THOR FAQs

Please refer to Chapter 2.2.1 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 17, for more information.

Make sure the computer is connected to the internet and you have administrator rights on the computer.

NOTE: Once installed THOR can run without an internet connection although some features will not be available. (E.g. THOR cannot communicate with units on the network or check for software updates.) THOR connects occasionally (7 days) to the license server to verify Advanced licenses. Advanced licenses that have expired will revert to the functionality of Standard licenses until they are renewed.

1. Download the THOR installer from https://www.instantel.com/resources under the Software section. 
2. Run the THORWebInstaller.exe. If a Security Warning dialog opens, click Run.
3. On the Ready to Install page of the installer, click Install.
4. Wait while the installer downloads additional files.
5. On the Welcome page, click Next.
6. Read and Agree to the license agreement then click Next.
7. Choose a folder to install THOR and click Next.
8. Define the location for the Start Menu folder then click Next.
9. (Optional) To install THOR without creating a desktop icon, uncheck, then click Next.
10. Click Install.
11. Check “Launch THOR” and click Finish.

To update to the latest release of THOR, click the Check for Update button within THOR. If an update is found, it is downloaded and the Check for Update button changes to display Install Update Now. Click to install the update or preview the changes included in the update by clicking on View Changes.

WARNING: THOR does not support reverting back to older versions. If you proceed with the update you will not be able to restore to your previous version.

Please refer to Chapter 2.2.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 19, for more information.

Updates to monitoring unit operating systems may be included with THOR updates. When this is the case, see Updating Unit Firmware on page 51 of the THOR Operator Manual.

1. Click the Check for Updates button.
2. Right-click the blue information icon, then choose the Install Update Now option.
3. (Optional) If the Check for Updates button changes to Install update now, you can:
   - Read the release notes for the new version (right-click the blue icon and select View Changes).
   - Install the update (right-click the blue icon and select Install update now).

Please refer to Chapter 2.1.1 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 24, for more information.

Micromate and Minimate Pro units are fully supported.
Minimate Plus, Blastmate III are partially supported, Auto Call Home is fully supported.
Blastmate Series II and earlier monitoring equipment is not supported

NOTE: For unit upgrades, please contact your local Instantel dealer.
NOTE: See the release notes for a full description of Series III support. Date/time can only be updated when the unit stops recording and enters the idle state.

Please refer to Chapter 3.1.1 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 35, for more information.

Connecting the unit to a local computer using the appropriate cable.

For Minimate Pro4/6

Connect the Minimate using the default Ethernet cable provided or with an optional serial cable. (a USB to serial adaptor can be ordered separately from an Instantel dealer.)

1. Connect the auxiliary connector to the auxiliary port located on the side of the unit.
   1. WARNING: Forcing these quarter-turn connectors may damage them.
2. Attach the other end according to the available connections on the computer:
   1. Serial cables connect to a serial port on the computer.
   2. USB to serial adaptors connect to the USB port on the computer.
   3. Ethernet cables connect to an Ethernet port on the computer.

NOTE: Both devices must be on the same Subnet, please contact your IT specialist for how to set up a local IP network.

For Micromate

Connect the Micromate using the default “PC to USB” cable.

1. Connect the square end of the USB cable to the Micromate’s PC port.
2. Connect the rectangular end of the USB cable to the computer’s USB port.

NOTE: The unit and the PC will beep, indicating that Windows has detected the Micromate.
NOTE: The Micromate must be connected and powered on to access Micromate settings or upload data to the computer.

Please refer to Chapter 3.1.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 37, for more information.

Remote connections provide access to recorded data as if the unit were physically connected to THOR on a local computer.

Setting up modem communications requires three steps. Once completed the unit should be connected to the computer and ready to upload event files from the units to the computer.

NOTE: Only use Instantel cables.

