satnms ACU2-19 Antenna Controller Instructions

: June 25, 2024
: satnms

Table of Contents

satnms ACU2-19 Antenna Controller
Specifications
Product Information
Product Usage Instructions
FAQs
Introduction
Safety Instructions
The sat-nms ACU19
3.1 Frontpanel Display
3.2 Frontpanel Keyboard
3.3 Motor and Limit Switch interfaces
3.4 Analog beacon level input
3.5 Angle encoder interfaces
3.6 Compass and inclinometer interfaces
3.7 Remote interfaces
3.8 Mains input
Installation
4.1 Mechanical installation
4.2 Interfaces to the Antenna, Pin descriptions
4.2.1 Connector Layout
4.2.2 Pin descriptions
4.3.1 Setting the IP Address
4.3.2 Limit switches
4.3.3 Angle detectors
4.3.4 Motors
4.3.5 Pointing/ Tracking
4.3.6 Backup of ACU settings
- Operation
- 5.1 The Web-based User Interface
- 5.2 Antenna Pointing
- 5.4 Tracking Parameters
- 5.5 Test Page
- 5.6 Setup
- 5.7 Handheld/ Frontpanel Operation
5.7.1 LCPH (Local Maintenance Controller)
5.7.2 LCPHD-PT (Local Maintenance Controller with Display)
5.7.3 RCPH (ACU Handheld Controller)
5.7.4 RCPH19 (ACU Handheld Controller 19?) The RCPH19 is very similar to
- 5.8 Target Editor
- 5.9 Orbital Data Editor
5.9.1 TLE Dataset Editor
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)

satnms ACU2-19 Antenna Controller

Specifications

Product Name: Antenna Controller sat-nms ACU2-19
Version: 3.3.1
Manufacturer: SatService GmbH
Integration: 1RU 19inch case
Interfaces: Ethernet, TCP/IP, HTTP

Product Information

The sat-nms ACU19 Indoor Module is a full-featured antenna positioner or antenna tracking system. It is integrated into a compact 1RU 19inch case along with motor drivers and power supplies. The unit features a display and keyboard for easy front panel operation.

This document provides detailed instructions on how to install, set up, and operate the antenna controller.

Installation

Mechanical Installation

Follow the provided guidelines for mounting the ACU2-19 securely in a suitable location.

Interfaces to the Antenna

Connect the ACU2-19 to the antenna using the specified pin descriptions to ensure proper communication and functionality.

Product Usage Instructions

Start-up

Power on the ACU2-19 by following the instructions provided in the manual. Ensure all connections are secure before initiating start-up.

Target Memory

Store and recall specific antenna positions using the target memory feature. Follow the steps outlined in the manual to set and access these positions as needed.

FAQs

Q: Can the ACU2-19 operate as a standalone unit?
- A: Yes, the ACU outdoor unit can function independently as an antenna control and tracking system without requiring an indoor unit.
Q: What types of motor driving antennas are supported by the ACU?
- A: The ACU is designed to control various motor driving antennas for geostationary satellites, including antennas using power\ relays, frequency inverters, and servo controllers.

Antenna Controller sat-nms ACU2-19 User Manual
Version 3.3.1
© Copyright SatService Gesellschaft für Kommunikationssysteme mbH Hardstrasse 9 D-78256 Steisslingen satnms-support@satservicegmbh.de www.satnms.com www.satservicegmbh.de Tel +49 7738 99791-10

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sat-nms ACU2-19 User Manual

Abstract

This document describes how to install, setup and operate this antenna controller.

Table Of Contents

1 Introduction 2 Safety Instructions 3 The sat-nms ACU19
3.1 Frontpanel Display 3.2 Frontpanel Keyboard 3.3 Motor and Limit Switch interfaces 3.4 Analog beacon level input 3.5 Angle encoder interfaces 3.6 Compass and inclinometer interfaces 3.7 Remote interfaces 3.8 Mains input 4 Installation 4.1 Mechanical installation 4.2 Interfaces to the Antenna, Pin descriptions
4.2.1 Connector Layout 4.2.2 Pin descriptions 4.3 Start-up 4.3.1 Setting the IP Address 4.3.2 Limit switches 4.3.3 Angle detectors 4.3.4 Motors 4.3.5 Pointing/ Tracking 4.3.6 Backup of ACU settings 5 Operation 5.1 The Web-based User Interface 5.2 Antenna Pointing 5.3 Target Memory 5.3.1 How to make a new target 5.4 Tracking Parameters 5.5 Test Page 5.6 Setup 5.7 Handheld/ Frontpanel Operation 5.7.1 LCPH (Local Maintenance Controller) 5.7.2 LCPHD-PT (Local Maintenance Controller with Display) 5.7.3 RCPH (ACU Handheld Controller)

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5.7.4 RCPH19 (ACU Handheld Controller 19?) 5.7.5 Handheld Terminal 5.8 Target Editor 5.9 Orbital Data Editor 5.9.1 TLE Dataset Editor 5.9.2 I11 Dataset Editor 6 Frontpanel operation 6.1 Display mode 6.2 The main menu 6.3 Select targets 6.4 Step move 6.5 Editing Numeric Parameters 6.6 Set tracking mode 7 Remote Control 7.1 General command syntax 7.2 The TCP/IP remote control interface 7.3 The RS232 remote control interface 7.4 Parameter list 7.5 One line read via TCP/IP 7.6 SNMP Remote Control 8 Theory of Operation 8.1 Angle Measurement 8.2 Pointing / Motor Control 8.3 Steptrack 8.3.1 The sat-nms Steptrack Algorithm 8.3.2 ACU and Beacon Receiver 8.3.3 Smoothing 8.3.4 Steptrack Parameters 8.4 Adaptive Tracking 8.4.1 The sat-nms Adaptive Tracking Algorithm 8.4.2 The Tracking Memory 8.4.3 Adaptive Tracking Parameters 8.4.4 Hardware Protective Mode (Spindle Save Mode) 8.5 Program Tracking 8.5.1 Practical Usage 8.5.2 File Format 8.6 Memory Tracking 8.7 Prediction Tracking with Ephemeris Data 8.7.1 Intelsat eleven Parameter Prediction (I11) 8.7.2 Two Line Elements Prediction (TLE) 8.8 Polarization Prediction 8.9 Faults and Tracking 9 Specifications

Introduction

The sat-nms Antenna Control Unit is an antenna controller / positioner with optional satellite tracking support. It may be operated as a standalone unit or in conjunction of the sat-nms ACUIDU, a PC based indoor unit which offers extended tracking capabilities and a full featured visualization interface.

