YAESU GS-232A (01) PDF MANUAL

The GS-232A provides digital control of most models of Yaesu antenna rotators from the serial port of an external personal computer. It contains its own microprocessor with ROM and RAM, and a 10-bit analog-to-digital (A-D) converter. The firmware supports direct keyboard control or commands from programs written specifically to support it. It can read and set antenna angle and rotation speed, and includes clocked positioning routines to automatically step the antenna through up to 3800 angles at programmable intervals, suitable for tracking band openings or satellites (with an elevation rotator).

The GS-232A has a DB-9 “male” connector for connection to the (RS-232C) COM port of your computer. You need to purchase or construct a “straight” type serial cable, ensuring it has the correct gender and number of pins for connection to your system. The 3-wire async serial line can be configured for serial data rates from 150 to 9600 baud.

The GS-232A is compatible with the following Yaesu antenna rotators:

G-800DXA/G-1000DXA/G-2800DXA Azimuth Rotator,

G-800DXC/G-1000DXC/G-2800DXC Azimuth Rotator,

G-400 Azimuth Rotator,

G-500A/G-550 Elevation Rotator,

G-5400B/G-5600B/G-5500 Az-El Rotator, and

above Azimuth and Elevation rotator combination.

Note: G-400 Azimuth Rotator and G-500A/G-550 Elevation Rotator requires one GX-500 Automatic Control Adapter each.

Power Requirements: DC 12 V, 110 mA

Case Size: 110 (W) x 21 (H) x 138 (D) mm

Weight (approx.): 380 g

Microprocessor: HD6303XP

ROM: 27C64

RAM: 6264

A/D Converter: HD46508PA (10 bits)

Serial Comms: 3-wire Async. DCE, RS-232C voltage levels, 150 to 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, no handshake

9-pin DB-9 connector (RS-232C connector)

Pin 2 – Tx Data

Pin 3 – Rx Data

Pin 5 – Signal Ground

5-pin connector (EL connector)

Pin 1 – UP switch (open collector)

Pin 2 – DOWN switch (open collector)

Pin 3 – analog output (0.5 – 4.5 V, four steps)

Pin 4 – analog input (0-5V elevation)

Pin 5 – analog ground

5-pin connector (AZ connector)

Pin 1 – RIGHT switch (open collector)

Pin 2 – LEFT switch (open collector)

Pin 3 – analog output (0.5 – 4.5 V, four steps)

Pin 4 – analog input (0-5V azimuth)

Pin 5 – analog ground

Control cable for the Azimuth Rotator*1 (“5-pin” -> “Mini-DIN” cable) – 1 pc

Control cable for the Az/EL Rotator*2 (“Dual 5-pin” <-> “DIN” cable) – 1 pc

DC cable w/coaxial plug – 1 pc

Hook & loop fasteners (for mounting) – 1 pc

*1: G-5400B-G-5600B/G-5500

*2: G-800DXA/G-1000DXA/G-2800DXA & G-800DXC/G-1000DXC/G-2800DXC

GX-500 (GS-232A version): Control Adapter (Check with your dealer)

C-1000: Connection Cable (for SDX series Azimuth Rotator)

NC-72B/C/F/U*3: AC Adapter

*3: “B” suffix is for use with 117 VAC,

“C” suffix is for use with 220-240 VAC,

“F” suffix is for use with 220 VAC, or

“U” suffix is for use with 230 VAC

1. Connect the supplied DC cable to a source of 12 VDC. The red lead connects to the Positive (+) DC terminal, and the black lead connects to the Negative (-) DC terminal. The GS-232A requires 110 mA. The supplied cable has a 500-mA fast-blow fuse. Use only the same type fuse for replacement.

2. Plug the coaxial power connector into the DC 12V jack on the GS-232A rear panel.

3. Connect the supplied Control cable (“5-pin” <-> “Mini-DIN”) between the EXT CONTROL connector on the rotator’s controller and AZ connector on the rear panel of the GS-232A.

1. Connect the supplied DC cable to a source of 12 VDC. The red lead connects to the Positive (+) DC terminal, and the black lead connects to the Negative (-) DC terminal. The GS-232A requires 110 mA. The supplied cable has a 500-mA fast-blow fuse. Use only the same type fuse for replacement.