1. Configure serial communications on the monitoring unit
   1. see the user manual for the specific unit.
2. Configure the remote cellular modem
   1. Configure the modem before taking it into the field to connect with the remote unit. If the modem is used in parallel with third-party software, make sure it is configured to be compatible with THOR. Then try a test call.
   2. NOTE: Configuring the modem depends on the manufacturer and model. Refer to the instructions provided with the modem. For the latest information on modem deployment, consult Instantel’s online support site.
3. Connect the remote cellular modem. Once initialized and configured, connect the cellular modem to the monitoring unit.
   1. The Micromate recommends connecting to a cellular modem using the Sabrent CB-FTDI USB to serial cable (Part # 721A1001).
   2. The Minimate Pro must be connected to a cellular modem using the provided serial cable (Part # 720A3401) or it can also connect to a LAN using Instantel’s Ethernet cable (Part # 720A4101).
   3. NOTE: Modem relay setting power ON is not accessible via THOR.

Please refer to Chapter 3.6.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 64, for more information.

Select an action for the unit to perform and select the time when to perform the action. (The unit will execute any actions in a schedule using its current settings.)

Saved schedules appear in the list of schedules.

NOTE: Before creating a schedule, set the workday range (Start time / End Time), this is purely to help in planning visualization, actions outside of these times can still work.

E.g. The workday starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM. The time grid will display 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If an action is set up for 7:00 AM, that action is still scheduled and will process.

1. Click the Unit tab.
2. Click the Manage Schedules icon.
3. Click the Add Schedule button (or the Add Schedule icon, or right-click and New Schedule Setup).
   1. Or Edit an existing Schedule. (You must first Load the schedule from the unit if the Schedules List is empty.)
   2. Or Delete an existing Schedule.
4. Define the Schedule’s Name, Description, and the Unit Type. (Micromate or Minimate Pro).
5. Define the range for the calendar display (Start Time and End Time).
6. Select Day to setup actions on a daily routine (E.g. Start at 10:00 and Stop at 14:00). Select Week to set up actions on a weekly routine (E.g. Self-Check or Auto Call Home every Monday at 8:00 and Friday at 17:00).
7. To create an action, double-click in a time slot.
8. Select the appropriate Action and the Unit Setup. (A Unit Setup must exist, either create one first or download one from a unit.
9. (Optional) To repeat the schedule, enable the Repeat Daily / Repeat Weekly checkbox.
10. Repeat steps 7-8 until all actions are added.

NOTE: Right-clicking an interval can facilitate edit, delete, copy and paste actions.

NOTE: Saving a schedule will only store it on the computer, it must still be sent to the unit and enabled for the schedule to take effect.

Please refer to Chapter 3.6.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 64, for more information or view the tutorial videos below.

Follow the Micromate video tutorial here

Follow the Minimate Pro video tutorial here

Please refer to Chapter 3.6.1 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 63, for more information.

Monitoring While Calling Home (MWCH) can have the following states:

• Disabled: a unit running a schedule will stop monitoring during an Auto Call Home session that was triggered by an event. (This does not apply to Auto Call Home sessions triggered from a schedule. Only Auto Call Home sessions triggered because Auto Call Home is enabled on the unit and an event occurred.)
• Enabled: if an event occurs, the unit will continue to monitor during the Auto Call Home session. The monitor log will not be copied, events will not be deleted, and time will not synchronize at the end of the Auto Call Home session.

When performing a scheduled Auto Call Home session, (not an Auto Call Home session due to an event occurring) monitoring will stop and complete any in-progress events. This allows all events for that time period to be transferred during the Auto Call Home session, and for events to be deleted from the unit.

Auto Call Home on unit: Records events + transfer data, no stopping to monitor.
Scheduled Auto Call Home session: Stop monitoring + transfer data (or delete events, or synchronize) E.g. Monitoring in Histogram Combo mode, transfer data every six hours, daily, delete events, copy the log and synchronize time once a day. Do the following:

1. Create a daily schedule and enable the Repeat mode checkbox
2. Add a Start Monitoring event to the schedule at 0:00, 06:00, 12:00
3. Add an Auto Call Home event to the schedule at 18:00

Self-check is a diagnostic tool that performs a variety of tests on the unit. For information collected by a self-check, see the operator manual included with the monitoring unit.

