[amsat-bb] Re: Semi-remoting the controller for a Yaesu G5400

[Lowell White]

Hi Jim,

Yes, that would be a possibility.

The "in between" is indeed a garage - technically attached to our home but as
far as cabnle paths go, somewhat removed to to an obfuscated connection
between respective attics. 

A spare, old PC is not scarce... may consider. Besides, who doesn't have CAT5
in their garage... or close to it? ;-)

Another has suggested I just go ahead and home run the standard cables all the
way to the shack / office so as to have manual control in addition to PZC
control... and a simpler intermediate step.  That will mean an additional
splice block but can be done as long as the rotors are happy with a lengthier
run... which was part of my initial concern.

Thanks,

Lowell


------ Original Message ------
Received: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:36 PM CDT
From: Jim Walls <jim at k6ccc.org>
To: Amsat-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Semi-remoting the controller for a Yaesu G5400

> Lowell White wrote:
> > My Yaesu G-5400 rotor pair is about 150' from my shack. 
> >
> > I am wanting to gauge the feasibility of putting the rotor controller
within
> > 100' (due to on-hand control cable lengths) of the antennas (in a
garage).
> >
> > I would then run a separate (on-hand) PC-controller cable (fewer
conductors as
> > using the DIN interface on the back of the controller) to the rotor
controller
> > box from a PC and adapter / interface (if needed) in my shack (approx.
50').
> >
> > Is it crazy to consider or should I just pony up for more of the (dual)
rotor
> > control cable and run the control box itself in my shack?
> >
> > What would I need to do at the PC end to appropriately 'signal' the
> > 'semi-remote' control box.
> >   
> 
> I am making an assumption, that may not be the case.  I am assuming that 
> there is a protected location closer to the tower.  For example the 
> tower is next to the garage and the shack is in the house.  If that is 
> the case, what I would do is run the remote control PC at the remote 
> location, and control it over your LAN with a remote desktop program 
> such as VNC (http://www.realvnc.com/).  That does make the assumption 
> that you have an extra PC floating around, but for most of us the 
> question is not IF we have one, but rather which of of the several 
> should I use...  It also assumes that you have a house LAN - although if 
> you don't, most PCs these days have a network connection already built 
> in so it would be easy to implement.
> 
> -- 
> 73
> -------------------------------------
> Jim Walls - K6CCC
> jim at k6ccc.org
> Ofc:  818-548-4804
> http://home.earthlink.net/~k6ccc
> AMSAT Member 32537 - WSWSS Member 395
> 
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