2. Plug the coaxial power connector into the DC 12V jack on the GS-232A rear panel.

3. Connect the supplied Control cable (“Dual 5-pin” <-> “DIN”) between the rotator’s controller and GS-232A. Be careful to match the “AZ” and “EL” labels on the cable with the same labels on the rear panel of the GS-232A.

1. Connect the supplied DC cable to a source of 12 VDC. The red lead connects to the Positive (+) DC terminal, and the black lead connects to the Negative (-) DC terminal. The GS-232A requires 110 mA. The supplied cable has a 500-mA fast-blow fuse. Use only the same type fuse for replacement.

2. Plug the coaxial power connector into the DC 12V jack on the GS-232A rear panel.

3. Connect the 5-pin to 5-pin cable (supplied with the GX-500; requires two sets) between the GX-500(s) and GS-232A.

1. Prepare the optional C-1000 Connection Cable.

2. Remove the Top cover from the controller.

3. Connect the 8-pin connector of the C-1000 Connection cable to the exposed 8-pin connector located at the rear left corner in the controller.

4. Route the 5-pin connector of the C-1000 Connection cable through out the rubber grommet on the rear panel of the controller, and connect it to the AZ connector on the rear panel of the GS-232A.

5. Replace the Top Cover.

6. Connect the supplied DC cable to a source of 12 VDC. The red lead connects to the Positive (+) DC terminal, and the black lead connects to the Negative (-) DC terminal. The GS-232A requires 110 mA. The supplied cable has a 500-mA fast-blow fuse. Use only the same type fuse for replacement.

7. Plug the coaxial power connector into the DC 12V jack on the GS-232A rear panel.

1. With the computer switched off, connect the RS-232C cable to the serial port of the computer, then connect the other end of your serial cable to the RS-232C connector on the rear panel of the GS-232A. Only three wires are used for serial control, so there is no hardware handshaking.

2. If you are using a G-400 Azimuth Rotator, or G-5400B/G-5600B Az-EL Rotator, set the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) to “OFF” position, to disable the 450° rotate operation. If you are using other rotators (except the G-400/G-5400B and G-5600B), the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) is still “ON.”

3. Select the desired data baud rate with the DIP switch bank on the GS-232A’s bottom case. (Refer to the Baud Setting DIP Switches table for settings).

4. The Control Interface serial data format uses 8 data bits, no parity, and one stop bit, with no handshaking. Turn on the computer, controller, and GS-232A, and set up your terminal program for this format and your selected data rate on the serial port to be used for rotator control.

Select the desired data baud rate using the DIP switch bank on the GS-232A’s bottom case. The settings are as follows:

1. Before calibrating the Rotator, check to see that the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) must be “ON” position.

2. From the Controller panel, set the Rotator fully counter-clockwise (set to 0°).

3. Press [O] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh”, and “Enter”) on the computer keyboard to activate the azimuth calibration routine. The computer display should show AZaaaa = bbbb returned from the Interface Board, where aaaa and bbbb are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

4. Adjust the AZ trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A) while watching the computer display, until the four-digit numbers aaaa and bbbb are the same (the precise values are not important).

5. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

Important Note: If your controller’s indicator needle starts from the point except 0° (North) (such as the default setting of the USA version), align the starting point of the controller’s indicator needle to 0° (North) before calibration. When finished with calibration, set the controller’s indicator needle to the desired point. Refer to the rotator’s user manual for details regarding the indicator needle alignment.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Rotator fully clockwise (to the right).

2. Press [F] -> [Enter] (“F” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s azimuth A-D converter calibration routine. The computer’s display should show +aaaa, where aaaa is a four-digit number which indicates the azimuth heading in degrees.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on Controller rear panel so as to get a reading of “0450” on the computer’s display. This reading (“450 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the azimuth rotator to the East.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. Before calibrating the Rotator, check to see that the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) is set to the “OFF” position.