Please refer to Chapter 6.2.2.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 150, for more information.

Auto Call Home Filters contain two parts:

1. Filter—Criteria used to select which unit’s data will be processed.
   1. (THOR compares the filter with the serial numbers of the units it communicates with.)
2. Actions—What Auto Call Home will perform when a link is established.

The simplest filter is a serial number. Filtering for a serial number will return one single result. Example: To create a filter for a Micromate unit with the serial number UM2222, Type UM2222 in the filter field.

Filters can use the wildcard character *. This can be used to represent one or more unknown characters. Example: Micromate serial numbers begin with UM. Minimate Pro serial numbers begin with MP. To filter Micromate units type MP* in the filter field. To filter Minimate Pro units type UM* in the filter field.

THOR uses best match logic when multiple filters are used. Example: If the following filters were defined: UM12*, UM123*, and UM1234, to find a unit with serial number UM1234. The UM1234 filter will be used.

Please refer to Chapter 6.2.2.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 151, for more information. 

1. Click the Auto Call Home tab.
   1. To Add a filter, in the Action Details section, click the Add button.
   2. To Edit a filter, select an existing filter, then in the Action Details section, click the Edit icon.
   3. To Delete a filter, select an existing filter, then, in the Action Details section, click the Delete icon, (or press delete on the keyboard)
2. In the Filter / Description fields, type a name and description of the filter.
3. Select the filter’s Actions, then click Apply and OK.

WARNING: If you enable “Delete Events and Logs from Unit” but disable “Copy Events”.
The events and logs will be deleted without being uploaded.

Please refer to Chapter 7.3 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 166, for more information.

Email Settings and Groups

To use Auto Call Home email, you must configure the SMTP email server and test the connection.

1. Click the Preferences tab.
2. Click the Email Server section dropdown or icon, and fill in all the fields.

3. Click the Apply button.
4. (Optional) Enter an email address into the Send Test Email To field and click the Test Email button.

NOTE: If you don’t know your SMTP information, contact your IT department. Some SMTP services do not allow modifications to the Send Email From and Send Email Name options.

Configure Email Groups/Recipients

The Email Groups section contains two parts; one for defining groups and the other for registering contact emails (recipients). A distribution list (see section 6.2.2.4 Email Distribution List on page 146 of the THOR Operator Manual) is created using these defined groups. An Email Distribution List may contain numerous groups, but individual contacts must belong to at least one group.

• A recipient can be in multiple groups at any time.
• Recipient email addresses do not need to be in a group, they can remain as part of a pool of recipients for creating future lists. (To receive emails, they must belong to a group.)
• You can remove a recipient from a group and assign them to another group.
• To delete a recipient, it cannot be assigned to an email group.
• Removing a recipient from a group does not delete the recipient, it simply removes them from the group.

To configure email recipients and groups:

1. Click the Preferences tab.
2. Expand the Email Groups section.
3. Create Recipients by entering a Recipient Name and Email Address and clicking on Add. The new name will appear in the recipients' list. (Repeat this for as many recipients as needed.)
4. Create Email Groups by entering a Group Name and clicking on Add. (Repeat this for as many groups as needed.)
   1. NOTE: You can rename an existing group by double-clicking on the group.
5. To Add a Recipient to an Email Group, first, select the Email Group then select the Recipient and click the left arrow.
6. To Remove a Recipient from an Email Group, Select the Email Group, then select the Recipient in the Group and click the right arrow. (This does not delete the Recipient but disassociates it with that group.)
7. To Delete a Recipient, click the Delete icon next to the Recipient’s name. (You can only delete a Recipient if they are not associated with a group)
8. To Delete an Email Group, click the Delete icon next to the Email Group’s name.