The sat-nms ACU is available as:

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The sat-nms ACU is available as:
sat-nms ACU2-ODM: only the core-module integrated in a compact case prepared for mounting on a 35mm DIN rail sat-nms ACU2-ODU: complete antenna controller system for AC- or DC-Motors integrated in an outdoor cabinet that could be mounted directly to the antenna. By mounting a sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver into this cabinet, you have a complete antenna tracking system in a compact cabinet directly at your antenna. sat-nms ACU2-RMU: complete antenna controller system for AC-Motors integrated in a 6RU 19inch rack mount case for indoor use sat-nms ACU2-19: complete antenna controller system for DC-Motors integrated in a 1RU 19inch rack mount case for indoor use sat-nms ACU2-19V2: antenna controller pincompatible to former Vertex 7200 ACU. It directly controls existing Vertex 7150 outdoor cabinet together with Vertex PMCU handheld.
For detailed description please refer to the sat-nms documentation CD or www.satnms.com
Main benefits of the sat-nms ACU are:
The ACU outdoor unit is able to act as a standalone antenna control and tracking system without an indoor unit required.
The ACU provides an Ethernet interface using the TCP/IP and HTTP Internet protocols. It can be controlled using any PC providing an Ethernet interface and a web browser like the Microsoft Internet Explorer. The ACU runs a web server which acts as a user interface to the antenna controller.
The ACU is prepared to read the receive level of a sat-nms beacon receiver through the TCP/IP interface.
The flexible interface design of the ACU enables it to control most types of motor driving antennas for geostationary satellites. Supported motor controllers are (configurable in the field):
Power relays: This simple solution is suitable for antennas using 2-speed AC motors.
Frequency inverters: Speed and acceleration/deceleration ramps are programmed into the inverter module with this solution.
Servo controllers: Used for DC motors at small antennas or AC servos for big Antennas, especially with countertorque drives.
Supported position sensors are (separate hardware interface modules for each axis):
Resolver Interface: The resolver interface module contains a resolver to digital chip which does the decoding of the resolver sin/cos signals. SSI Interface: SSI is a high speed serial interface used by modern digital position encoders. DC Voltage Interface: The third position encoder interface module contains an A/D converter which is suited to measure the DC voltages produced by simple inductive angle encoders. This application is for small antennas especially in the SNG business.
The paragraphs below give a short overview to the contents of the documentation. A subset of this documentation is stored on the device itself, the complete documentation is available on the sat-nms documentation CD and at www.satnms.com .
Safety Instructions: This chapter gives an overview about the safety precautions that have

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to be observed during installation, operation and maintenance. Unit Overview : The installation chapter gives informations about the different modules that are integrated in the ACU (not ACU2-ODM and ACU2-19). Installation/Start-up : The installation chapter guides through the installation and setup of the ACU outdoor module. It describes the mechanical concept of the ACU and the assignment of the ACU’s connectors. It gives you informations about the starting up procedure. Finally you learn in this chapter how to set the ACU’s IP address, which is a essential precondition to operate the ACU by means of a web browser. Operation : The sat-nms ACU is operated using a standard web browser like the Microsoft Edge on MS Windows based computers. The user interface design is straight forward and clearly structured. Operating the ACU is mostly self-explanatory. Nevertheless, the `Operation’ chapter outlines the map of web pages which make up the ACU user interface and elaborately describe the meaning of each alterable parameter. Frontpanel Operation : The sat-nms ACU2-19, sat-nms ACU2-19V2 and the sat-nms ACU2RMU optionally are equipped with a frontpanel Human-Machine-Interface. This Keyboard/ Display combination is also available as remote 19? controller (sat-nms RCP19) for units without frontpanel or also as local handheld-controller (sat-nms RCPH). This chapter describes how to use this interface. Remote Control : The ACU outdoor module provides a versatile remote control interface. A monitoring & control software may fully operate the ACU either through a TCP/IP network connection or through the RS232 interface of the ACU. This chapter describes the communication protocol used for remote control and lists all parameters accessible through the remote interface. Theory of Operation : This chapter gives a short overview how the ACU works. It also describes the different tracking algorithms and their parameters. The interaction with a beacon receiver is described as well. Knowing about the theory regarding this functions helps to find the best parameter settings for a given application. Specifications : At the end of the document, the specifications applicable to the sat-nms ACU are summarized in this chapter.
Support and Assistance
If you need any assistance regarding our ACU, don’t hesitate to contact us. We would be pleased to help you by answering your questions.

helpmail.png
SatService GmbH Hardstrasse 9 78256 Steisslingen Germany phone +49 7738 99791-10 www.satnms.com

Safety Instructions

Safe ty
The mains shall only be connected provided with a protective earth wire. Any interruption of the protective wire, inside or outside the sat-nms ACU, is likely to make the unit dangerous.

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Intentional interruption is prohibited.
The unit described in this manual is designed to be used by properly-trained personnel only.
Adjustment, maintenance and repair of the exposed equipment shall be carried out only by qualified personnel who are aware of hazards involved.
Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
To prevent electrical shock, do not remove covers.
For the correct and safe use of the instrument, it is essential that both operating and servicing personnel follow generally accepted safety procedures in addition to the safety precautions specified in this manual.
Whenever it is likely that safety protection is impaired, the unit must be made in-operative and secured against unintended operation. The appropriate servicing authority must be informed. For example, safety is likely to be impaired if the unit fails to perform the intended measurements or shows visible damage.
Ensure that the cabinet is proper connected to the protective earth conductor.
The circuit breaker, that fuses the mains for the sat-nms ACU has to switch off all phases AND the neutral wire as well.
Installation of any electrical kind have to carried out by electrial skilled specialits only!
WARNINGS
The outside of the equipment may be cleaned using a lightly dampened cloth. Do not use any cleaning liquids containing alcohol, methylated spirit or ammonia etc. Follow standard Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) procedures when handling the Unit. Apply the appropriate voltage according to the attached schematic. Only use shielded cable to connect the AZ- and EL-Motor. The other components in the cabinet might be jammed through the harmonic waves the frequency inverters inject into the motor wires. Use only double shielded twisted pair cables (e.g. CAT7 Ethernet cable) to connect the resolvers to the sat-nms ACU
Additional warnings only ACU2-ODU :
If the Unit is equipped with an optional air ventilation, avoid direct contact with jets of water, normal rain is no problem. In case of switching off all the circuit breakers in the ACU2-ODU, there is still voltage available at the mains terminals! Install an external mains/feeder switch if you like to disconnect the whole cabinet from power. If UPS mains is connected, use a switch that disconnects mains power as well as UPS power at once!

The sat-nms ACU19

The sat-nms ACU19 Indoor Module is a full featured antenna positioner or antenna tracking system. Together with its motor drivers and power supplies it is completely integrated to a 1RU 19inch case. For easy frontpanel operation, a display and a keyboard are integrated.
This chapter gives a short overview to the interfaces of sat-nms ACU19. For more detailed informations refer to the chapters below. The following pictures show the front and rear view of

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the unit.

sat-nms ACU19 Front panel view

sat-nms ACU19 rear view

No. 1 2 3 4

component

No.

frontpanel display

frontpanel 6
Keyboard motor and limit
7 switch interfaces analog beacon
8 level input

component angle encoder interfaces compass and inclinometer interfaces
remote interfaces
mains input

3.1 Frontpanel Display

The Display together with the keyboard is your interface for local operation without using e.g. an external computer. It shows all of the desired parameters and gives a quick overview to the actual state of your sat-nms ACU19. Please refer to chapter 6 Frontpanel Operation for detailed informations.

