FAQ:Rotator Control and wtRotators

From Win-Test Wiki
Revision as of 06:30, 23 February 2016 by N6TV (talk | contribs) (→‎How do I control a Green Heron RT-21 control box with wtRotators?: Remove statement about using real serial rather than USB-to-Serial. Suggest wtRotators v1.4.2 or later.)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

How do I control my rotators with Win-Test?

Win-Test provides a separate program called wtRotators to connect to rotator control boxes. wtRotators shares the rotator controller with one or more copies of Win-Test via local TCP/IP broadcast messages. A third party program called PstRotatorAz offered by YO3DMU may also be used with Win-Test instead of wtRotators.

Both Win-Test and wtRotators/PstRotatorsAz have to be configured to use the same broadcast address and port number, or else Win-Test and the rotator control software will not be able to communicate.

  • If you are using a single computer for both logging and rotator control (e.g. single-op), follow the procedure for Configuring wtRotators (single PC, no network). It explains how to use the "loopback" address so that all communication between Win-Test and wtRotators stays inside the computer, instead of going over the LAN.
  • If you are using multiple networked computers, and want to control rotators from more than one PC, (e.g. multi-single, multi-multi), follow the procedure for Configuring wtRotators (multi-op environment). You only need to run wtRotators on the PC that is physically connected to the control box, not all of them.

In both environments, it is essential to configure the same broadcast address and port number in both programs.

Win-Test will automatically calculate beam headings and rotate the appropriate antenna as long as this information is properly defined to wtRotators. See Add your rotators.

Can I make wtRotators start automatically when I start Win-Test?

Yes. In Win-Test, select Windows | Rotators then right click and select Local wtRotators | Start/stop automatically.

How do I control a Green Heron RT-21 control box with wtRotators?

Select Hy-Gain DCU-1 as the rotator type.

Serial ports numbered COM10 and above are supported by wtRotators version 1.4.2 or later. Earlier versions only work with COM1 to COM9. If using the USB Interface, use the Windows Device Manager to determine the virtual serial port assigned to your control box.

Retrieved from "https://docs.win-test.com/w/index.php?title=FAQ:Rotator_Control_and_wtRotators&oldid=4566"