Automatic Doppler-correction
FT847-SuperControl� makes it possible to work Satellites with automatic Doppler correction, without tuning and holding the correct frequency by hand. For this automatic calculation, a new interface for DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) communication has been developed. DDE is able to communicate with satellite tracking programs and therefore those programs can be used to poll realtime satellite data from them. This data is needed to calculate the Doppler shift for each satellite. The calculated Doppler shift can be send to the transceiver automatically, so a manual tuning of the transceiver's RX- and TX-frequency is no longer needed.
FT847-SuperControl� tunes automatically the frequency with the calculated data and shows to you all the important data (azimuth, elevation, Doppler shift, Doppler calculation, base frequency, target frequency, etc.) in an overall view.
At this stage of the program only NOVA� and Satscape� can be used for the Doppler correction, because only these programs are able to submit all the needed data for the calculation via the DDE interface. Of course there are other satellite tracking programs, like WinOrbit�, ARS�, WISP� and Station�, but they can't be used for real Doppler calculation, but for rotor interfaces. FT847-SuperControl� is able to connect to these programs as well, but without using the provided data. Maybe in future also the other programs will be supported, when a new algorythm is known.
So now let us go to the configuration of this feature by using the button "DOPPLER" from the root program window. A new window will appear called "FT847-SuperControl - DDE-interface...." (refer to picture 1.2), in which you should use the button "SETTINGS". You should get the following window (refer to picture 1.1).
(picture 1.1 - Doppler correction configuration)
In the part "Choose the way to calculate", most of the possibilities are left from previous test's in the early development stage. Normally only the last possibility "? - ? auto-detect from DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) recommended" is recommended to use. Maybe there are some OM's out there, to whom it is interesting to use the other possibilities, maybe for testing or something else.
In the part "Language support / number format" you have the possibility to select one of two different country specific number formats. Your selection should base on your settings in the Windows country settings part in your Windows system-configuration. Generally Windows can use various different country specific settings there, and therefore also the number format can be different from computer to computer and from country to country. The correct number format is mandatory for a correct calculation of numbers. If you encounter problems within the automatic Doppler correction, maybe you can find the reason in your country settings. In this case please refer to "Chapter 5 - Troubleshooting" in this manual.
In the part "Choose your tracking program" you can choose between the different satellite tracking programs. Please note, that you have to start the selected program manually in the background, to use it as source for the FT847-SuperControl� Doppler calculation.
In the part "Choose vfo to calculate" you can choose which VFO's will be affected with Doppler corrected data. You have the possibility's to turn on both RX- and TX-VFO's, only the RX-VFO, or only the TX-VFO. You can save all the previously made settings by using the button "save settings". The button "OK" will end the configuration window, and will turn the window into the following picture (refer to picture 1.2).
(picture 1.2 - connected DDE-interface to NOVA)
This part will show you all the needed, provided and calculated data of the DDE dataflow, after the usage of the button "Connect" and after checking the checkbox "doppler corr.". Please note, that not all of the textboxes can be filled with data. This depends on the used and configured satellite tracking program.
If you turn on the checkbox "affect trcvr", you can start the automatic actualization of the normal transceiver VFO's with the calculated Doppler-corrected data. After this, a manual tuning by hand should no more be needed.
Attention: Under some circumstances it could be, that the calculated data is too slow or too fast, and the actualization of the main VFO's with correct data lacks. This could depend on which satellite has been used, your position, your position hight over zero (NN - normal null) or on other influence. It is not yet possible to generally solve this problem. For this case there is a slider control "alter speed", which can be used to slightly improve the speed, if needed.
With the checkbox "rotor az/el", you can send the actual provided AZ/EL-data to a second serial port, to drive an EasyComm compatible device (rotator transceiver etc..). To read more about this function, please refer to chapter 3 - The EasyComm rotor interface.
Hint:
While the automatic doppler correction is turned on and the checkbox "affect trcvr" is also turned on, and if you wish to tune in a new frequency after tracking the beacon of a satellite for example, please tune in your new frequency with the buttons in the software only, because only then, the activated checkbox "affect trcvr" will be switched off, and therefore this function can not produce any interference with tuning by hand on the transceiver and auto-correcting the frequency from the software at the same time.
Of course you can use also the dial knob on the transceiver to tune the frequency, but you should deactivate the automatic doppler correction by hand in the software then (uncheck the checkbox "affect trcvr"), before you start to tune. If automatic doppler correction is still turned on while your are trying to tune in a new frequency on the transceiver, you probably don't have success to tune in a new frequency, as the software will update the VFO's continuously with new calculated data all the time.
So if you tune to another frequency, the automatic doppler correction of the transceiver (checkbox "affect trcvr") should be deactivated for the time you are tuning.
After tuning to a new frequency we have two possibilities with the "SET" - button:
1st possibility:
After the tuning, please use the "SET"- button, to set up a new frequency pair and begin a new doppler calculation by hand. The frequencies of both VFO's are submitted to the textboxes for the base-frequencies in the doppler window then. You can start over the doppler correction function by activating the "doppler" - checkbox and the "affect trcvr" - checkbox later. The 1st possibility should be used to find the beacon of a satellite and to establish the "perfect frequency pair". If you want to tune to another frequency while the automatic doppler correction is running, so please use the 2nd possibility then.
2nd possibility:
After the tuning, please use the "SET" - button while the checkbox above the SET button is activated, to set up a new final frequency pair including the doppler shift and automatically turn on the doppler function (checkbox "doppler" and checkbox "affect trcvr"). The frequencies of both VFO's are submitted to the textboxes for the target-frequencies in the doppler window then. The actual doppler-shift will be subtracted from the target frequency to get the new base frequency then. The new base frequency plus the actual doppler-shift gives you the new calculated target frequency. The transceiver will be updated with this new target frequency then.
You can end the Doppler correction function by using the button "EXIT".
In the following window you can see a screenshot of FT847-SuperControl� working AO-40 with the help of the transverter-function and with the help of NOVA� (refer to picture 1.3).
(picture 1.3 - working satellite AO-40 with the help of NOVA�)