2. From the Controller panel, set the Rotator fully counter-clockwise (set to 180°).

3. Press [O] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh”, and “Enter”) on the computer keyboard to activate the azimuth calibration routine. The computer display should show AZaaaa = bbbb returned from the Interface Board, where aaaa and bbbb are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

4. Adjust the AZ trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A) while watching the computer display, until the four-digit numbers aaaa and bbbb are the same (the precise values are not important).

5. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Rotator fully clockwise (to the right).

2. Press [F] -> [Enter] (“F” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s azimuth A-D converter calibration routine. The computer’s display should show +aaaa, where aaaa is a four-digit number which indicates the azimuth heading in degrees.

3. Adjust the FULL SCALE ADJ on the GX-500 so as to get a reading of “0180” on the computer’s display. This reading (“180 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the azimuth rotator to the South (the fully clockwise setting).

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. Before calibrating the Rotator, check to see that the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) is set to the “OFF” position.

2. From the Controller panel, set the Azimuth Rotator fully counter-clockwise (set to 180°).

3. Press [O] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh”, and “Enter”) on the computer keyboard to activate the azimuth calibration routine. The computer display should show AZaaaa = bbbb returned from the Interface Board, where aaaa and bbbb are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

4. Adjust the AZ trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A) while watching the computer display, until the four-digit numbers aaaa and bbbb are the same (the precise values are not important).

5. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Azimuth Rotator fully clockwise (to the right).

2. Press [F] -> [Enter] (“F” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s azimuth A-D converter calibration routine. The computer’s display should show +aaaa, where aaaa is a four-digit number which indicates the azimuth heading in degrees.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on the “AZIMUTH” (left) side of the Controller rear panel so as to get a reading of “0180” on the computer’s display. This reading (“180 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the azimuth rotator to the South.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to the “left” horizon (down, set to 0°).

2. Press [O2] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh,” “2,” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the elevation calibration routine. The computer will return AZaaaa= bbbb, as in the previous procedure, plus ELcccc = dddd to the right, where cccc and dddd are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

3. Adjust the EL trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A), so as to make the numbers cccc and dddd are the same (again, the actual values are unimportant).

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to full scale (180°: “right” horizon).

2. Press [F2] -> [Enter] (F, 2, and ENTER) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s elevation A-D converter calibration routine. The computer will display +aaaa+eeee, where eeee is a four-digit number which indicates the elevation heading in degrees. For the purposes of this alignment, you may ignore the (azimuth) aaaa numbers.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on the “ELEVATION” (right) side of the Controller rear panel so as to get a reading of “0180” on the computer’s display. This reading (“180 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the elevation rotator to the 180° position.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. Before calibrating the Rotator, check to see that the GS-232A’s DIP switch (switch 5) is set to the “ON” position.

2. From the Controller panel, set the Rotator fully counter-clockwise (set to 0°).

3. Press [O] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh”, and “Enter”) on the computer keyboard to activate the azimuth calibration routine. The computer display should show AZaaaa = bbbb returned from the Interface Board, where aaaa and bbbb are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

4. Adjust the AZ trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A) while watching the computer display, until the four-digit numbers aaaa and bbbb are the same (the precise values are not important).

5. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Azimuth Rotator fully clockwise (to the right).

2. Press [F] -> [Enter] (F and ENTER) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s azimuth A-D converter calibration routine. The computer’s display should show +aaaa, where aaaa is a four-digit number which indicates the azimuth heading in degrees.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on the “AZIMUTH” (left) side of the Controller rear panel so as to get a reading of “0450” on the computer’s display. This reading (“0450: 360 degrees + 90 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the azimuth rotator fully clockwise.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the azimuth A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to the “left” horizon (down, set to 0°).

2. Press [O2] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh,” “2,” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the elevation calibration routine. The computer will return AZaaaa= bbbb, as in the previous procedure, plus ELcccc = dddd to the right, where cccc and dddd are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

3. Adjust the EL trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A), so as to make the numbers cccc and dddd are the same (again, the actual values are unimportant).

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to full scale (180°: “right” horizon).