3.2 Frontpanel Keyboard

The keyboard together with the display is your interface for local operation without using e.g. an external computer. Besides the keyboard you find 3 LEDs that show the actual state of the ACURMU (fault state / limit switch state / motor movement) Please refer to chapter 6 Frontpanel Operation for detailed informations.

3.3 Motor and Limit Switch interfaces

The sat-nms ACU19 contains a high power DC motor driver for every axis. By this it is possible to connect DC motors directly to the sat-nms ACU19. It is possible to adjust the high speed and the low speed of every axis via potentiometers on the rear panel. .b The limit switches have to be connected here as well for every axis. Please refer to chapter Interfaces to the antenna/ Pin descriptions for more detailed informations.

3.4 Analog beacon level input

for connecting a third party beacon receiver, the sat-nms ACU19 provides an analog 0-10V interface input. If you use a sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver, the level informations as well as the beacon frequency and alarm bits are transmitted by UDP packages via http. Please refer to chapter Interfaces to the antenna/ Pin descriptions for more detailed informations.

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3.5 Angle encoder interfaces

The sat-nms ACU19 provides the possibility to connect three different types of angle encoders: optical SSI encoders (S), analog potentiometers (A) and Resolvers (R). Please refer to chapter Interfaces to the antenna/ Pin descriptions for more detailed informations. You have to decide at point of order which variant you want to have. The angle encoder type is specified by an add-on to the name of the unit. The sequence is azimuth, elevation, polarization An example: ACU19-SSA contains SSI interfaces at azimuth and elevation axis and an analog potentiometer interface at polarization axis.

3.6 Compass and inclinometer interfaces

The sat-nms ACU19 provides an interface to connect a compass and an inclinometer, especially for SNG applications. Please refer to chapter Interfaces to the antenna/ Pin descriptions for more detailed informations.

3.7 Remote interfaces

The sat-nms ACU19 provides an ethernet (http) interface for remote controlling. An internal webserver provides a clearly arranged webpage where all settings and states can be monitored and controlled. Please refer to chapter Operation and Remote control for more detailed information. A serial interface (RS232) is available on demand.

3.8 Mains input

The sat-nms ACU19 already contains all internal needed power supplies. As they are wide-range types it is possible to connect nearly all worldwide available single phase mains. Please refer to chapter Specifications for more detailed informations.

Installation

The following chapter describes how to install the ACU19 mechanically and electrically. Additional a detailed start-up procedure is given in this chapter.

4.1 Mechanical installation

The sat-nms ACU19 is completely integrated into a 1RU 19inch case with standard mounting holes. The case of the sat-nms ACU19 is not strong enough to carry the complete unit only on the front mounting holes! Because of that, take care that the sat-nms ACU19 is placed onto a bar guide that carries the complete weight of the sat-nms ACU19. The screws have to be fixed properly to keep the sat-nms ACU19 in its position.

4.2 Interfaces to the Antenna, Pin descriptions

ATTENTION! Electrical installation shall be carried out only by qualified personnel who are instructed and aware of hazards of electrical shocks.
All connectors of the sat-nms ACU19 are located at the rear side of the case. The following chapters show the standard pin configuration. If you have a non- standard version, please refer to the documentation enhancement that shows the pin descriptions of it.

4.2.1 Connector Layout

Below the connector layout of the ACU19 is shown. The connector type is described together with the corresponding pin description in the following chapter. The given connector type says which

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connector you need on your cable !

ACU19_rear.gif

4.2.2 Pin descriptions

J1.1, J2.1, J3.1 Limit switch connectors
Connector Type: Phoenix contact mini combicon FMC 1,5/4-ST-3,5
High and Low Limit switch for elevation axis. The switches are connected directly to the input pairs without any external ground or supply cabling. The ACU treats a closed contact as OK, contacts have to be opened to indicate the `limit reached’ condition. Please note, that the left/right azimuth and polarization limit switches have to be swapped when the antenna is operated at the southern hemisphere.

connector

J1.1

signal AZ Low GND EXT AZ High GND EXT

description
azimuth left limit (view from behind antenna)

type IN

azimuth right limit (view from
IN behind antenna)

connector pin

signal

description

type

J2.1

EL Low

lower limit elevation IN

GND EXT

EL High

upper limit elevation IN

GND EXT

connector

J3.1

signal PL Low GND EXT PL High

description
polarization left limit (view from behind antenna)

type IN

polarization right limit (view
IN

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PL High

from behind

antenna)

GND EXT

J1.2, J2.2, J3.2 Motors
Connector Type: Phoenix combicon MSTB 2,5/ 3-ST-5,08
DC motor driver output. The motor interface is designed for up to 15A/24V. Use shielded cable only to connect the motors. Connect shield to `PE’ Pin. Take care, that the shield is NOT connected on the motor end of the cable.

connector pin

signal

description

type

J1.2

Motor AZ+ Azimuth Motor + IN

Motor AZ- Azimuth Motor – IN

connector pin

signal

description

type

J2.2

Motor EL+ Elevation Motor + IN

Motor EL- Elevation Motor – IN

connector pin

signal

description

type

J3.2

Motor PL+ Polarisation Motor + IN

Motor PL- Polarisation Motor – IN

J4 Analog beacon level input
Connector Type: SMA male
The ACU19 preferably is used together with the sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver. With the satnms LBRX the ACU talks though UDP or TCP over IP, no additional cabling is required in this case. At J4 the ACU19 provides an analog interface to third party beacon receivers.

pin center outside

signal level in GND

description beacon level signal 0…10V DC signal ground

type IN

J5, J6 and J7 Angle encoders
Connector Type: D-Sub9 male
The sat-nms ACU19 provides the possibility to connect three different types of angle encoders: optical SSI encoders (S), analog potentiometers (A) and Resolvers (R). You have to decide at

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point of order which variant you want to have. The angle encoder type is specified by an add-on to the name of the unit. The sequence is azimuth, elevation, polarization
An example: ACU19-SSA contains SSI interfaces at azimuth and elevation axis and an analog potentiometer interface at polarization axis.
The integrated interface type is also written on a label near by the angle encoder connectors.
SSI encoder interface
The SSI positional encoder may be powered from the ACU internal power supply. +5V and +24V clamps are provided at the connector. To avoid ground loops, the cable shield should be connected either to pin 1 at the ACU or to the ground at the encoder housing, never at both ends. The power supply outputs are internally fused. Be aware not to cause a short circuit. If this happens, the unit has to be opened and the fuse has to be replaced. Do not open the unit by yourself, you will loose warranty in that case.

pin signal

description

type

Data- SSI data

Clk-

SSI clock

OUT

+5V

encoder power supply

n.c.

