[amsat-bb] lvbtracker (or other) and AlfaSpid rotors?

[Bruce Robertson]

The Alfa Spid price list
http://alfaradio.ca/docs/AlfaSpid_Price_June15_2009.pdf indicates that
the az/el rotor alone is about $600 (CAD) cheaper than the rotor with
controller. I understand that this controller is a very nice piece of
kit, and many are quite pleased with, for instance, its mouse
interface. However, that additional charge moves the purchase from the
'maybe one day' to the 'no way Jose' column.

So I'm wondering if anyone has experience with third-party controllers
to operate the Alfa Spid rotors. Are they electrically similar to
other rotors, or is the proprietary controller absolutely necessary?

73, Bruce VE9QRP
-- 
http://ve9qrp.blogspot.com