[aprssig] APRN status?

[Alex Carver]

> From: Scott Miller 
> Subject: [aprssig] APRN status?
> If no one's listening, can someone suggest a good Az/El
> rotor and 
> antenna setup with RS-232 control and a documented
> interface protocol? 
> Sounds like a good excuse to buy some new toys.

The Yaesu G-5500 AZ/EL rotator is a great piece of hardware.  It's pretty accurate with it's pointing (mast twisting and backlash not withstanding).  It doesn't have a serial port installed but rather a set of contacts for relay inputs that mimic the front panel switches and voltage outputs for the position readings.

Yaesu sells the GS-232A matching controller.  This controller has the relays on board plus the RS232 interface and a smart processor to provide quite a few advanced commands.  For example, the controller can automatically slew the antenna at whatever speed you specify for whatever segment of arc you specify.  You don't have to keep watching the controller using those modes, just set and let it go.  It also has just the plain manual commands (e.g. rotate on/rotate off) and combinations of both.