Data+ SSI data

Clk+

SSI clock

OUT

n.c.

+24V encoder power supply

Analog angle sensor (potentiometer) interface

pin signal

description

type

AGND

Analog ground

OUT

Ref Out Reference voltage

OUT

n.c.

INPUT

A/D converter input (center Poti) IN

AGND

Analog ground

OUT

n.c.

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Resolver interface
The ACU resolver interface is designed for resolvers with an impedance of 100 Ohms or more and transfer factor 0.5. The interface applies 4Veff / 2000Hz to the resolver drive coil. It expects 2Veff at the sine / cosine inputs at the maximum positions.

resolv.gif
When connecting a resolver to the ACU, please consider the following:
Use a shielded, twisted pair cable. Connect the cable shield either to the case of the DSub9 connector or to the ground at the resolver housing. Never connect the shield at both ends, this will introduce a ground loop and cause a significant degradation of the resolver’s accuracy.

pin signal

description

type

GND

resolver SIN

GND

resolver COS

GND

drive signal to resolver OUT

n.c.

SIN

resolver SIN

COS

resolver COS

REF

drive signal to resolver OUT

GND

J8 Inclinometer Connector Type: D-Sub9 male This interface is not implemented yet and is reserved for further expansions J9 Compass Connector Type: D-Sub9 male This interface is not implemented yet and is reserved for further expansions J10 Remote serial Connector Type: D-Sub9 male

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This interface is not implemented yet and is reserved for further expansions
J11 LAN Connector
Connector Type: RJ45 male
J11 is the Ethernet 10Base-T / RJ45 connector. Use a standard network cable to connect the satnms ACU-RMU to an Ethernet hub. If you want to connect your computer and the ACU directly without using a hub, you need a crossover cable for this with swapped RX/TX lines.

pin signal

description

type

TX+

default Ethernet cabling (10Base-T) OUT

TX-

OUT

RX+

RX-

J12 Mains input connector
Connector type: IEC male
The sat-nms ACU19 already contains all internal needed power supplies. Use any standard cable type with IEC connector. As they are wide-range types it is possible to connect nearly all worldwide available single phase mains. Please refer to chapter Specifications for more detailed informations.

4.3 Start-up
This chapter describes how to install and start-up the sat-nms ACU19. It is a step-by-step description without detailed description. If you need more detailed description for e.g. some parameter settings, please refer to chapter 5 Operation , all of the parameters are described here.
Before you start, please first read the Safety Instructions chapter. It contains some important recommendations to prevent damage from the ACU.
Then, we strongly recommend to do a first setup of the ACU on a lab desk before installing it at it’s final location. This is mainly for the following reason:
To setup the ACU’s IP parameters, the PC used for configuring and the ACU must either be connected to the same Ethernet hub or must be connected directly with a crossover cable. The initialization program does not work through routers or intelligent network switches.
Hence, the typical sequence of tasks when putting an sat-nms ACU19 into operation is as follows:
1. Read the chapter 2 Safety Instructions .

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2. Set the ACU’s 4.3.1 IP address . 3. 4.1 Mechanically mount the ACU19. 4. 4.2 Connect the ACU to the antenna (position encoders, limit switches and motor drivers).
Finally connect the mains power supply and the Ethernet network. 5. Start up the system and set the parameters as described below. 6. As last step connect the motors and start them up as described below.

4.3.1 Setting the IP Address

Before you can operate the sat-nms ACU19, you need to set the ACU’s IP address. There is a special configuration program on the documentation CD shipping with the ACU for this purpose. We recommend to configure the ACU’s TCP/IP settings before you install the sat-nms ACU19 at it’s final place. To configure the ACU, the following equipment is required:
The sat-nms ACU19 itself. Mains power at connector J12. A Computer running a Microsoft Windows operating system equipped with CD-ROM drive and Ethernet network card. A CAT5 crossover network cable or an Ethernet hub and standard network cables to connect the ACU and the computer. The CD-ROM shipping with the sat-nms ACU19.
Setting the ACU’s IP parameters now is easily done within a few minutes.
1. First install a network cable between the ACU and your computer. If you have a crossover cable available, this is very easy: simply put the cable into the network connectors of computer and ACU. Without a crossover cable, you need to connect both, the computer and the ACU to the same network hub using two standard network cables. It is essential, that the computer and the ACU are connected to the same network segment, the configuration program is not able to find the ACU through routers or network switches.
2. Now power on your computer and connect the ACU19 to the Mains supply (J12). 3. Insert the CD-ROM into the computer’s drive and inspect it’s contents through the My Computer’ icon on your desktop. Double-click to theChipTool.exe’ program in the `ChipTool’ directory. 4. When the ChipTool program is running, the program shows a list containing at least one entry describing the actual network parameters of the sat-nms ACU19.

5. The serial number of the core module shown in the first column of the list. If the list stays empty, the ACU is not connected properly. If there are more entries in the list, the

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configuration program has found other devices in this network segment which use the same technology. 6. Now open with a right-click the sub-menu IP configuration’ to open the IP configuration window of the program. In this form the ACU’s MAC address is shown on top, below you find the fields to configure the new IP address and network mask. If the ACU later shall be operated through a router, enter the address of the router on the gateway field, otherwise leave this field blank. Be sure, that theDHCP’ mark is unchecked, the other values have to be set as shown on the picture. Finally click to the `Yes’ button to set the new parameters at

the ACU.
Now the IP configuration of the ACU is completed. You may finally want to test if the ACU is reachable now. Start your web browser and type the ACU’s IP address into the URL field of the browser. The ACU should reply with it’s main page, provided that the ACU and your computer are configured for the same subnet.

4.3.2 Limit switches

Connect the limit switches to the sat-nms ACU19 as described in chapter 4.2.2 Pin description .
1. Apply Mains voltage to J12. The sat-nms ACU-RMU should be reachable via Ethernet now. 2. Check the function and correlation of all limit-switches manually. On the sat-nms ACU19
main-website a limit fault is shown as soon it occurs. On the test-page every single limit switch is displayed. For more detailed informations see chapter 5 Operation

4.3.3 Angle detectors

Connect the angle detectors to the sat-nms ACU19 as described in chapter 4.2.2 Pin description .
1. Configure the desired type of detector on the setup-page. 2. Set the soft- limits to the expected values (at first it is ok if you do this approximately, later on
you need to type in here the exact values). 3. Check the rotational direction of the encoders. If possible, do this by turning the encoder
axis directly, otherwise you have to move the antenna by hand. Maybe you have to invert the rotational direction on the setup page. 4. Set the offset of the angle detectors to the desired values by using the calc function.
If you need more detailed information, please refer to chapter 5.6 Setup .

