with Version 3.0 or earlier, and the GPS firmware version listed as GTop 101, then this unit is a revision I or earlier. As these are GPS-only receivers, they are unable to receive the GLONASS signal and won't be affected by this issue.

If the GPS receiver section looks like the following with Version 4.0 or earlier, and the GPS firmware version listed as GTop 5.1, then this unit is a revision J and is affected. Please be sure to read the mitigation and recovery sections of this site.

Note that the above receivers to NOT populate the Visible Satellite Signal information on this page as they use an earlier Motorola-Proprietary format which does not include Satellite information.

If the GPS receiver section is blank and the Visible Satellite Signal Information is populated, then this is a newer, revision K or later unit which uses the latest NMEA protocol. It is likely not affected, but has a small chance of experiencing some sort of event during the rollover.

Determining revisions of devices connected to a PacketFlux RackInjector or SiteMonitor Base 3

If a SyncBox Basic, SyncBox Deluxe, SyncBox 12 or similar is connected either to the GPS In port on a RackInjector or is connected to a SyncInjector or PowerInjector+Sync which is managed by a Base 3, you can determine the revision of the device attached as follows:

On the GNSS and 1PPS page and the GNSS Receiver Status look at the Receiver Type and Firmware Version. For the Base 3, you may need to select the PowerInjector+Sync which is directly attached to the GNSS receiver.

Note: If the fields below don't seem to exist, you may want to upgrade the firmware in the RackInjector or Base 3 to the latest version as these fields were not in the original shipping version. Any recent version should have them, although we recommend that you upgrade to the latest version to resolve various remote management issues.

If the Receiver type is "Multi-GNSS" and the Firmware Version is 5.1.1(8533), then this unit is a revision J, and is susceptible to the rollover issue. If the constellation setting is set to GPS+Galileo or GPS only and the GNSS Satellite Information doesn't show any GLONASS satellites you are not likely to experience the issue. However, if GLONASS is enabled or for some reason the GNSS receiver shows GLONASS satellites being received, then it is likely you will have a failure during the rollover event.

If the Receiver type is "Multi-GNSS" and the Firmware version is 5.1.9 with any build number after it, then you have a revision K or later receiver and should not be susceptible to the issue. In addition, if you ensure the Constellations are set to GPS+Galileo or GPS only and the GNSS satellite information does not show any GLONASS satellites then you can be almost certain this unit will not experience any issues.

If the Receiver type is "GPS Only" then this is an earlier GPS only receiver, revision H or earlier. It is not susceptible to the rollover issue.

If the Receiver Type is "Unknown", then there are two possibilities. The first is that it is old enough that we are unable to recognize it and match it to a known receiver type. In some cases this will show a version such as 1.30(2315). Generally if this is the case we will still be able to populate the GNSS satellite information and positions, and all of the satellites will be shown as GPS.

The other possibility is that the communication between the RackInjector or Base 3 and the GNSS receiver is broken for some reason. This is often a bad cable, or sometimes a bad GNSS receiver or GPS port. In this case, you will need to take other steps to identify the device unless you are comfortable that the device has been in place since before 2017.

There is a strong possibility that our customers will find some combination which is not covered above. If this turns out to be the case, please send us a screenshot of the relevant screen so we can help you determine the version and also to update this documentation to help others as well.

Devices connected to earlier SiteMonitor Base Units

We have been unable to determine a reliable way to remotely determine the revision of devices attached to the earlier SiteMonitor Base Units. This is because the firmware written for those units assume that the receiver is only a GPS receiver. In addition, it does not query the device for it's version.

If you have devices attached to these earlier units, we recommend you utilize another method to determine the device revision.