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Reviews For: EA4TX Antenna Rotator System

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : EA4TX Antenna Rotator System
Reviews: 76MSRP:
Description:
The ARS-USB is the easiest and highest performance Universal Rotor Interface for handling any Antenna Rotor (Azimuth & Elevation). You'll be able to control your Antenna Rotor from your computer (local or remotely). Also you can use it as a replacement of the original rotor controller.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ea4tx.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25764.9
AD5JN Rating: 2007-01-26
Simple and Clean Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The RCI-SE 10 bit board has replaced my homebrew AZ/EL rotor controller for the Yeasu 5500 rotor. The interface is well documented for many rotors including the 5500. Simple and clean. The ARSWIN software works great with PCSAT32. I have not had any problems. I am very please with this board.
Great Job Pablo!
Ronn Folk
AD5JN
WA7SCH Rating: 2006-12-31
Awesome setup Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have found this board and setup to be a great addition to my station.
Pablo was always very helpful when I had a question about configuration and usually responded to e-mails in a day.

Be careful though about what computer you hook it up to and verify that the computer parallel port supports EPP mode. This can be determined by looking at the BIOS settings. A lot of the new computers, including my very expensive Dell did not support port configuration outside of the ECP mode. This is not a parallel port issue as much as a BIOS issue.
I ended up hooking this up to a computer that I bought for the purposes of rig control and rotor control. That wasn't my intention but I'm happy with it now.

The connections are pretty straight forward as long as you follow the directions and make sure you understand that the DIN-8 connector wiring is done by looking at the pin layouts from the back of the connector.

The bottom line is that this is a great addition and it seems to work with SATPC32, Satscape, Ham Radio Deluxe. It's worth the effort.
G8DQZ Rating: 2006-05-23
GREAT SUPPORT Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After my earlier review I would like to make this addition.

Within the software there are a number of pre-sets for parking the antennas. I like to park mine at 195 degrees for various reasons. Last Friday I e-mailed to Pablo to see if this could be done. Further I asked him if I could have a button on my desk top, which I hit at station closedown, and that would park the antenna to where ever I wanted.

Pablo said leave it to him over the weekend and he would see what he could do. On Monday I received an E-Mail with a programme called ARSTURN. After installing that (with a few hic cups, my fault not Pablo's) I now have what I want. At station closedown I hit this new button, my antenna moves to the parking position (which the user can select) and the software switches off.

NOW IS THAT SERVICE OR IS THAT SERVICE??

I absoutly 110% reccommend this programme!

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by G8DQZ on 2006-04-21

I have the original model with just azimuth control, this is operated directly from my logging software DX4WIN. It has worked very well and been everything that I had hoped for. Pablo has replied to my questions within minutes sometimes but never with anyform of delay.

I have had this unit up and running for many years now, I housed it in a small alumninium box hard wired it to my Yaseau DXC1000 and forgot about it! Last saturday my computer crashed, I lost all my loaded programmes and it took me and PC World 2 days to get it running again.

So I spent time reloading all the software, including ARSWIN, this time I loaded the latest vesrion 2.2a, having checked with Pablo first that it would work. So I am an old customer only made this one purchase from Pablo and years later he replies within hours! This new software works perfectly with the older board, just a few words of advice from Pablo was necessary.

One other issue is that I needed 2 LPT ports, using an XP computer the software does funny things to the address for any add on PCI LPT cards, Pablo's new software now allows for this and makes communication easy using a custom LPT port!

The software also now alows the 90 degree overlap to be used.

This product just gets better! Well done Pablo, I 100% recommend this product, go for it !

Tony G8DQZ/M0DQZ
M5BXB Rating: 2005-12-07
Simply superb! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently I decided that an excursion to the satellites were in order as a way of trying something new. Working the sats is great fun, but hard work if you don't automate your station.

After finding a suitable satellite tracking program called SatPC32, I set about the task of finding a rotator interface. My rotator is a Yaesu G-1000DXC. Yaesu manufacture a unit called the GS-232A which in the UK is priced at £449 which is the same as buying the rotator! Not prepared to spend this much money, I came accross the RCI-SE and ARSWIN by Pablo, EA4TX.

I had questions so I emailed Pablo a few times before buying the board. Pablo has always been very responsive and informative in his replies. I purchased the RCI-SE AZ 8 bits unit. It arrived within one week of ordering online in a very tidy, but strong box with foam padding to protect the board. Also the board was enclosed in a special anti-static bag. Enclosed with the board was a CD containing the ARSWIN software, instructions in PDF format, details of other compatible programs, and a good quality lead(DB25 to DB25)to connect the board to the PC's parrallel port.

So far so good. I wired the board to my controller, and installed the software. I found the unit would not function correctly. After corresponding with Pablo, we realised the pin-out meanings for the controller were back to front, so after re-wiring, the unit worked. There was still one problem. The speed control was stuck in slow. Again Pablo came up with the answer that the AUX relay needed +V instead of being grounded. So now I have the unit fully working and is intergrated with SatPC32. The RCI-SE needs to be calibrared when you first use it so that ARSWIN and the controller show the same beam heading. This proceedure has been made very simple and takes just a couple of minutes.

