[TenTec] Orion and SteppIR

[Torrey Mitchell]

Bernard,

My first question is...have you confirmed that your SteppIR box is a newer 
one with the mod for the Orion.  Back in February I was the first person 
apparently to discover that the Orion and the SteppIR box would not 
communicate.  I sent my box back to them for a month while they worked out 
a fix.  The problem was that the SteppIR box was never designed to 
communicate at 57,600 baud...the only comm freq for the Orion.  They came 
up with a new interface chip.

It finally came home to my shack after this email from Jim at Fluidmotion:
>Your controller should be there soon, we included a new cable that has RTS 
>connected which according to one source at TEN-TEC is required. Set the 
>Controller to ORION with the BAUD= 57600. The Steppir controller will 
>Request the frequency from the Orion once every 2 seconds or so. When the 
>Steppir is set to General freq mode the Steppir should follow the Orion 
>frequency.
>
>If the Orion needs to be connected to the Computer you will need a "Y" 
>cable that connects the Computer or Radio's Pin-2 to the Steppir Data IN 
>Pin-2 (RXD) so it can monitor the data for the frequency information. It 
>should also be possible to connect the Steppir Pin-2 to the Computer Pin-3 
>to read the set VFO command going to the Orion, this would be good for 
>trouble shooting.
>
>Hopefully it will just plug and go when you get your Orion back.
>
>Jim

The last hurdle was the requirement for the cable to include an RTS 
connection.  It has worked fine since then.  You have to go through the 
menus on the box and select the Orion option.  If you don't see it, then 
you don't have an updated box.  I hate having to reprogram the box each 
time I switch between my Yaesu Mark V and the Orion, so I just use the "ham 
mode" for one or the other.

73's and hamming,
Torrey
N9PY


At 08:56 AM 7/11/2004, you wrote:
>     After taking "care" of a few pine trees, I finally have my new 3 
> element SteppIR antenna up and operational.  It sure seems to work 
> well.  The antenna patterns seem to be a little sharper than the TH-7 and 
> A3WS that I was using.
>
>     I also bought the Orion to SteppIR interface unit, but can't seem to 
> get the interface to operate properly.  It seems like the two won't 
> communicate frequency information.  I talked to Fluid Motion on Friday 
> and they gave me the pin out information to make sure that the interface 
> cable was the correct one.  It checks out OK.  I've been through the set 
> up procedure about six times, step by step.  So, now, I am wondering if 
> it is operator error (of some type),  a problem with the Orion, or a 
> problem with the SteppIR control box.
>
>     Anyone on the board have an Orion with the SteppIR interface who 
> could shed a little light on the situation.  Is there a setting on the 
> Orion that I must activate?
>
>             73,
>
>
>             Bernard, WA4OEJ
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