2. Press [F2] -> [Enter] (F, 2, and ENTER) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s elevation A-D converter calibration routine. The computer will display +aaaa+eeee, where eeee is a four-digit number which indicates the elevation heading in degrees. For the purposes of this alignment, you may ignore the (azimuth) aaaa numbers.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on the “ELEVATION” (right) side of the Controller rear panel so as to get a reading of “0180” on the computer’s display. This reading (“180 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the elevation rotator to the 180° position.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to the “left” horizon (down, set to 0°).

2. Press [O2] -> [Enter] (the letter “oh,” “2,” and “ENTER”) on the computer keyboard to activate the elevation calibration routine. The computer will return AZaaaa= bbbb, as in the previous procedure, plus ELcccc = dddd to the right, where cccc and dddd are four-digit numbers padded at the left with zeroes.

3. Adjust the EL trimmer (located on the bottom case of the GS-232A), so as to make the numbers cccc and dddd are the same (again, the actual values are unimportant).

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

1. From the Controller panel, set the Elevation Rotator to full scale (180°: “right” horizon).

2. Press [F2] -> [Enter] (F, 2, and ENTER) on the computer keyboard to activate the Control Interface’s elevation A-D converter calibration routine. The computer will display +aaaa+eeee, where eeee is a four-digit number which indicates the elevation heading in degrees. For the purposes of this alignment, you may ignore the (azimuth) aaaa numbers.

3. Adjust the OUT VOL ADJ potentiometer on the GX-500 so as to get a reading of “0180” on the computer’s display. This reading (“180 degrees”) corresponds to the actual beam heading you established when you pointed the elevation rotator to the 180° position.

4. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to exit the elevation A-D converter calibration routine, then turn on the GS-232A’s POWER switch again to turn it back on.

If you wish, you can mount the GS-232A on top of your Rotator Controller using the two supplied hook-and-loop fastener strips. Just remove the backing from one side of each strip, and press into place on the bottom of the GS-232A. Then remove the backing from the other side, and press the GS-232A into place on the Controller.

For brief summaries of the commands recognized by the Control Interface, press [H] -> [Enter] for a list of azimuth commands, or [H2] -> [Enter] for elevation commands. Keep in mind that all commands require that the ENTER key be pressed after the command letter (or “0Dh” be sent by a control program). Any command letter may be sent in either upper or lower case.

Commands are not echoed by the Control Interface, but a carriage return character (“0Dh”) is returned after every command, and also a line feed character (“0Ah”) if the command invoked returned data. Invalid commands cause “? >” to be returned and the input buffer cleared. Note that all angles are in degrees, beginning with zero at the most counterclockwise azimuth (or horizontal elevation). Angles sent to the Control Interface must be 3 digits long (left-zero-padded), and angles returned will, in some cases, be 4 digits long with a leading “+0.”

R: Start turning the rotator to the right.

L: Start turning the rotator to the left.

A: Stop azimuth rotation.

S: Stop: cancel current command before completion.

C: Return current azimuth angle in the form “+0nnn” degrees.

C2: Return azimuth and elevation (“+0aaa+0eee”, where aaa = azimuth, eee = elevation). Note: Elevation commands require the G-5400B, G-5600B or G-5500 Az/EL Rotators, or the GX-500 adapter and the G-500 or G-550 Elevation Rotator.

Xn: Select azimuth rotator turning speed, where n = 1 (slowest) to 4 (fastest). This command can be issued during rotation, and takes effect immediately. There is no equivalent for elevation.

Maaa: Turn to aaa degrees azimuth, where aaa is three digits between “000” and “360 or 450: vary according to controller type.” Rotation starts.

U: Start turning the rotator up.

D: Start turning the rotator down.

E: Stop elevation rotation.

B: Return current elevation angle in the form “+0nnn” degrees.

Waaa eee: Turn to aaa degrees azimuth and eee degrees elevation, where aaa is three digits between “000” and “360 or 450: vary according to controller type,” and eee is three digits between “000” and “180.” Rotators respond immediately.

O (Azimuth) or O2 (Elevation): Offset calibration for internal AZ (EL) trimmer potentiometer: preset rotator manually fully counter-clockwise, send command, and adjust trimmer on Control Interface until returned values are equal. Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to store settings.

