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Ham Radio Deluxe Satellite Tracker With Flex 6600

Alan
Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
edited March 2020 in FLEX-6000 Signature Series
I am exploring using my Flex 6600 for Satellite Tracking.  First, I am looking at various software options.  I am starting with Ham Radio Deluxe - Sat Track.

I am first testing the HRD Sat Track interface with the Flex 6600 for dual VFO duplex CAT control.  I have tried doing so with HRD rig control and with DDutil.  I have not been successful with either one getting both VFOs to work and be CAT controlled from HRD Sat Track.

Question - What have others found to be the best way to interface HRD Sat Track to the Flex?  Where can I find specific guides for this setup?  Has anyone used DDutil to interface to HRD Sat Track and how was it done?  Has anyone used HRD Rig Control and how did you get the second VFO?

Thanks.

Answers

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
    edited May 2019
    Can you describe you setup a bit more.

    What part is DDUTIL doing?  I don't think you need it.

    Mike

  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Alan,

    Slice Master supports the HRD Rig Control protocol much like DDutil does.  I've put some effort into supporting multiple VFOs and well as a more complete set of controls.  I cant promise that it will do the right thing for satellite tracking, but I'd be real curious if it does and just as curious to know where it misses the mark.

    The Slice Master feature you'll be looking for is on the settings tab and labeled "HRD TCP TX Listener".  Just enable it at point Satellite Tracker to the port number specified there.

    --Don

  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Thanks Don.  I will give it a try and let you know.   I love Slice Master!    Alan
  • KF4HR
    KF4HR Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    So far I haven't found any software package that will allow two Flex Slices to be sync'ed and track each other (positive and negative tracking).  I'd be interested in knowing if this is even possible given the current after-market software, and if so, how it was done.   
  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Don

    I enabled HRD TCP TX Listener and aligned HRD Sat Tracker to the port.  CAT seemed to work on VFO - A of Sat Tracker but could not get VFO-B to work CAT to the Flex.  It seems to me the CAT control needs to be aligned to two separate slices via Slice Master like you do DAX.  DAX is not required since audio in/out comes from the Flex directly.  Two VFOs / CAT control, are necessary, one for the uplink and one for the downlink.  HRD Sat Trax only controls the slice frequency.  Thx.   Alan
  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin
    edited May 2019
    I 'think' SATPC32 does and you treat it like 2 different units.  However, I defer to Mack who would know.
  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Check out the Sync tab in Slice Master.  It will let you sync two or more slices to another slice with an arbitrary frequency offset.

    image

    Set like this, slice B will follow slice A with a 1khz offset.  So any time slice A changes frequency, slice B will change too.  Slice B is still free to move on its own.  But you could set slice A to follow slice B with a -1khz offset if you wanted them to stay fully in sync.

    --Don



  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    I've never tried HRD Satelite Tracker until just now.  I was expecting that the multi VFO protocol used by HRD Logbook would also be used by HRD Satelite Tracker.  They seem to speak a different dialect.  I'm happy to call it a defect and will look into it further.  Thanks for giving it a try.
  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Don.   FYI, synching is not what I am working on.  I need two slices to be CAT controlled independently from HRD Sat Tracker.

    Sat Tracker adjusts the two VFOs separately to adjust for doppler of each (i.e. 430mhz on one, 145mhz on another).  The constant offset described earlier is a feature within the Sat Tracker Program if selected as an option, but is for controlling two bands.  I understand there are several methods to adjust for doppler, all handled within the Tracker software.  So back to CAT control of two slices.
  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Thanks Don.  I would prefer to use Slice Master for Sat Tracker, same as I do for other programs.  I really like how it simplifies the interfaces with multiple slices.
  • John - K3MA
    John - K3MA Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Do a search here on the community for FlexSATPC.  Also google it along with W0DHB.  You might find it is just what your looking for.

    John K3MA
  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Thanks, John.  I plan on evaluating SatPC / FlexSatPC along with MacDoppler.  I started with HRD Sat Track because I already own that.

    I will look at SatPC when Smart SDR 2.5 becomes available.  I have discussed FlexSatPC with its developer, Dave, W0DHB, and his latest version only works with Smart SDR 2.5.

    For now, looking for how to make two VFOs work with Flex / HRD Sat Tracker.

    Alan
  • dlwarnberg
    dlwarnberg Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    SatPC32....  yet another reason I did not use HRD at all...
    Lots of good documentation on how to set up a SAT station using a 6XXX series radio.
  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Alan,

    If you are still interested in seeing Slice Master work in this use case, send an email to the address in the Slice Master splash screen.  I have a development version that might do the trick.

    --Don

  • dlwarnberg
    dlwarnberg Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Here is my setup and it just works:
    In SmartSDR CAT:


    Next Transverter setup (elecraft) SmartSDR Settings / Radio setup / XVTR





    Finally SatPC32 setup: (setup / radio setup)


    Slice A radio 1
    Slice B radio 2

    Hope this helps




  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Alan,

    Thanks for your help with isolating the bugs in Slice Master that prevented this from working in the first place.  I've just uploaded a new Slice Master release to https://github.com/k1dbo/slice-master-6000/releases with the fixes.

    With v0.10.7b you should be able to go to Slice Master's Sync tab and enable the HRD TCP Listener for slice A 



    Then configure HRD SatTrack to connect to it



    Note that the port number in Slice Master and the port number in SatTrack must match.

    After all that, HRD SatTrack will be able to use slice A as the Main VFO and slice B as the Sub VFO.

    --Don


  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Don.   Thanks for your quick reply to adapt SliceMaster to configure HRD Sat Tracker.  Sat Tracker is easy to configure with SliceMaster and setup with multiple instances such as WSJT-X on a third slice via DAX works great!
  • Alan
    Alan Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Dave

    Thanks for the configure info.  I gave your configuration a try and it kind of works, but not in always.  In David's, W0DHB, paper on using SatPC32 on a Flex, he said not all functions required to track satelittes would work.  David refers to the need for FlexSatPC which he develped to bridge the gap.   I have communicated with David and downloaded his latest FlexSatPC.  David said FlexSatPC was written to only work with Smart SDR 3 or 2.5, so I am waiting for the release of SmartSDR2.5 before giving it a test.
  • Sergey KN7K
    Sergey KN7K Member ✭✭✭
    edited March 2020
    Can someone post link to downloadable executable file - on that site 
    https://github.com/K1DBO/slice-master-6000  I only see screenshots and readme files.
    Downloaded zip, but no rxetable file there.
    Thanks
    Sergey, KN7K
  • K1DBO
    K1DBO Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Sergey,

    Click here https://github.com/k1dbo/slice-master-6000/releases then scroll down to where it says "assets" then select the first zip file to download it.  Extract the zip to a convenient location.  You'll find the executable there.

    --Don

  • Sergey KN7K
    Sergey KN7K Member ✭✭✭
    edited May 2019
    Ha, not easy to fine.
    Thank you Don again, installed and running.

    Sergey, KN7K

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