Any Full Remote Stations?

KB2LMN

Anyone have a completely remote FlexRadio system?
Flex 6000 series, Power Genius & Tuner Genius XL?

Mike-VA3MW

Many of us run exactly that.

I have a 6600 + PGXL + TGXL + 8x2 AG antenna switch.

Even if I didn't work here, you'd have to pry it out of dead cold hands! :)

John WA7UAR

I have a fully remote 6700, PGXL, TGXL. Using both SmartSDR for both Windows and Mac. Using TeamViewer for remote digital control to a PC co-located with the remote radio.

David Decoons, wo2x

mine is full remote controllable. I don’t run it remote 100% of the time but everything can be controlled and monitored remotely, including AC power, DC power distribution, rotor control, mini ThinkCenter PC on site for maintenance & diagnostics.

Also have a remote station in Hawaii but uses an Alpha 9500 and MonstIR antenna. The Buckmaster 3 KW OCF is thru a manual tuner set on 3.573 MHz. The SteppIR and Orion RC2800 controllers are also full remote.

A main portion of the remoting of non-Flex/4O3A equipment is Raspberry Pi running Node Red at each site.

There are other remote solutions and a Facebook group called Remote HF radio with all kinds of info.

73 Dave wo2x

Russ Ravella

Hi Dave,

You mention you have your SteppIR controller operating full remote. I do too except for the 3/4 toggle function on my SDA2000. I can toggle it remotely too but when I do the controller just sorta oscillates between 3/4 mode and Normal mode about once a second. I have to actually hit Normal from there to get it to stop and it never actually stays on 3/4 mode. It’s the ONLY setting I have trouble with and the one I need the most !

Which controller do you use and does 3/4 mode switch correctly remotely for you ?

Thanks, Russ KR6W

David Decoons, wo2x

it is an old (2005) MonstIR and SDA100. What are you using for controlling it remotely? (Software).

I’m using Node Red and I’ve tweaked the flow that was published on the Node Red for Ham Radio site.

Currently scheduled to replace the driven element EHU next weekend if weather holds out. Had ton of rain in spring, making ground soggy to get manlift to antenna, then complete septic system upgrade which prevented access. Right now I have it sitting on 14.074 MHz. The new EHU has upgraded metal composition and redesigned brushes. The old one has intermittent connection to the tape.

Dave wo2x

Mike-VA3MW

Like Dave, I also use a 3EL Steppir 100% remote for my contest station.

Russ Ravella

Hi Dave,

I'm using an SDA2000. I have the new version and am waiting for SteppIR's long long promised firmware update which will include their own remote functionality, but I had the earlier SDA2000 too (and still keep it for backup). For s/w I use FRStack or pstRotator both of which have a full implementation of SteppIR control.

The reason I mention the h/w controller is the problem is clearly in the way that particular switch is implemented IN it. You can see it just pushing the physical switch. It requires holding it down a tiny bit longer than the others. Any software that sends a straight "set 3/4 mode" command using SteppIR's API is likely to have this problem. What I was wondering is if you'd found a way around it.

Hope your replacement goes well if the weather holds out. You must be feeling well to be planning to take that on - glad to hear it !

73 Russ KR6W

Alan

Russ.

The 3/4 command for the SteppIR Vertical Antenna is documented in their Transceiver Board documentation.

Dave and Mike have Yagi antennas, so, the 3/4 command is not used. Rater, they use the "Bi Directional" command.

I found other third party, SteppIR applications, for some reason, are only configured with Yagi commands.

Thee is a SteppIR, Vertical, including 3/4 Command, flow on the Ham Radio Node-Red group site.

Alan. WA9WUD

Russ Ravella

Hi Alan,

Thanks very much for the response - much appreciated !

I haven't been able to get a response from Mark, author of FRStack but Whit of pstRotator says his is a full implementation of the complete SteppIR API when I asked him about this problem recently. Also, when I try both in the shack, I can see the 3/4 (and Bi-Directional) button trying to respond. The LED goes on (or off) but the function doesn't engage. Instead, it cycles between that and Normal until I stop it. It's hard to understand how the actual button would respond to a command to actuate, but actuate differently in one mode vs another ? Also, as I mentioned I can actually feel a difference when pushing that particular button and I have to hold it longer than the others until it engages.

I can control pretty much everything else in my shack remotely and don't really have any other functions that would benefit from using node red (if only DXE's NCC-2 were network enabled …) but maybe I'll give it a try for just this. Can't hurt.