F (Azimuth) or F2 (Elevation): Full Scale Calibration: preset rotator manually to full scale, send command, adjust OUT VOL ADJ trimmer on rear of controller (or GX-500 elevation adapter) until the returned data is “+0180 or +0450” (“+0nnn+0180” for elevation). Turn off the GS-232A’s POWER switch to save new settings.

This command, together with the [T] command, provides automatic, timed tracking of moving objects or propagation by the Control Interface itself. This command stores the time value sss seconds to wait between stepping from azimuth aaa to bbb, and then to ccc, etc. (from “2” to as many as “3800” angles may be stored with one command).

Valid ranges are “001” to “999” for sss, and “000” to “360 or 450: vary according to controller type” for the angles. When this command is sent, the parameters are stored in the Control Interface’s RAM, and the rotator turns to angle aaa and waits for a subsequent [T] command to begin the actual stepping. All numbers must be 3 digits, space-separated. Stored values remain in effect until another [M] command is issued (this may have no parameters, in which case the “? >” error prompt is returned, but memories are still cleared), or until the controller is turned off or by toggling the GS-232A off and on.

This command is similar to the [M] command for azimuth but for Az-El operation: the first parameter is a time interval (sss), and succeeding parameters are angle pairs (azimuth aaa, elevation eee). Each pair represents one antenna location. At most “1900” pairs can be sent and stored in the Control Interface. As with the other commands, the time interval range sss is limited to “001” to “999” (seconds), azimuth aaa to “000” to “360 or 450: vary according to controller type,” and elevation eee to “000” to “180.”

When this command is sent, the rotators turn to the first aaa azimuth parameter and the first eee elevation parameter, and wait for a subsequent [T] command to begin the actual stepping (to the next azimuth-elevation pair). Stored values remain in effect until another [W] command is issued (this may have no parameters, in which case the “? >” error prompt is returned, but memories are still cleared), or until the controller is turned off or by toggling the GS-232A off and on.

The [T] command starts an automatic stepping routine (both azimuth and elevation, if applicable). It turns the rotator to the next sequentially memorized azimuth (or az-el pair, for the [W] command), waits sss seconds (as defined by a previous Msss… or Wsss… command), and turns to the next angle (or pair), etc. This command works only if a long-form [M] or [W] command has been issued since power-up or the last reset.

The [N] command returns the serial number of the currently selected memorized point [nnnn], and the total number of memorized points [mmmm], in the form +nnnn+mmmm. This command must be preceded by either a long-form [M] or [W] command, and a [T] command. It is used only during stepping (see [T] command).

The meaning of a “point” in this command following an [M] command is only an azimuth angle, so in this case nnnn and mmmm can range up to “3800”. However, when elevation is involved, a “point” following a [W] command is represented by both an azimuth and an elevation angle, in which case nnnn and mmmm can range up to only “1900,” since each “point” is a pair of angles.

COMMAND LIST 1

R Clockwise Rotation

L Counter Clockwise Rotation

A CW/CCW Rotation Stop

C Antenna Direction Value

M Antenna Direction Setting. MXXX

M Time Interval Direction Setting. MTTT XXX XXX XXX — (TTT = Step value) (XXX = Horizontal Angle)

T Start Command in the time interval direction setting mode.

N Total number of setting angles in “M” mode and traced number of all datas (setting angles)

X1 Rotation Speed 1 (Horizontal) Low

X2 Rotation Speed 2 (Horizontal) Middle 1

X3 Rotation Speed 3 (Horizontal) Middle 2

X4 Rotation Speed 4 (Horizontal) High

S All Stop

O Offset Calibration

F Full Scale Calibration

HELP COMMAND 2

U UP Direction Rotation

D DOWN Direction Rotation

E UP/DOWN Direction Rotation Stop

C2 Antenna Direction Value

W Antenna Direction Setting. WXXX YYY

W Time Interval Direction Setting. WTTT XXX YYY XXX YYY — (TTT = Step value) (XXX = Horizontal Angle) (YYY = Elevation Angle)

T Start Command in the time interval direction setting mode.

N Total number of setting angle in “W” mode and traced number of all datas (setting angles)

S All Stop

O2 Offset Calibration

F2 Full Scale Calibration

B Elevation Antenna Direction Value