[amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 using flip mode at AOS

[Erich Eichmann]

Hi Steve,
you are right - with the settings for Flip mode in the menu "Rotor Setup" 
(azimuth 360°, elevation 180°) the program checks at the beginning of a 
satellite pass whether the satellite "crosses" the end points of your 
azimuth rotor (in your case South) in that pass. If so, it runs the pass 
from the beginning in Flip mode, that means it turns the azimuth antenna in 
the opposite direction and the elevation antenna to 180° - elevation  The 
color of the control "R" changes from white to yellow.

With the option 450° for azimuth Flip mode doesn't work. This option avoids 
also in most cases the 360° turn the rotor has to run when the satellite 
crosses the longitude of  your location in the North or South.
73s, Erich, DK1TB

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greene, Stephan A" <stephan.a.greene at thesiorg.com>
To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2013 2:55 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: SatPC32 using flip mode at AOS


> Yesterday I wrote:
>
> It just occurred to me that I can use direct serial port commands to the 
> ST2  to test that the azimuth rotor moves CCW from, say,  175 deg to 185 
> deg, and does not try to go CW through the rotor stops.  Repeating with 
> SatPC32 interface should verify I have the azimuth stops set correctly 
> without having to wait for a suitable satellite pass.  I am hoping this 
> may have something to do with flip mode being triggered.  Or it may just 
> give me something to try between satellite passes until I figure it out!
>
> I think I figured it out.....and SatPC32 is behaving correctly.   SatPC32 
> will use flip mode at AOS when the azimuth range of a pass goes through 
> the rotor's South stop (in my case).  There were several passes last night 
> that ranged from around 165-175 degrees azimuth at AOS to 270-350 degrees 
> at LOS.  Flip mode lets SatPC32 use an azimuth range of 345-170 degrees 
> (think of it as 345-530) to avoid the rotor South stop limit.  Restarting 
> SatPC32 once the satellite was at an azimuth above 180 degrees seemed to 
> confirm this behavior (I need to test again to be sure).
>
> 73, Steve KS1G at a.m.s.a.t dot org
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