[SteppIR] RE: [TenTec] SteppIR Ten Tec Orion interface

Sun May 23 23:07:27 EDT 2004

 Thanks for the good info George. I built the cable following your
suggestions and it work's perfectly. In other words, the schematic on page
15 of the SteppIR manual works with the Orion.  I use the N4PY software to
control the Orion and polling is set on. I also use Logic7 for logging and
to QSY the Orion for DX spot's. All is working 100%. It was a good idea to
ask here before bugging the guy's at SteppIR on Monday. I also have the N8LP
tuning relay kit. I plan on building it sometime this week.
  Interesting side note. When using my Pod to tune around the band with the
Orion , the  frequecny on the N4PY software lags behind the Orion's
frequency display. So, when I pass over a SteppIR antenna tuning point say
from 14.200 to 14.250 which would happen at 14.225 the Orion display can
show 14.229 and the N4PY display is still at 14.224 the SteppIR won't
retune. So this frequency information is coming from the N4PY output file.
As this is working slow now, I think I will stick with ver 1.369.....

73 Jeff kb2m

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Skoubis" <george.skoubis at verizon.net>
To: <>; <SteppIR at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 3:38 PM
Subject: [SteppIR] RE: [TenTec] SteppIR Ten Tec Orion interface

> Hi,
>
>   I have my SteppIR following my Orion's frequency while connected to
> N4PY's program and using Logger32.
>
>   I'll use wire colors to describe, this is just for illustrative
> purposes, use any wire color you want!!!
>
>   On the SteppIR end of the DB9 cable connect the green wire to pin 2
> and black wire to pin 5.  Take a 1 inch long wire, strip both ends and
> connect one end to pin 7 and one end to pin 9.  You are now done with
> the SteppIR end of the cable.
>
>   On the computer/Orion end of the cable (follow along in the 9 Pin Y
> cable diagram in the SteppIR manual) the green wire goes to pin 2 and
> the black wire goes to pin 5.  I connect the shield to the DB9 connector
> body at the Orion/Computer end of the cable and I cut and tape it at the
> SteppIR end.
>
>   I'm not sure if you'll get a ground loop with a connection made at
> both ends but it works for me this way and I'll stick with it...
>
>   I was having problems with mine until I noticed the jumper between
> pins 7 and 9... I think the jumper is needed since the SteppIR box has a
> MAX202 that is looking for a TTL signal and the Orion is providing a
> RS232 serial signal so the jumper disables the TTL/RS232 conversion
> (just a guess).
>
>   You also need to go into your setup menu on the SteppIR box, change
> the rig to Orion and the baud speed to 57600.  In your control program
> make sure polling is turned on since the SteppIR controller doesn't poll
> but only listens for the frequency. If you're using the N4PY program
> there is a handy polling button to depress on the main display to the
> left of the frequency readouts.
>
>   Of course I did this the hard way, if you have a cable that worked
> with a TenTec Omni VI it will work FB.  I misread the document on the
> SteppIR site, rewired my cable and after all was said and done
> replicated it (3 days later)...
>
>   Let me know if you have any questions.
>
>   I also built the N8LP tuning relay kit and installed it between the TX
> EN jack on the Orion and the amp and it prevents the rig from
> transmitting while the antenna is tuning.  This works amp on or off if
> you have the keying loop enabled on the Orion and a QSK amp.
>
> 73 de George / KF9YR
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Torrey L. Mitchell
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 12:59 PM
> To: Jeff Griffin; tentec at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] SteppIR Ten Tec Orion interface
>
> Jeff.
>
> My SteppIR control box turned out to be the beta-testing box for this
> interface.  SteppIR had my box (with weekly apologetic messages) for
> about a
> month until they figured out the interface change.  Problem was the 57.5
> kb
> interface speed which they hadn't considered when they designed the
> control
> board.
>
> Anyway it has worked just fine since I got it back using the same cable
> as
> before.  It now works for both my Yaesu MarkV and the Orion.  I did
> order a
> Y-cable from SteppIR so I could use simultaneously my computer and the
> SteppIR control.  So far it hasn't worked for me...maybe I don't
> understand
> something :(
>
> I don't know anything about the ICOM interface.  Have you tried it with
> your
> Orion?
>
> Torrey N9AUJ
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jeff Griffin" <kb2m at comcast.net>
> To: <SteppIR at yahoogroups.com>; <tentec at contesting.com>
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 12:42 PM
> Subject: [TenTec] SteppIR Ten Tec Orion interface
>
>
>
> I just got back from Dayton where I exchanged my Icom interface board
> for a
> Orion to SteppIR interface board, that resides inside the SteppIR
> control
> box. Does anyone have this combination? What I need is the pinout for an
> Orion to SteppIR cable. I have the original SteppIR to Icom cable, so
> all I
> need to do is get the pinout for the Orion end. Also what input on the
> Orion
> to use, I'm assuming the band data on one or two connector?
>
>
>
> 73 Jeff kb2m
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