Organization Of This Manual; Before You Begin - RESEARCH CONCEPTS RC2000C Manual

2 RC2000C Polar Tracking Antenna Controller
1.1

Organization of this Manual

This manual is divided into two broad parts, Installation and Reference. The Installation part of this
manual is designed to familiarize the user with the controller and guide him or her through the installation
and configuration of the controller. The Reference portion of the manual gives a detailed description of all
of the features and capabilities of the controller.
The Installation portion of the manual is comprised of Chapters 2 through 4. Chapter 2 explains the user
interface and the basic operation of the unit. Chapter 3 guides the user through the physical installation
and wiring of the unit as well as the initial software configuration. Chapter 4 covers all aspects of tracking
inclined orbit satellites. It begins with a brief discussion of some of the theoretical aspects of the inclined
orbit, and continues with a description of the algorithms used by the RC2000C for tracking inclined orbit
satellites. Chapter 4 concludes with a step by step procedure which guides the user through the entry of
track parameters and the initialization of a track on an inclined orbit satellite.
The Reference portion of this manual is comprised of chapters 5, 6, and 7 as well as the appendices
which follow. These chapters of the manual describe the fields on the screens which the user will
encounter, as well as the data which can be entered at any prompt. After the initial installation, when the
user has become familiar with the operation of the controller, these chapters will probably be the only
ones consulted by the user to handle the routine chores of adding new satellites and deleting old ones.
1.2

Before You Begin

Please read and understand the manual. Time invested in understanding the installation and operation of
the controller will insure satisfactory results. The unit has been tested thoroughly and will work accurately
and reliably if it is installed and configured properly. There is an old saying in the controller business -
"Garbage in, garbage out". Be very careful when entering data into the controller. For example, if the
longitude data for a geostationary satellite is entered incorrectly, the controller will accurately position
itself on that satellite. If however, at a later time, a track is initiated on an inclined orbit satellite in the
vicinity of that geostationary satellite, the incorrect longitude may be used to calculate incorrect step track
angles and unsatisfactory results will occur.
Research Concepts, Inc. • 5420 Martindale Road • Shawnee, Kansas 66218-9680 • USA www.researchconcepts.com
Chapter 1 Introduction