Issue 9, July 2009

VEMCO Advisory: Please Upgrade to New VUE PC Software, Version 1.6.2 (or greater)

As noted in our March 2009 newsletter, VEMCO is making changes to introduce new tag coding techniques that will provide vastly more unique pinger and sensor IDs.

To support this, VEMCO has released new VR2W receiver firmware (internal software) and VUE PC software to enable the VR2W receivers to detect these tags. While these tags will be phased in gradually over the next two to three years, we feel it is important to start the update process now to ensure that receivers in the field are configured properly well in advance of the new tags being available.

The process to complete your VR2W upgrade is relatively easy:

1. In the very near term, ensure you and your staff upgrade ALL of your lab PCs and field laptops to VUE version 1.6.2 (or greater). VUE Version 1.6.2 (or greater) is the only version of VUE that can communicate to all versions of VR2s and VR2Ws. The latest version of VUE can be downloaded from the VUE Support page and comes bundled with the necessary VR2W firmware files.



2. Update the firmware in any VR2Ws that you have ready access to and at your convenience as you retrieve receivers from the field. Please note that it is very important to upload the data from your VR2W prior to updating the firmware and then test your VR2W prior to deployment. The process of updating your firmware will erase the data on the VR2W. Detailed instructions for updating your firmware are available from the VR2W Support page.

We suggest you target to have the firmware for all of your VR2W receivers updated by the end of 2009.

We understand that you will have concerns about the impact to older VR2 receivers. Unlike VR2W's, VR2 receivers cannot have their firmware updated and require a hardware upgrade to detect the new VEMCO tags. We have a program in place to upgrade VR2s to VR2Ws. As well we are investigating contingencies to ensure there are sufficient tag IDs available for VR2 users should they not be able to take advantage of the upgrade program. Please contact your VEMCO sales representative to discuss these options at your earliest convenience.

More information can be found in the VR2W Advisory posted on our VR2W Support page.