ARSWIN has 10 memories which can be easily edited so you can select directions preset by the user by pressing one of the funtion keys with the shift key. You can also get the direction by selecting a country name, prefix, or locator.

This integrates great with SatPC32. Working together, tracking the satellites is very easy and very accurate. My controller has a 90 degree overlap facility which ARSWIN cators for. I know of another interface from Germany (Winroter) which will not allow for overlap. Not good if a satellite travels from NW to NE through north.

Using the interface via the ARSWIN control program has made a world of difference to myself. I suffer from arthritis and holding the left or right buttons on the controller is a thing of the past and means less pain!

Thanks to Pablo for a truly great product and for his helpful assistance both before and after the purchase. Great price too!

Steve M5BXB





VK4ZV Rating: 2005-08-15
My experience with Ars az unit Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have the Az unit only.
My dealings with Pablo have been by e-mail. Any e-mail I have sent has been answered expeditiously and pleasantly. The same applies to the unit I ordered. It took just ONE week to arrive at my QTH in Australia and I do not live in a city. On opening the package I was struck by the neatness of the RCI-SE. It didn't take long to work out the method of interfacing to my rotator a KR400 (probably 30 years old) and my computer. Horror of horrors, the unit would not move the rotator! A bit of fishing led me to the conclusion that I needed to have the AC motor start capacitor across the motor. This wasn't shown in the documentation, but once I moved it from the rotator control box to the output of the RCI-SE everything ran smoothly. I decided that because the RCI-SE connected via a parallel port I would install an add-on PCI card to use with it and my AEA ST-1 unit. I made the mistake of trying to give LPT2 and LPT3 parallel port addresses when they should have been given an address from the PCI card Resources list. My next error was not to contact Pablo when I was unable to change the address in the Custom address field in the ARS software. When I finally did I was sent (post haste I might add) updates to the software to allow me to do this. All is now operational with ARS using Parallel port 3, AEA-ST1 Parallel port 2 and the printer Parallel port 1. I am pleased with the product. Any glitches I have had have been of my own making - not reading directions properly or reading what I wanted to read and not what was there in front of my eyes. I would certainly recommend Pablo's product, in fact I am thinking of buying the Az-El unit in case my AEA-ST1 becomes unreliable.
WA3GIN Rating: 2005-04-27
Well Engineered HDWR and SFWR Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using the EA4TX rotor control for over three years. The system is installed in a remote location in my barn in the country. No HVAC. The hardware is exposed to freezing temps in the winter and over 100 degrees and high humidity in the summer. I use it as part of my Internet Remote Amateur Radio (IRAR) station. It has performed flawlessly throughout this period of time. Over the years I have upgraded the software without problems. If I have a question Pablo is quick to answer them.

This unit is operating a Tailtwister rotator.

It doesn't get any better than this! I highly recommend this product to anyone thinking about building a remote station or even for a less challenging installation.
VR2OH Rating: 2005-02-26
right on target ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When you add system simplicity and reliability, top documentation, adaptability of the system and the devotion-like service of EA4TX, you are happy with your reasonable spent for the product. As simple as that
73
Olivier
VR2OH, now 9V1OA
W6WTG Rating: 2004-10-30
Great product for the rotor Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have purchased a 10 bit ARS board for EA4TX to work on the Ham IV Rotor and it has worked 100 percent. I havent had any problems and it makes it a breeze to control the antennas via the ARSWIN program.
I was so happy with the product that I purchased a second ARS board for Yaesu G5500 rotor for the satellite system.
I did have a couple of questions and emailed Pablo and recived advice back the next day. Wished everyone would respond this fast.

I am using these on the internet remote base and they dont miss abeat.
THANKS PABLO for the great product and service/
Terry W6WTG
W4MY Rating: 2004-02-20
Outstanding Product, Outstanding support Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I read all the other reviews, would never have sent my money overseas had it not been for the many good comments here.

My application is simply azimuth to turn my tribander. Great documentation, quality materials, best customer service on the planet. I know Pablo has many customers, but felt as if I were the only one!

Depending on your rotator this is not a "plug and play" device. A soldering iron and Fluke meter is definately needed! I got it calibrated and going in one day, next is getting it packaged for its permanent place.

Buy this product with confidence.

73 Marty W4MY
VA7MM Rating: 2004-02-03
An Easy to Implement Antenna Rotator Interface Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I implemented the EA4TX Rotator Control Interface (10 bit Azimuth/ Elevation version) in a home brew EME dish controller. The controller was easy to interface with these tracking/ control programs: Satscape, EME System by F1EHN, and MoonSked by GM4JJJ. Azimuth and elevation position measurement at the dish is made using three turn precision potentiometers. Interface with the 10 bit ARS rotor control interface provides good accuracy for moon and satellite tracking. Pablo provided excellent prompt support via e-mail.