4.3.4 Motors

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Before you connect the motors to the sat-nms ACU19, take care the ACU19 is in STOP condition before connecting the motors.
1. Click the STOP button on the sat-nms ACU19s website. By this you can be sure that no motor movement will occur connecting the motors. 2\. Connect the motors to the sat-nms ACU19 as described in chapter 4.2.2 . 3. Click the RESET button on the sat-nms ACU19s website. 4. Check the motor rotating directions, if necessary change it by interchanging the + and – wire
of the motor cable. 5. Drive the antenna in every direction (AZ, EL and POL) until the limit switches stop the motor
movement to ensure that the limit switches work well. ATTENTION! While doing this test it is absolutely necessary to be very mindful to check, if nothing collides! 6. Set the soft-limits to the desired values (e.g. 1 degree before the hardware limit switch is activated)

4.3.5 Pointing/ Tracking

Now, the setup of all interfaces to the antenna is done. By this everything is prepared to configure the ACU19 to the desired operation mode, to save targets and finally to set the sat-nms ACU19 into service.
In chapter 5 Operation you find a detailed description of the pointing and tracking parameters.
To use the function pointing by stating an orbit position you have to configure the `Location’ parameters on the setup page to the geodetic location of your antenna. Take care to type in position with enough accuracy (0.001°). For further informations, please refer to chapter 5.6 Setup for location parameters and 5.3 Target Memory for using this pointing function.

4.3.6 Backup of ACU settings

After complete configuration is done and the sat-nms ACU19 is set up finally, the last step that is recommended to be done is the backup of ACU settings. By this way an easy replacement of the ACU-ODM could be performed. The following step-by step description shows how to do this.
1. Open the chiptool (refer to chapter 3 4.3.1 Setting the IP Address to see where to find and how to install this tool)
2. Right click to the desired unit. A drop-down list will open, choose FTP 3. A small window like shown on the following picture will be opened. Please double-check the

displayed IP, you might adjust it in the drop-down list here. 4. Login with username service and password service 5. Now you see on the right side the file system of the ACU like shown on the following picture.

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On the left side you see the computers file system.

6. Browse on the left side to the desired location to which you like to save the backup 7. Right-click the app.dat file and choose copy in the drop down list. The file will immediately
be copied to the location shown on the left side. If you have saved targets, you might backup them in the same way. They are named targetXX.txt . XX represents the number of the target. 8. To copy a backup file to the ACU, browse on the left side if the window to the desired app.dat and copy this file to the ACU in the same way (right click->copy) 9. After copying an app.dat file to the ACU, you have to reboot the unit (power off). By next starting up, the new app.dat file will be used.

Operation

The sat-nms ACU outdoor module is designed to be controlled over a network link using a standard web browser. This means in practice, that the user interface to the ACU appears in your browser window after you type in the ACU’s IP address in the address field of the browser program.
Operating the ACU is mostly self-explanatory.

5.1 The Web-based User Interface

After having connected the ACU to a power supply and set the ACU’s IP address, you can access the ACU’s user interface. To do this, start your favorite web browser program (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Opera or what else program you prefer). At the address field, where you normally enter the URL of a web page you want to see, type in the IP address of the sat-nms ACU you want to control.
The ACU shows a web page consisting of a navigation bar at the left side of the browser window

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and the actual antenna pointing in the main part of the window. The readings automatically refresh once a second. (this may be adjusted on the setup-page).
The navigation bar at the left contains a couple buttons which build the ACU’s main menu:

keys.png
Pointing : This button switches back to the main page you already see when you connect to the ACU. This page displays the actual antenna pointing together with some status information. You also use this page to move the antenna to a certain pointing given as azimuth / elevation values. Target : By clicking to this button you switch to the Target’ page where you can store and recall the antenna pointing for up to 200 satellites. Orbital Data : By clicking to this button you switch to two pages where you can store and recall up to 99 sets of TLE ephemeris data and 99 sets if I11 satellite data. At the Tracking page you can assign TLE/I11 data sets to the satellite to be tracked. Tracking : sat- nms ACUs with the tracking option installed offer the tracking mode and tracking fine tune parameters on this page. Test : By clicking to this button you switch to theTest’ page. The Test’ page shows the low level I/O signals of the ACU. It helps you to install the ACU or to identify a malfunction of peripheral components. Setup : This button switches to theSetup’ page which lets you inspect or change less common parameters which usually are set only once to adapt the ACU to it’s working environment. Info : After a mouse click to this button, the ACU outdoor module shows a table with information like the serial number of the device or the revision ID and compilation date of the software.

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Help : Clicking to this button shows the on-line version of this user manual Step Move : Clicking to the buttons in this area moves the antenna a small step to the indicated direction. For azimuth and elevation small step’ and large step’ buttons are provided. A small step’ is the angle defined with theXX step delta’ parameters at the Setup page, a large step’ is ten times this value. With the polarization axis, steps always are 1°. STOP : Clicking to the STOP button immediately stops all motors. The ACU indicates a fault. A click to the RESET button releases this fault. RESET : The RESET button lets the ACU acknowledge any motor diver faults by activating the reset-circuit to the motor drivers for 800 msec. All faults internally latched by the ACU are cleared and the target pointing values are set to the values actually read from the position sensors. STANDBY : The STANDBY button puts the pointing loop of all axes tostandby’ mode: Differences between measured and commanded value do not cause the motors to be driven in this mode. Standby mode can be used for maintenance purposes or to move the antenna by actuating the frequency inverters directly by hardware circuits. To leave standby mode, click the STANDBY button again or RESET.

5.2 Antenna Pointing

The Pointing’ page is the main page of the ACU user interface which shows the actual antenna pointing and some status information. ThePointing’ page automatically refreshes once a second. The refresh-rate may be adjusted on the setup-page.

point.gif
The table below describes the information shown by this page:
Azimuth Elevation Polarization — The bold printed figures show the actual antenna pointing angles as read from the position sensors. If the polarization axis is not controlled by the ACU, -.–°’ is displayed in the polarization field. ACU versions equipped with a fourth axis show four columns here, the fourth column labeled “Polarization 2?. Xx. target value — Below the measured angles the ACU displays the target values of the antenna pointing. The target values are the angles which have been commanded to the ACU. You may click to a target angle in order to change the pointing manually. The ACU display a dialog page where you can enter the new pointing angle. If you click to the SUBMIT’ button in this dialog page, the antenna immediately moves to the new position. To

