I am installing a G-5500 Elevation rotor and trying to determine orientation of elevation with reference to software specifically rtrcontrold for Linux but I'd suspect this would be typical to most PC applications. If a sat is 45 degrees above horizon should rotor control read 45 or 135 degrees on the hardware control dial? What I'm asking is when I want to mount antenna where 90 degrees is horizontal or vertical? It seems natural that midway point is horizontal but midway point is 90 degrees. I don't think I ever have a reason to point antenna into the mud so it makes most sense that midway 90 degrees is straight up??
You want to mount the antenna on the elevation rotor horizontal so it can flip over on it's back and track through the AZ mechanical stop. For instance, if the bird is going though North/South, which ever you have for the mechanical stop, software can control it to flip on it's back and azimuth is 180 degrees off so you are able to track through the stop and keep on chasing the bird instead of going 360 in the wrong direction and wasting the minute it takes to go 360.
For example stop is at North. Point AZ at South and have EL at 180. Actually it is pointing North because the EL is making it look like it is North. As the bird comes past AOS the EL rotor backs down and the AZ rotor comes around, ending up on the stop at LOS in this example. Some software will let you enjoy the 450 degrees AZ and the 180 EL without so much fuss, but this works.
Good luck.
73, Jim
On 10/10/2010 1:07 PM, Dean Maluski wrote:
I am installing a G-5500 Elevation rotor and trying to determine orientation of elevation with reference to software specifically rtrcontrold for Linux but I'd suspect this would be typical to most PC applications. If a sat is 45 degrees above horizon should rotor control read 45 or 135 degrees on the hardware control dial? What I'm asking is when I want to mount antenna where 90 degrees is horizontal or vertical? It seems natural that midway point is horizontal but midway point is 90 degrees. I don't think I ever have a reason to point antenna into the mud so it makes most sense that midway 90 degrees is straight up??
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Dean Maluski" dean@n1ety.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 7:07 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] G-5500 Orientation
I am installing a G-5500 Elevation rotor and trying to determine orientation of elevation with reference to software specifically rtrcontrold for Linux but I'd suspect this would be typical to most PC applications.
If a sat is 45 degrees above horizon should rotor control read 45 or 135 degrees on the hardware control dial?
Hi Dean,
If the sat is 45 degrees elevation and rising above the horizon the rotor control must read 45 degrees. If your software make flipping operation and the sat is lovering elevation as soon the elevation is again 45 degrees above the horizon then the control box must read 135 degrees.
What I'm asking is when I want to mount antenna where 90 degrees is horizontal or vertical?
At 90 degrees elevation the boom must be vertical with the antenna radiating at the zenith.
It seems natural that midway point is horizontal but midway point is 90 degrees. I don't think I ever have a reason to point antenna into the mud so it makes most sense that midway 90 degrees is straight up??
Right ! midway 90 degrees is straight up with the antenna radiating at the zenith.
73" de
i8CVS Domenico
If you're starting a flipped pass where the satellite AOS is at 45 degrees, wouldn't the flipped pass start at 45+180=225?
Greg KO6TH
From: domenico.i8cvs@tin.it To: dean@n1ety.com; amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:42:04 +0200 Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: G-5500 Orientation
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dean Maluski" dean@n1ety.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 7:07 PM Subject: [amsat-bb] G-5500 Orientation
I am installing a G-5500 Elevation rotor and trying to determine orientation of elevation with reference to software specifically rtrcontrold for Linux but I'd suspect this would be typical to most PC applications.
If a sat is 45 degrees above horizon should rotor control read 45 or 135 degrees on the hardware control dial?
Hi Dean,
If the sat is 45 degrees elevation and rising above the horizon the rotor control must read 45 degrees. If your software make flipping operation and the sat is lovering elevation as soon the elevation is again 45 degrees above the horizon then the control box must read 135 degrees.
What I'm asking is when I want to mount antenna where 90 degrees is horizontal or vertical?
At 90 degrees elevation the boom must be vertical with the antenna radiating at the zenith.
It seems natural that midway point is horizontal but midway point is 90 degrees. I don't think I ever have a reason to point antenna into the mud so it makes most sense that midway 90 degrees is straight up??
Right ! midway 90 degrees is straight up with the antenna radiating at the zenith.
73" de
i8CVS Domenico
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Hi Dean,
Usually an elevation rotor is mounted so that the antennas are directly horizontal (zero degrees) when the rotor is positioned at zero. Then the satellite elevation is the same as the rotor's position. 45 degrees up is, well, 45 degrees. Straight up is 90.
What others are discussing is a further refinement, where the rotor can swing past 90 degrees, into what is known as "flipped" operation. For this, the software and rotor need to both be capable of it, as well as your installation (watch for tangled cables!). If your Azimuth rotor is mounted so that it stops at +/- North, then a satellite pass that crosses the line from North to you will force the rotor to swing clear around when it gets there. To prevent this 60-second outage, a flipped pass will turn the antennas on their back and swing them around 180 degrees, effectively giving you an Azimuth rotor that has its stops aimed South. Then you can work the satellite through its entire pass.
Hope this helps,
Greg KO6TH
From: dean@n1ety.com To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:07:08 -0400 Subject: [amsat-bb] G-5500 Orientation
I am installing a G-5500 Elevation rotor and trying to determine orientation of elevation with reference to software specifically rtrcontrold for Linux but I'd suspect this would be typical to most PC applications. If a sat is 45 degrees above horizon should rotor control read 45 or 135 degrees on the hardware control dial? What I'm asking is when I want to mount antenna where 90 degrees is horizontal or vertical? It seems natural that midway point is horizontal but midway point is 90 degrees. I don't think I ever have a reason to point antenna into the mud so it makes most sense that midway 90 degrees is straight up??
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (4)
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Dean Maluski -
Greg D. -
i8cvs -
Jim Wright