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Reviews For: Idiom Press/Ham Supply RotorCard - Yaesu SDX Rotator Controllers

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Idiom Press/Ham Supply RotorCard - Yaesu SDX Rotator Controllers
Reviews: 20MSRP: 129.95
Description:
"Point and Shoot” RotorCard computer control RS-232 interface for ALL Yaesu SDX model rotator controllers mounts inside your Yaesu SDX box. No external box required
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hamsupply.com/rotorcard-yaesu-sdx-rotors/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00204.8
K6HR Rating: 2012-03-25
Works Great! EZ Setup! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I already own a RotorCard DXA that has been working flawlessly for years. I just received the RotorCard SDX and it was installed and running in minutes. No driver issues whatsoever in Windows 7 64 bit. As an added bonus Idiom Press set me the new USB version at no extra cost! Highly recommended!
N2SO Rating: 2011-08-08
Simple installation - Works Fine Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The instructions that came with the card are clear and easy to follow. Installation and calibration was simple and straight forward. I also installed an additional serial port on my computer ($15.00 @ US Converters) which is needed to connect the card as the other ports were already in use. I downloaded the Termite 2.6 Simple Terminal Program which is freely available on the internet as Windows 7 no longer has the Hyper Terminal. As suggested, I soldered the test clip to the transistor terminal but I guess you could just leave it clipped on. It just seemed a neater installation. I then configured the Rotor Controller to work with both my main logging program (DX Labs) and with my contest program (N1MM) without difficulty. A fine product and very reasonably priced in comparison to other Rotor controllers that do the same thing. Now I click on a heading in my software and the rotor goes there. What could be easier?
N2CSA Rating: 2010-07-02
Add my 5 to all the rest Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought this accessory for my G-800SDX. It is everything described in all the other reviews. A great addition especially when used with the HRD Rotator software.
K3ROJ Rating: 2010-05-25
Perfect Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have no idea why but in the last several months I have acquired 3 of the G-800SDX rotors, all at local hamfests. One had no u-bolts, another had a faulty push botton and the other a bad connection from it's internal power transfomer. They are great rotators and ordered the card from Idiom press. The rotor is like a robot and reads the software and turns to the dx spot. I just wish they would come out with one for my Yaesu G-5500 AZ/EL satellite rotor soon. Anyway, we have enough spare parts to keep my my main rotor going forever.
N2EIK Rating: 2010-04-27
Poor Service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.


Since the beginning of my planing the TH11DX installation I wanted to
make sure I had (at least) a rotor control that would be interface-able
with Ham Radio Deluxe.
I got a good deal on a Yaesu G-1000SDX and I knew that would work. I
planned to use the Idiom Press rotor control interface as it got good
reviews on both eham and was supported HRD forums. I ordered the
interface via Idiom's online web portal and promptly got a confirmation
email stating it would be shipped via priority three day mail. A week
went past and I didnt see it so I called and was told they are back
ordered but due in at the end of that week. Another week went by and I
called again and was told they are in and will ship in a couple days.
two weeks went by and no one at Idiom answers the phone or returns
email. Another week went by and got a message stating that they were at
a hamfest untill "Tuesday". That Thursday I was able to leave a message
and send a fax...both went unanswered. WTF??!!?!?!?!??
In light of the events, even if they were to deliver I would have to refuse as there is the issue of support. If they are they cant return a phone call on a pending order I am sure they wont return a call with a support issue. No confidence here!

John N2EIK
N3XRU Rating: 2009-09-15
A perfect product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm not sure what could be improved on this product. It came in the mail, I installed it in 5 minutes, aligned it in less than 5 minutes, told my rotor program about it and was on the air. Total elepsed time 15 minutes including unpacking.

The RotorCard works perfectly with my G-1000SDX. I previously had a SarTek 1B interface but it didn't know about the Yaesu overlap capability. RotorCard does and uses it. It's weird after watching the rotor take the long way around with the SarTek, to see it take the short path using the overlap with the RotorCard.

Thank you to Idiom Press for an excellent product.
W5NNH Rating: 2009-06-08
Don't tell Yaesu! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Okay, so my fault for ordering multiple items the week before or the Monday after Dayton. LOL! Things didn't arrive real quick. Oops!

When I received it, which was just two business days after it was supposed to be shipped, I just had to install it right away.

I was not disappointed one bit!

It is so EASY to install! Just follow the directions and calibrate your rotor *before* you install the card, then follow the instructions to install and calibrate the card. It's so simple, an Extra Class can do it! [grin]

Just nobody tell Yaesu about this little beauty. 'Cause if they find out, they'll probably drop the price on theirs and that would hurt the folks at Idiom Press, which I *don't* want to happen.

I put it online with Ham Radio Deluxe and it's working like a champ. Thanks, Idiom, for a great accessory!
M0MGF Rating: 2009-05-24
Wonderful Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can be lazy. Even the simple task of pressing CCW or CW was too much :P
I was not willing to pay the extortionate price of the Yaesu rotator interface, so after a having this unit recommended to me, I ordered one, and waited the 2 weeks for the delivery from the USA.
What arrived was a small PEC with a RS232C lead coming from it.
Installation was a breeze, except for the fact that ive blown the light on the controller again :(
I did have some head scratching though when I was unable to telnet into the unit. What the manual (2 sheets of A4) doesnt tell you, is that you need to disable any flow control in the port settings. There was also the slight problem of my rotator and the antenna not been aligned. but once all this was rectified, I was cooking on gas.
I am using Ham Radio Deluxe for my computer application. Once I had told the application what interface was connected, and my locator square, I am now spinning the beam around as if it was on a dance floor.
Many thanks for such a wonderful addition to my shack.
VK2SID Rating: 2007-03-16
Outstanding piece of accessory. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I should have written this review a year ago. I had ordered the SDX card because I just do not like to keep pressing the CW/CCW buttons of the rotator to turn the beam and I wanted my computer to do that for me. The installation was breeze, the calibration took little more time than I expected because of the calibration error of my rotator. It quickly integrated with my HRD software to fully automate the job. I simply liked the idea and it works very well.

Well done Idiompress!
W9DEW Rating: 2006-01-27
Great Value! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After reading previous great reviews of this product, I decided to get one. What a great product. It works with most rotor control software and does an outstanding job with my Yaesu G-800SDX. If you have a G-800SDX, you gotta get one of these.