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go back to the main page without changing the pointing, click to the Back’ button of your Web browser. Axis state flags — Below the target values, for each axis there is a field reserved which contains some state information for this axis. While the motor is running,MOVING’ is displayed at this place. If the motor has been stopped due to a fault or an emergency stop request, a red label STOPPED’ is displayed. Finally, if the ACU recognizes the activation of a limit switch, the orange colored labelLIMIT’ is displayed in this field. If the ACU is in standby mode, STANDBY’ ist displayed for all axes. Target name — The name of the satellite the antenna is pointing to. Click to the name to get a dialog page where you can change the name. The name is stored together with a satellite’s pointing at the target memory page. If you change the target pointing values, the target name is set tounknown’ by the ACU. Hence you first should adjust the antenna pointing, then enter the satellite’s name. Tracking mode — sat-nms ACUs with the tracking option installed display the actual tracking mode / state in this field. ACUs without tracking show OFF’ all the time. In STEP and ADAPTIVE tracking modes this field shows what the tracking actually is doing and some information about the tracking data in memory: fill — tells how many hours of step track data for calculating a model the ACU actually has in memory. This data may be used in ADAPTIVE mode to predict the satellite movement in case of a beacon failure. The smoothing which may be applied to the step track also relies on this data. age — means the age of the most recent successful tracking step. In other words this describes how many hours ago the beacon was lost in case of a beacon failure. Beacon level — This field shows the beacon level as read from the beacon receiver. Depending on the source defined at the Setup page, this either is the beacon level reported by a sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver via TCP/IP of the level derived from the ACU’s analog input. Temperature — The actual temperature inside the ACU enclosure. This value is for information only. ACU Faults — If there are any faults with the ACU, they are displayed in this field. If there is more than one fault at a time, the ACU concatenated the fault descriptions. More detailed information about faults are available in chapter Faults and Tracking . If one axis stops operation due to a fault, the step tracking also stops operation. Possible faults are: EMERGENCY-STOP — Someone opened the emergency stop circuit. The ACU stopped all motors and stays in this state until the RESET’ button at the navigation bar is clicked. HUB-FAULT — The ACU detected a hub fault’ condition. CABINET-OPEN — The ACU detected acabinet open’ condition. BCRX-TIMEOUT — If the ACU reads the beacon level via TCP/IP from a sat-nms LBRX and the latter does not respond, a BCRX-TIMEOUT fault is reported Tracking Faults — If the ACU has the tracking option installed, any faults of the tracking module are shown in this field. With tracking option, this field is always empty. AZ/EL Tracking State — If the ACU has the tracking option installed and ADAPTIVE tracking is selected, these give some information about the model of antenna/satellite movement the ACU has calculated from the step track data: M(model) — The complexity of the model the ACU uses (small/medium/large). With a small amount of tracking data available, the ACU uses a smaller, less complex model than with a completely filled tracking memory. A(amplitude) — The amplitude of the antenna movement in this axis, expressed as a percentage of the full 3dB beamwidth. J(jitter) — The jitter of the antenna movement in this axis, expressed as a percentage

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of the full 3dB beamwidth. B(beamwidth) — The 3dB beamwidth as calculated by the ACU from the antenna diameter in this axis and the beacon receive frequency. This is the full beamwidth, the angle between both 3dB points in the antenna pattern. S(step size) — The absolute step size used by the step track in this axis. Time — The actual time of the ACU’s internal clock. GPS State — The actual state of an external GPS receiver connected to the ACU (if applicable).
5.3 Target Memory
The page Targets’ gives access to the ACU’s target memory. The ACU is capable to remember the pointing (and tracking parameters, if the ACU has the tracking module installed) of up to 199 satellites. Managing these memories is done with theTargets’ page. Target memories are organized in 10 pages with 20 memory places each, you may click to the numbers shown above the table to select a certain page. Additionally, the target memories may be sorted either by target number, by azimuth angle or by name. Click to the sort modes above the table to select the appropriate sort mode.

target.gif
Below the target table the ACU shows the actually selected target, the initial pointing mode to be used with the next Go command anf the save mode.
Actually selected: This displays the name and number of the actually tracked satellite as well as the currently active tracking mode. If the antenna is tracking, a STOP_TRACKING label is shown, permitting to stop tracking before moving to another satellite without leaving this page. The Actually selected: field may be empty if the Antenna has been moved since a target has been selected. Initial pointing mode: With this selection you may overwrite the initial pointing mode stored with a target. With the next Go command the selected initial pointing is executed unless you have made the selection `use initial pointing as stored with target’. Save mode: The selection in this field affects the next Save command.
save all — Saves all actual tracking settings and the content of the tracking memory to the selected target number. This includes the actual pointing angles as the angles stored with the target. exclude pointing angles — Saves the actual tracking settings and the content of the tracking memory to the selected target number as well, but leaves the pointing angles stored with the target unchanged. You may want to use this option to update a target memory without replacing the center of box position by the actual pointing angles.

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The target table itself displays 20 of the stored target memories. By clicking the icons in the table, settings may be stored, recalled or deleted:
Go — If a memory location has stored a pointing, the table shows a blue arrow in the Go’ column of the table. Clicking to this arrow recalls the settings stored for that target as well as the stored tracking data for this satellite and moves the antenna to position according to the selected initial pointing mode. After the antenna has reached this position, the tracking mode stored with the target gets activated. The ACU displays a confirmation dialog before it actually recalls the target memory. Only if you click toSubmit’ in this dialog, the antenna moves to the stored location. With ADAPTIVE tracking, the ACU uses the stored tracking data to calculate a model as soon as tracking ist started as long as the stored tracking data is not outdated. Save — For each memory location the table shows a floppy disk icon in the Save’ column. Clicking to this icon saves the actual tracking parameters, the tracking memory and – if at the bottom of the page Save mode is set to save all – also the actual antenna pointing to the selected memory location. Again, there is a confirmation dialog page before the data actually is saved. Edit — For each memory location the table shows a document edit icon in theEdit’ column. Clicking to this icon opens the target editor page for this target memory. With this editor you can edit the stored parmeters in a target memory without actually applying them. Chapter 5.8 Target Editor describes this function more detailled. Delete — Analogous to the Save’ icon, the table shows an eraser icon in theDelete’ column. The icons only are shown for the memory locations which are in use. Clicking to the eraser icon clears the selected memory location after a confirmation inquiry. Numeric orbit position — The table contains an additional row at the bottom labeled Numeric orbit position’. Clicking to the blue arrow icon in this row opens a dialog where you are requested to enter the orbit position of a satellite you want the antenna to point to. After you pressedSubmit’ in this dialog, the ACU computes the antenna pointing for the orbit position you entered and immediately moves the antenna to the calculated position. To make this function work satisfactory, it is necessary to have the geodetic location of the antenna entered at the Setup page with a sufficient accuracy.

5.3.1 How to make a new target
There are serval ways to make a new target. The following guideline should help to avoid common mistakes.
Common/Normal procedure: Save a live Target
Set the Tracking Mode to OFF, otherwise no new settings are possible. Clear Tracking Memory in the Tracking Menu, to avoid wrong tracking calculation at the new satellite position with the previous tracking results. Set the new Beacon Receiver Parameter in the Tracking Menu or at the beacon receiver itself Check or reset the General Settings in the Tracking Menu, especially the Initial pointing mode and the target orbit postion. Set the Level threshold in the tracking menu to a large value e.g. -100dB. If TLE or I11-Parameter for the satellite available (Menu Orbit Data), choose the corresponding Prediction Parameters in the Tracking Menu. Move the Antenna to the new Satellite position. These can be done by entering the new azimuth, elevation and polarization target value in the Pointing Menu or use the Numeric orbit position calculator in the Target Menu.

