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SteppIR Controller - Icom IC7700 - Logic - Autotract
K7WTG
#1 Posted : Saturday, October 18, 2014 12:47:38 PM(UTC)
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My SteppIR SDA100 controller and the IC7700 work great by themselves in Autotrack mode and Logic works fine in when I hit select rig but then the 7700 no longer communicates with the controller. I've tried changing com port settings for the rig and the rotator controller but the SteppIR controller still will not follow the rig. I'm using the SteppIR supplied cable between the rig and the controller and the computer is running Windows 8.1/64.

Any ideas?

Thanks - Pete - K7WTG
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WN4AZY
#2 Posted : Monday, October 20, 2014 9:15:11 AM(UTC)
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Hi Pete:

I need more info. What is AutoTrack exactly? A feature of SteppIR I gather. How is everything connected together? Via the CI/V bus -- everything paralleled together? Is CI/V Transceive supposed to be turned on in the rig?

Tnx/73,

Dennis
K7WTG
#3 Posted : Tuesday, October 21, 2014 8:54:28 PM(UTC)
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Hello Dennis,

AutoTrack on the SteppIR SDA100 controller follows the radio frequency so whenever I move more than 50KHc or move to another band it adjusts the antenna to that frequency. It obtains its information from the remote CI/V bus port on the Icom. It's the same port I've attached the LCU3-I-U interface for the computer to. Its paralleled through a 1/8" Y adapter. The SteppIR controller has 9 pin connectors. Everything else the software is running for me works correctly.

73 - Pete


WN4AZY
#4 Posted : Wednesday, October 22, 2014 3:12:02 PM(UTC)
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Ok, sorry, I'm not following a lot of that. I see in the manual that the controller has a 9-pin connector (as you say), so how does the 1/8" jack connect to that?

http://www.steppir.com/w...DA-100-rev-2-dec-12.pdf

I gather that everything works fine until you start LOGic. With LOGic running, does the SteppIR respond when you set the rig with LOGic?

Does it start working again when you exit LOGic? Is there any SteppIR software on the computer that is trying to use the same port that LOGic uses? I am not seeing a computer port on the SteppIR.

I would think that all you would to do is hook LOGic up to your rig as normal, and SteppIR would just watch the CI/V bus and respond accordingly. It shouldn't matter if LOGic is on or not. Is CI/V Transceive turned on in the radio? It would have to be on for this to happen.

Sorry that I am not more familiar with their setup. Have you contacted SteppIR?

Tnx & 73,

DH
K7WTG
#5 Posted : Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:35:02 PM(UTC)
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I've added a comment at the end of each of your questions.

I see in the manual that the controller has a 9-pin connector (as you say), so how does the 1/8" jack connect to that? - Through a "Y" connector to the remote jack on the back of the 7700 with a SteppIR supplied cable.

I gather that everything works fine until you start LOGic. - Correct.

With LOGic running, does the SteppIR respond when you set the rig with LOGic? - No.

Does it start working again when you exit LOGic? - Not until I reboot.

Is there any SteppIR software on the computer that is trying to use the same port that LOGic uses? - No and I've changed ports several times just to be sure.

I am not seeing a computer port on the SteppIR. - It gets it commands from the remote jack on the 7700 to the "Data In/Radio" port on the controller. The remote jack is the same jack goes that is used to communicate with the computer.

I would think that all you would to do is hook LOGic up to your rig as normal, and SteppIR would just watch the CI/V bus and respond accordingly. - It dose until I bring up LOGic.

It shouldn't matter if LOGic is on or not. Is CI/V Transceive turned on in the radio? - Yes

I talked to SteppIR and ICOM before asking the LOGic forum.

Pete
WN4AZY
#6 Posted : Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:56:04 PM(UTC)
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Quote:
Is there any SteppIR software on the computer that is trying to use the same port that LOGic uses? - No and I've changed ports several times just to be sure.

Is there any SteppIR software at all on the computer? I assume so, because if not, rebooting the computer should have no effect. With just a 1/8" phone cable between the computer and the SteppIR box, the SteppIR box would have no way of knowing of the computer was on or off or rebooted or not. So LOGic is interfering with the SteppIR software, correct? What does this software do exactly? What happens if you just don't run the SteppIR software?



What did SteppIR say when you talked to them?

73,

WN4AZY
K7WTG
#7 Posted : Thursday, October 23, 2014 6:44:18 PM(UTC)
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There is not any SteppIR software on the computer. They don't offer any software. There's no need to. Their firmware delivers the correct information for antenna length. One can manually select the frequency they want from controls on the front of the controller box or it pulls that information from the rigs frequency. It works as it is supposed to before I open LOGic. After opening LOGic I can set the rig frequency and turn the antenna from LOGic. The antenna just won't follow the rig frequency after I open LOGic. Both SteppIR and Icom told me that if it worked before I opened LOGic is should work after unless there's something wrong with the software I'm using. I have friends using LOGic on Kenwood radio's and AutoTrack works fine.

Pete
K7WTG
#8 Posted : Friday, October 24, 2014 2:06:58 PM(UTC)
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Problem solved thanks to my German friend who communicated with me off forum. I separated the computer and the SteppIR controller. The computer is now connected to the RS232 port on the 7700 and the controller is all that is connected the remote CI/V port on the 7700. I should have thought of that a couple of days ago but I guess I got the dear in the headlights focus and couldn't see the obvious.

73 - Pete - K7WTG
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