Thanks,

Russ KR6W

Alan

Russ

Mark does not have a SteppIR controller, so his ability to adjust his app is limited.

PST Rotor has already said their app is not changing.

Problem is, PST rotor is not set up to receive an the response packet for 3/4 mode. The "Bi" mode packet is what is going out when you command 3/4 mode, hence the problem you are observing from FRStack and PST Rotor. Note on the controller the button is labeled "Bi/3/4". Third part apps work by emulating a master/**** controller.

Alan

Russ Ravella

Hi Alan,

Again, thanks for the response.

Yes, I have understood from the beginning that the button is labeled for both the vertical case (3/4) and the Yagi case (Bi directional). You can see that right on the panel plus it's described in the documentation. My comment was that either one is trying to trigger that button because I can actually see it trying to trigger with both of those s/w packages. But you're saying they are triggering it differently somehow and sending the Bi instead of the 3/4 command when the antenna is set to BigIR causes what I'm seeing. OK, I guess that's it then.

So I'll have to spin up a node red function for just this one thing but if it works it will be worth it. Do you happen to have the command set I'd need to do this (I see the specific code is 20h) that you could copy and paste here or send to me (starlite4321@gmail.com) ? That would be much appreciated. I'll start reading up on node red for windows later today.

Again, thanks for the response Alan ! Russ KR6W

Alan

Russ

The StepIR controller is expecting the full ACCI 8 bit byte number as shown on the top of the Transceiver Document I sent you. If you change any of the parameters in the full number, that parameter will be command.

I built set of functions to build the number using node-red. Here is screenshot from the HamRadio Node Red site.

You will also see other SteppIR flows that interface with Flex Radios and have dashboads.

The JavaScript I use to build the "Direction Commands", including 3/4 is shown below.

If you desire to pursue Node-Red, I suggest you mode this to the HamRadio Node Red group.

https://groups.io/g/nodered-hamradio

Alan

==============================
FrequencyBuffer= Buffer.from(msg.payload,"latin1"); // another option

//decode buffer to get controllers direction//decode number then selects text item from array.

var Direction = 0;
var DirectionStrings = ["Normal","1","180°","3/4","BI DIR","5","6","7"];
Direction = FrequencyBuffer[7];
Direction = (Direction & 0b11100000) >> 5;
msg.flagdir = Direction
if(Direction == 5){Direction = "Error!";}
flow.set("SteppirDirectionFlag",DirectionStrings[Direction] );
msg.payload = DirectionStrings[Direction] // + ", " + Direction;

return msg;

Alan

Russ

Opps. I sent you the status function code. Here is the command code, that, as I said, builds the full number:

Alan

======================

//Set SteppIR Frequency from Context

Frequency = parseFloat(flow.get('SteppIRfreq')); //need to send freq with direction command
if(msg.payload == "180"){dir = 0x40}
else if(msg.payload == "BID"){dir = 0x80}
else if(msg.payload == "Normal"){dir = 0x00}
else{ dir = 0x00}

msg.payload = ["@","A","z","0","0","0","0","0","0","0","\r"] // dummy array
FrequencyBuffer= new Buffer(msg.payload,"latin1"); // create buffer to send
FrequencyBuffer[0] = 0x40 ;FrequencyBuffer[1] = 0x41 ;FrequencyBuffer[2] = 0x00 ;FrequencyBuffer[3] = (Frequency&0xFF0000) >> 16 ;FrequencyBuffer[4] = (Frequency&0x00FF00) >> 8 ;FrequencyBuffer[5] = (Frequency&0x0000FF) ;FrequencyBuffer[6] = 0x00 ; // 0x00FrequencyBuffer[7] = dir; //0x40 ; //Direction normal = 0x00, 180 = 0x40FrequencyBuffer[8] = 0x00 ; // Ascii CMD 0x00 = ignore, "1" = defaultFrequencyBuffer[9] = 0x00 ; // 0x00FrequencyBuffer[10] = 0x0D ; //0x0D cr
msg.payload = FrequencyBuffer; return msg;

Alan

I should have said, for 3/4 mode, use 0x80 in buffer position 8, as shown in the SteppIR Transceiver Board Document.

Alan

Russ Ravella

Thanks very much Alan ! Much appreciated - this should make the process very much easier.

73 Russ KR6W