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Enter the new Target name in the Pointing Menu If you already on the target you can start the step or adaptiv tracking and optimizing your parameter. If not, you can use the TLE or I11 Tracking to find the target, especially for inclined orbit satellites is this recommended. If the step/adaptive tracking could be established, recalculate the Level Offset in the Tracking Menu und set the Level threshold to a value between -6..-10dB. If you finalized the optimization for the target and you find the final best settings, don’t forget to save the Target in the Target Menu to a free position. If you want change single settings for a target, you can also use the target editor in the Target Menu.
Advanced procedure: Prepare a Target with the Target editor
Open a empty or unused target with the Target Editor in the Target Menu. If the Target empty the Parameter will be filled with the actual live Target otherwise you will get the stored parameter. Set the new Target name Set the Tracking Mode to OFF . Check or reset the General Settings in the Tracking Menu, especially the Initial pointing mode and the target orbit postion. Set the Level threshold in the tracking menu to a large value e.g. -100dB. Set the new Pointing Angles (e.g. Center of the Box) of the new satellite. If TLE or I11-Parameter for the satellite available (Menu Orbit Data), choose the corresponding Prediction Parameters. Set the new Beacon Receiver Parameter. Then Save the target If you recall the target the following additional steps are necessary to make it operational. Clear Tracking Memory in the Tracking Menu, to avoid wrong tracking calculation at the new satellite position with the previous tracking results. This step is only necessary if not a empty target is used. If you already on the target you can start the step or adaptiv tracking and optimizing your parameter. If not, you can use the TLE or I11 Tracking to find the target, especially for inclined orbit satellites is this recommended. If the step/adaptive tracking could be established, recalculate the Level Offset in the Tracking Menu und set the Level threshold to a value between -6..-10dB. If you finalized the optimization for the target and you find the final best settings, don’t forget to resave the Target in the Target Menu.

5.4 Tracking Parameters

sat-nms ACUs with the tracking function installed give access to the tracking mode and the fine tune parameter which lets you adapt the tracking to the individual requirements of the antenna and the satellite you are tracking to. ACUs without tracking function show an empty page at this place.

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track.gif
General Settings
Tracking mode — The tracking mode parameter selects the tracking method, the ACU actually uses. Possible selection are:
OFF — No tracking is performed. STEP — Step track mode. In regular intervals, the antenna performs small search steps to optimize the pointing. Chapter 8.3.0 Step Track’ gives more information about this mode. STEP-TLE — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves along the path calculated from a TLE parameter set instead. STEP-I11 — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves along the path calculated from an Intelsat 11 parameter set instead. MEMORY — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves to the position it had exactly one siderian day before. ADAPTIVE — The adaptive tracking mode works the same way as step track, but it additionally is capable to predict the satellite’s position when the beacon reception fails. It computes mathematical models of the satellites motion from the step track results recorded over a certain time. Details about this tracking mode are given in chapter8.4.0 Adaptive Tracking’ . PROGRAM — The program tracking mode is different from the modes above. The ACU moves the antenna along a path which is described in a data file. No beacon reception is required for this. You have to create such a data file and copy it with FTP to the ACU before you can use this mode. SatService GmbH provides a PC software which lets you easily create data files for program track from commonly used ephemeris data sets for

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geostationary satellites. Chapter 8.5.0 Program Tracking’ describes this tracking mode more detailed. TLE — The antenna moves along a path calculated from a TLE ephemeris data set. There are no optimization steps and no receive signal is required for such an optimization. I11 — The antenna moves along a path calculated from an Intelsat 11 parameter data set. There are no optimization steps and no receive signal is required for such an optimization. Initial pointing mode — The initial pointing mode specifies how the antenna finds its initial position before it starts the tracking mode selected with the setting above. This parameter only has an effect, when a target memory gets recalled. Changing the initial pointing mode does not re-position the antenna. Possible selection are: STORED-POSTION — The antenna moves to the Az/El/Pol angles stored for the particular satellite. After this position has been reached, the tracking selected by thetracking mode’ is started. ORBIT — The antenna’s Az/El/Pol angles are calculated from the satellite’s orbit position stored in the recalled target memory. The target azimuth offset’ and target elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by the tracking mode’ is started. TLE — The antenna’s Az/El angles are calculated from the TLE data set selected in the recalled target memory. Thetarget azimuth offset’ and target elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. The Pol angle is set to its stored position in this mode. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by thetracking mode’ is started. I11 — The antenna’s Az/El angles are calculated from the I11 data set selected in the recalled target memory. The target azimuth offset’ andtarget elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. The Pol angle is set to its stored position in this mode. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by the tracking mode’ is started. MODEL — The antenna’s Az/El angles are calculated from the adaptive tracking model stored with the recalled target memory. The Pol angle is set to its stored position in this mode. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by thetracking mode’ is started. Tracking cycle time — The cycle time specifies how often the ACU shall perform a step track cycle. The value is to be entered in seconds. In fact, the parameter does not specify a cycle time but the sleep time between two tracking cycles. This means, the true cycle time is the time the ACU needs to perform one step track cycle plus the time entered here. 300 seconds (5 minutes) is a good starting value for this parameter. Inclined orbit satellites probably will require a shorter cycle time, very stable satellites can be perfectly tracked with one step track cycle every 15 minutes (900 seconds). The maximum cycle time accepted by the ACU is 1638 seconds. This parameter is also used so specify how often the antenna position shall be moved in the PROGRAM, I11 and TLE tracking modes. Polarization prediction — Sets the polarization prediction mode to be used during tracking. The following modes van be selected: OFF — No polarization prediction is done. The polarization angle is set once when a target memory is recalled and stays at this value while the antenna tracks. ON — The polarization angle is calculated from the satellite’s position and it’s inclination angle. With TLE ot I11 tracking, these values are taken from the ephemerid data evaluation. With other tracking modes the polarization angle is calculated from the satelite’s nominal orbit position and the inclination value set with the target parameters.

