I have no operating experience with satellites.
I am installing this G-5500 az-el rotator on a satellite ground station and I am using SatPC32 tracking software and an ERC interface. Everything is operational, so far...
I am trying to decide whether to use 0 to 360 degrees or 0 to 420 degrees on the azimuth rotator. The station is located in Eastern TN, USA. The 0 to 420 uses all available rotation but then the meter readings are not as useful. Are there any preferences on this?
From a practical, operating point of view, should the azimuth mid point or home position have the antenna pointed North or South? Or some other direction?
Thanks for your input.
Butch K8KO
Hi Butch I checked with Mr. Murphy and he suggests keep it small 360 degrees. I have followed Mr. Murphy's advice and no trouble in over 15 years. North is my stop on the rotor. 73 Bob W7LRD
I've used 420 with SatPC32. It's fine. The other possibility is to use "flip". That is allow an altitude of 180 which essentially puts your stop S instead of N. MacDoppler understand this, and pretty sure SatPC32 does also.
On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 4:46 PM, Bob- W7LRD w7lrd@comcast.net wrote:
360 + 90 = 450. Not 420. Use all of it if you can, but SatPC32 will seldom go the whole extra 90 degrees. As noted by others, the ability to do the back flip, 180 degrees of elevation, is usually of more utility.
North or south stop is religion, not science (though I'm sure someone has done the math to prove me wrong on that). Your preference. I use a north stop, even though I'm located fairly far north. -- Mark D. Johns KØJM / MØGZO / ex-9H3DJ / ex-KØMDJ Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain
On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 3:12 PM Butch via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
Ditto on the 360 here in FN00. If I recall, (set me straight if I’m thinking Nova) SatPC32 has a 1 minute before AOS. So usually, it will swing 180 to get oriented anyway before AOS.
Greg N3MVF
On Jun 26, 2018, at 5:43 PM, Mark D. Johns mjohns+K0JM@luther.edu wrote:
360 + 90 = 450. Not 420. Use all of it if you can, but SatPC32 will seldom go the whole extra 90 degrees. As noted by others, the ability to do the back flip, 180 degrees of elevation, is usually of more utility.
North or south stop is religion, not science (though I'm sure someone has done the math to prove me wrong on that). Your preference. I use a north stop, even though I'm located fairly far north. -- Mark D. Johns KØJM / MØGZO / ex-9H3DJ / ex-KØMDJ Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd ----------------------------------------------- "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ---Mark Twain
On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 3:12 PM Butch via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
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Center of rotation is 225. (450/2) When making rotator loop (control cables and coax), center the rotator before creating it.
Have a blast. This is a great niche of ham radio.
Norm n3ykf
On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 5:57 PM, Greg almetco@comcast.net wrote:
participants (6)
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Bob- W7LRD
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Burns Fisher
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Butch
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Greg
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Mark D. Johns
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Norm n3ykf