Remote Mode; Track Mode - RESEARCH CONCEPTS RC2000C Manual

42 RC2000C Polar Tracking Antenna Controller
5. When the automatic move is completed, control will transfer to MANUAL mode if the target is a
geostationary satellite. If the target of the automatic move is an inclined orbit satellite, TRACK mode
receives control.
NOTE: WHEN THE POWER IS TURNED OFF, THE POLAROTOR PROBE MAY SLIGHTLY SHIFT
POSITIONS. WHEN THE POWER IS REAPPLIED, THE POLAROTOR PROBE WILL MOVE
BACK TO THE POSITION IT WAS AT BEFORE POWER WAS REMOVED. FOR THIS
REASON, ALWAYS LEAVE THE CONTROLLER ON.
5.3

REMOTE Mode

AZ:178.4 EL: 44.2 PL:
SBS 2
In REMOTE mode the controller only responds to commands received via the built-in RS-422 serial port.
REMOTE mode can only become active if the Remote Mode Enable CONFIG mode item is enabled. If
REMOTE mode is enabled via CONFIG mode, it can become active either in response to the user hitting
the MODE key, or in receipt of a valid command from the PC. Note that TRACK mode can process
certain commands received via the serial port. The RS-422 comm protocol and interface specifications
are found in Appendix D, and the command set is found in Appendix E.
The REMOTE mode screen is similar to the MANUAL mode screen. The only differences are that the
satellite longitude and 'SPEED:' banners are not displayed. Only the MODE key is active when REMOTE
mode is active.
5.4

TRACK Mode

AZ:178.4 EL: 44.2 PL:
GSTAR 3
TRACK mode is invoked either from SETUP mode or AUTO mode to track inclined orbit satellites.
TRACK Mode consists of 4 sub-modes: STEP, PROGRAM, SEARCH, and ERROR. The track sub-
mode which is currently active is displayed to the right of the satellite name. Status information relating to
the submode which is currently active is displayed to the right of the sub-mode. The tracking algorithms
along with these sub-modes are described in section 4.2. The frequency band (L, C, or K) of the
transponder which the controller assumes that it is tracking is displayed in the upper right hand corner of
the display.
Whenever the 'IDLE' message is displayed on the bottom row of the display,
a. the current time is displayed in an hours.minutes format (00.00 to 23.59)
b. the '0-MENU' message will be displayed to the right of the time display if expert access is enabled via
CONFIG mode, and
c. the CW, CCW, H, and V keys may be used to adjust the polarization if remote mode has been
disabled.
The '0-MENU' display indicates that the user can hit the 0 key to activate the TRACK mode menu. From
the TRACK mode menu the user can view the contents of the track table, see the current sidereal time
and the scale factors for the satellite currently being tracked, modify certain parameters, and initiate
certain operations. See section 5.4.5 for a description of the TRACK mode MENU system.
If TRACK mode receives control via SETUP mode, the controller will perform some data initalizations and
switch to the STEP track sub-mode. The SCALE FACTOR, GEO, and SYSTEM errors may be detected
during the initialization. These are described in chapter 7 - TRACK Mode Errors.
If TRACK mode receives control via AUTO mode, the controller will check for the presence of track table
information for the current sidereal time. If track table information is found, the controller will activate the
PROGRAM track sub-mode. If track table information is not available, the SEARCH sub-mode will
receive control.
Research Concepts, Inc. • 5420 Martindale Road • Shawnee, Kansas 66218-9680 • USA www.researchconcepts.com
15 H S:635 REMOTE
73 V S:621 TRAK K
PROGRAM IDLE 15.56.0-MENU
Chapter 5 Modes Function Description