Configure text/SMS service

Emails can be sent to mobile phones using a Short Message Service (SMS). You may need to contact your carrier to configure this option. Here is a list of commonly used carriers in North America

• AT&T [email protected]
• Bell: [10-digit phone number]@txt.bell.ca
• Bell MTS: [10-digit phone number]@text.mtsmobility.com
• Boost Mobile [email protected]
• Chatr: [10-digit phone number]@pcs.rogers.com
• Eastlink: [10-digit phone number]@mms.eastlink.ca
• Fido: [10-digit phone number]@mms.fido.ca
• Freedom: [10-digit phone number]@txt.freedommobile.ca
• Koodo Mobile: [10-digit phone number]@msg.koodomobile.com
• Metro PCS [email protected]
• PC Mobile: [10-digit phone number]@mobiletxt.ca
• Public Mobile: [10-digit phone number]@msg.telus.com
• Rogers: [10-digit phone number]@pcs.rogers.com
• Sasktel: [10-digit phone number]@sms.sasktel.com
• Sprint [email protected]
• TBayTel: [10-digit phone number]@pcs.rogers.com
• TELUS: [10-digit phone number]@msg.telus.com
• Ting [email protected]
• T-Mobile [email protected]
• Tracfone [email protected]
• U.S. Cellular [email protected]
• Verizon [email protected]
• Virgin Mobile: [10-digit phone number]@vmobile.ca
• Virgin Mobile [email protected]

Please refer to Chapter 5.3 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 96, for more information.

Use the Import Events function to access data offline when the event data has already been transferred to a computer or USB device. You can import either single events or all events in a folder (and subfolders).

NOTE: Events can only be imported into an active project (not archived projects).
NOTE: Files and folders other than events are not imported.

The Import Event Files’ icons show the status of the files. Hover the cursor over the icons for status details.

• Green checkmark = File was imported successfully.
• Yellow exclamation point = File not imported.
• Red X = Invalid event file.

1. Click the Projects & Events tab.
2. Click the Import Events button.
3. Either click the Import Event Files button or Import Event Files in this Folder and its Subfolders button.
4. Navigate to the event file(s) to import and click Open.
5. Repeat Steps 3-4 until all the files to import appear in the list.
6. Choose the Project where the Event Files will be imported into.
7. Click Import and then Done.

Please refer to Chapter 8.2 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 177, for more information.

To access the THOR Advanced mode:

1. Click on the THOR tab.
2. Click on the License icon.
3. Click on the “Enter new License key” link.
4. Enter the 28-character alphanumeric key for your advanced license.
5. Click the Refresh License button.

Please refer to Chapter 6.2.2.5 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 156, for more information.

Email distribution lists that are defined at the project level override the default Auto Call Home settings.

1. Click the Projects & Events tab.
2. Click the Manage Projects button.
3. Select a Project.
4. Click the Edit Project icon (or right-click the project and click Edit Project).
5. Enable Allow Email Notifications (Only Projects who have this “Enabled” will override the default settings.)
6. Define the Email Group filters. (Only Email Groups who meet the “Send Notification Emails to” criteria will receive email notifications.
7. Associate units with the project settings and click OK to validate the changes. (Only Units assigned to the project are affected by these settings.)

Please refer to Chapter 5.9.3 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 131, for more information.

THOR can export individual reports into four file formats:

• PDF
• XML
• Text/ASCII
• CSV (Comma Separated Value)

Exporting multiple reports is only available in a single PDF file. They will appear sorted chronologically from the date and time that the events took place.

1. While viewing a report, click one of the export icons (PDF, CSV, Save, Save as, XML, ASCII)
2. Give the report a file name and click Save.
3. To Export multiple event reports, select and view all the events together and click on Export PDF.

Please refer to Chapter 5.9.3.1 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 132, for more information.

You can include an image, such as a company logo, on printed reports. Images are automatically resized to fit in the report.

