Copyright 2016 © Portable Rotation, Inc.
Page 11
the CCW button, turn on the controller. Release the button after the power on
messages are displayed
Config
AC CS BR
COM Rate
48 96 19
Ent ACal
4800 BD
Turn On while Holding
the CCW Button
Set baud rate to host Default is
9600. press CCW for
4800
baud
Selected 48
’
so
“
4800 BD
”
is
displayed for 2 seconds
Select the “BR” choice by pressing the “CW” button. The 3 baud rates are displayed;
48 = 4,800 baud, 96 – 9,600 baud, and 19, for 19,200 baud. Press the button that
corresponds to the needed baud rate. The new baud rate will be displayed for a few
seconds then the controller enters its previous operating mode. The new value is
saved in memory and is persistent over
power
cycles.
Setting your Call Sign / Vanity Text
The 12PRSAT Rotor Controller allows you to set and will display during idle time where
the controller is not turning the antenna, 8 Characters of your choice on the top line of
the display. This can be your call sign, antenna information, or any other message you
want displayed. This information can be changed as often as you like.
The process of setting the text message is similar to setting the initial antenna
heading. Turn on the controller and when the “Portable Rotation” message is
displayed, holding down the CCW button [left Button] turn On the Controller.
Continue holding the button until the “Ent Call” message is displayed, then Release
the button. The bottom line will now display the current message text and the first
character position will show that it is ready for input as it will be underlined. Use the
CCW and CW buttons to go forward or backward through the Letters and Numbers,
pressing the MODE button after the correct character is selected. You must do this
operation for all 8 character positions. If no change is needed, just press the MODE
button to move to the next character.
Ent Call
N7IPY
Enter new Text for each of
8 character positions for a
new message
SatTrack
A123E045
After entering all 8 characters the display will refresh showing the new user selected
text on the top display row and the current antenna heading on the bottom.
Normal Operations
Once the initial configuration is complete, the 12PRSAT Az/El Rotor system is ready to
manage your antenna azimuth and elevation movements. As with most portable
Copyright 2016 © Portable Rotation, Inc.
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VHF/UHF beam type antennas that this system is designed to work with, exact degree
accuracy is not really needed as the antennas are not that exact. The system design is
accurate to 1 degree with a minimum of 1 degree increments.
A simple to use menu system is provided to select the turning mode and to control the
system.
There are three modes of operation:
•
Manual Turn Mode
– Used to make manual changes in azimuth or elevation.
Not a practical solution for satellite tracking
•
Automatic Turn
Mode
– Used to make a turn by entering the azimuth and/or
elevation and letting the controller manage the movement of the antenna.
•
Remote Control
Mode
– Standard mode of operation using an external
computer system with tracking software.
Manual Turn Mode
To use this mode of operation, press and hold the “Mode” button for 1 second. A
menu of 3 choices is then displayed, “Az AT El”. The 3 controller buttons correspond
to the 3 menu choices. Pressing the “CCW” button selects the Manual Turn mode for
the Azimuth motor. Pressing the “CW” button selects the manual turn mode for the
Elevation motor, and pressing the middle or “Mode” button selects the Auto Turn
mode. When using the Manual turning mode the bottom display line shows both the
Azimuth and Elevation position. To indicate which axis is selected for manual turn
control, the leading letter, ‘A’ for Azimuth or ‘E’ for Elevation is shown capitalized
before the degrees value. The non-selected axis is shown with a lower case letter. If
an Azimuth move was selected, the letter ‘A’ is shown as upper case, and the letter ‘e’
is shown in lower case. If an Elevation move was selected, the lower case letter ‘a’ is
displayed before the degrees of turn and the upper case ‘E’ is shown before the
degrees of elevation.
After selecting the Az or El turning option, pressing the CCW (Counter Clockwise)
button or the CW (Clockwise) button until the heading on the LCD display shows the
heading you want. This will cause a slow speed turn. Dynamic breaking is used to stop
accurately on heading. You can do a full speed turn by pressing the mode button and
holding it while pressing the CW or CCW button. Releasing the Mode button will
return to slow speed movement. During any turn operation the GREEN LED is on,
indicating that a turn is in progress.
The controller limits the Elevation motion between 0 and 180 degrees, Azimuth
rotation is limited to +/- 540 degrees from North.
As a turn is in process, the new heading value is saved to memory. When finished with
your turn, to save on battery power until the next time you want to turn the antenna,