The accepted image formats are .bmp, .jpg, .gif, and .png.

1. Click the Preferences tab.
2. In the General section, enable the Print Custom Logo checkbox.
3. Click the Custom Logo Path button and browse for the correct image to include in the report.

Please refer to Chapter 3.5.3 of the THOR Operator Manual, page 55, for more information.

Minimate Pro and Micromate units can synchronize with the computer’s date and time. Enabling Daylight Savings Time (DST) on Micromate units will apply the DST policy for their respective time zone.

NOTE: A unit’s monitoring mode must be Idle to change its Date and Time.
NOTE: Daylight Saving Time (DST) options are not available for Minimate Pro units.
NOTE: DST only appears for time zones using DST.

1. Click the Unit tab.
2. Click the Manage Units button.
3. Click a unit in the list of connected units.
4. Click the Unit Date/Time button.
5. To synchronize the computer’s time, click the blue arrow button.
6. Select the time zone.
7. (Optional) Enable the Automatically adjust clock for Daylight Saving Time checkbox.
8. Click Apply and Done.

THOR does not have a set cap for the number of units that can be added to THOR or the amount of simultaneous Auto Call Home sessions that can be processed at one time.  The greatest limiting factor is the resources allocated by your server.  Items such as CPU, Memory, Hard Disk, Antivirus, other applications running on the server, etc., can impact the maximum number of operations that THOR can support. 

The PC or server specification depends on how many units will call-in to the server.
The following minimum PC requirement can be used as a guide for a THOR Server selection: 

• 3GHz, 4 Core
• 8GB RAM
• Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10.
• Should have USB ports

The minimum specifications should suffice for up to 40 units calling home. Anything higher would merit a higher performance server.

Note: We recommend using a dedicated computer server for Auto Call Home. Running multiple programs in parallel to Auto Call Home is not recommended.

To uninstall THOR properly use the following steps:

1. Uninstall THOR for Applications or Control Panel.
2. Go to your system drive (generally C drive), follow the file path and delete the THOR folder. C:\Program Files (x86)\Instantel\THOR
   1. NOTE: File paths can vary based on your computer. You can either perform a folder search or contact your IT to help locate the program files folder.
3. Delete the THOR Folder in C:\ProgramData\Instantel\THOR.
4. Reinstall THOR by downloading the setup from www.instantel.com
5. After Installation, click the THOR tab on the top left corner. Click on the license tab, Valid licenses display a green checkmark.

1. Open THOR Software and go to the Projects and Events tab.
2. Select Manage Events.
3. Select the Unit to view, then open the desired event. On the left side click on Show/Hide Report Configuration.
4. Select the Option “Display Geophone Peaks in dB”, the units will now be displayed in dB.

Copy the files from the old computer

1. Close the THOR application.
2. Stop the Auto Call Home service using Task Manager->Services->ACHService
3. Copy the database file and the THORDATA folder by first going to My Computer->C Drive.
   1. Note: You must ensure hidden files are visible, by checking the hidden items button from View in the taskbar.
4. Go to Program Data->Instantel->THOR->DB
5. Copy the database file with .db3 extension to a USB drive for transfer to the new computer.
6. Copy the THORDATA folder from the PC->C Drive to the USB drive.

Import the files to the new computer

1. Download the latest version of THOR from www.instantel.com
2. Install THOR on the new computer.
   1. Note: Make sure THOR is closed and the Auto Call Home service is not running.
3. Paste the database file and THORDATA folder by first going to My Computer->C Drive.
   Note: Ensure hidden files are visible, by checking the hidden items button from View in the taskbar.
4. Go to Program Data->Instantel->THOR->DB
5. Paste the database file(.db3) from the USB drive to this location.
6. Select ‘Replace the file in the destination’
7. Paste the THORDATA folder into This PC->C Drive
8. The migration is now complete, run THOR and the Auto Call Home Service.