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Te polarization angle gets updated with each tracking step in this mode. ADAPTIVE — This mode works very much like ON’, but with step track based tracking modes the values for the satelite’s orbit position and inclination are re-calculated from the recorded tracking data every three hours. This does not change the values of these parameters stored with the target memory, but the actual polarization angle calculation the optimized values are used instead of the stored ones. Target orbit position — The nominal orbit position of the satellite (°E). This value is used for the initial pointing of the antenna if theinitial pointing mode’ is set to ORBIT’. Inclination — The satellite’s inclination used for the polarization prediction calculation. Max. prediction age — If the epoch of a TLE or I11 parameter set which is actually in use (TLE’ or I11′ tracking modes) is older than the time specified here, a TLE-OUTDATED or I11-OUTDATED fault is raised and the antenna does not move with this and following tracking steps. The same applies in ADAPTIVE tracking mode if the antenna follows its calculated model without successful steptrack for a longer time than specified here. Steptrack Parameters Tracking step size — The tracking step size is a very important parameter for the performance of the tracking. It defines the size of every depointing step, the ACU makes in order to find out where the optimal antenna pointing is. Setting too high values will cause significant signal degradations during the step track cycle because the antenna moves a too large amount away from the satellite. Setting the value too small will let the beacon level jitter mask the level differences caused by the test steps, the antenna will not track the satellite properly.The step size is specified as a percentage of the antenna’s half 3dB beamwidth. The ACU calculates the beamwidth from the antenna diameter and the beacon frequency. Expressing the step size in this relative way keeps the value in the same range, regardless of the type of antenna. The recommended value for this parameter is 15-20%. You may want to start with 20% and try to reduce down to 15% if the signal degradation during tracking becomes too high.The tracking step size is a common parameter for both axes. If both axes behave differently, you can tweak the antenna diameter settings in the setup. Specifying a larger diameter makes the ACU using a smaller step size for this axis.If the tracking step seems to be completely out of range, you should check if the beacon frequency is set properly. The frequency must be the true receive frequency at the antenna, entered in MHz, not an L-band frequency or other IF. Beacon frequency — This parameter tells the ACU the frequency of the beacon signal to be used for tracking. The ACU calculates the antenna beam width from this frequency and the antenna diameter configured at the setup page. The value has to be entered as true receive frequency, no L-band or other IF frequency. When used with a SatService beacon receiver, the ACU automatically reads the beacon frequency at the start of each tracking cycle from the receiver. Any value entered here will be overwritten in this case. The beacon frequency entered here never sets the frequency at the receiver, neither with a SatService receiver nor with a third party device! Level offset — Principally there are two ways to display a beacon receive level: Either as an absolute level in dBm as reported by the receiver or as a relative level with0dB’ signalling the nominal level at clear sky conditions. The latter gives an easy measure for any degradation of the receive level.The parameter Level offset’ lets you calibrate the absolute reading of the beacon receiver to the relative level. You may either enter a value to shift the reading by this offset or you may click to thecalc.’ link beside this parameter to set the offset to the actual absolute level reading, making the actual level being 0dB relative.

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Level threshold — If the relative beacon level falls below this threshold value, the ACU does not perform a step track cycle. If the level falls below the threshold during the steptrack cycle, the cycle gets aborted. If the ADAPTIVE tracking is enabled and there is enough data in the tracking memory, the ACU computes a mathematical model from the stored data and predicts the antenna pointing position from the extrapolation of the model. Analogously the antenna is moved to the actual TLE it I11 position in such a case if the STEP-TLE’ orSTEPI11′ mode is selected. If the tracking mode is set to STEP’, the ACU leaves the antenna where it is if the beacon level drops below the limit. Adjusting the threshold level that adaptive tracking is switched as expected must be done carefully and may require some iterations, specially if the beacon is received with a low C/N. A good starting value for the threshold is 10 dB below the nominal receive level or 2 dB above the noise floor the beacon receiver sees with a depointed antenna, whatever value is higher. As mentioned above, the level threshold refers to the relative beacon level, not to the absolute level reading. To turn off the monitoring of the beacon level (this in fact inhibits the adaptive tracking), simply set the threshold the a very low value (e.g. -99 dBm) AZ Maximum model type / EL Maximum model type — These settings let you limit the adaptive model to a simpler one, the ACU would choose by itself. The maximum model type can be set individually for each axis. Normally you will set both axes toLARGE’, which leaves the model selection fully to the ACU’s internal selection algorithms.In cases where the ACU seems to be too `optimistic’ about the quality of the step track results, the maximum model on one or both axes may be limited to a more simple and more noise-resistant model. Specially inclined orbit satellites which are located close to the longitude of the antenna’s geodetic location may require this limitation for the azimuth axis. With such a satellite, the elevation may move several degrees while the azimuth shows almost no motion.
Measurement delay — During a steptrack cycle, the ACU positions the antenna to a certain offset and then measures the level. Between the moment when the antenna reached commanded position and the beacon level measurement the ACU waits some time to let the beacon level settle. The optimal delay value depends on the beacon receiver’s averaging / post detector filter setting and is a quite critical for the steptrack performance.If the delay is too short, the beacon voltage does not reach its final value, the steptrack does not properly recognize if the signal goes better or worse after a test step. If the delay is too long, the impact of fluctuation to the measured level grows and may cover the small level difference caused by the test step. With the sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver, best results are achieved if the receiver is set to 0.5 Hz post detector filter bandwidth and a measurement delay of 1500 msec.
Recovery delay — After the ACU has done the tracking steps for the elevation axis, it waits some time before it starts tracking the azimuth axis. This is to let the beacon level settle after the final position has been found. A typical value for this parameter is 4000 msec.
Level averaging — When measuring the beacon level, the ACU takes a number of samples and averages them. The standard value of 5 samples normally should not be changed. Larger values will slow down the ACU execution cycle.
Retry after motor fault — When the ACU encounters a motor fault during steptrack, the tracking cycle gets aborted and the ACU shows a fault. This parameter tells the ACU how to proceed after this, with the next tracking cycle:

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NEVER — The ACU will not try to move the antenna again. This will stop tracking until an operator will have checked the antenna motor and re-started the tracking. FOREVER — The ACU try to move the antenna again with the next tracking cycle. If the antenna is really blocked, the ACU will try to move the antenna every tracking cycle. This increases the probability to keep the antenna following the satellite – even if the antenna motors show sporadic faults. But this also increases the risk to crash motors and/or spindles of the antenna. ONCE — This mode offers a compromise between preserving the motors and trying to keep the antenna following the satellite. The mode ONCE allows the ACU to do exactly one retry after a motor fault, if this fills as well the ACU stops tracking Smoothing interval — This parameter controls the smoothing function. Setting it to zero disables smoothing. Smoothing lets the ACU point the antenna to positions evaluated from a simple model calculated from the step track peaks of the recent few hours. A detailed description of this function you find at chapter 8.3.3 Smoothing’ Peak jitter threshold — If the jitter value of at least one axis exceeds this threshold, the ACU raises anmodel fault’. If this happens three consecutive times, the ACU resets the models of both axes. Adaptive tracking will be possible not until 6 hours after this happens.During adaptive tracking, the ACU evaluates for each axis a figure called jitter. The jitter value describes standard deviation of the measured peak positions with respect to the positions calculated from the (currently selected) model. The figure is also expressed as a percentage of the antenna’s beamwidth, low values indicate, that the model ideally describes the antenna’s path. High values indicate that’s something wrong. The step track results may be to noisy at low amplitudes or the model does not fit at all. This may be the case if a satellite gets repositioned in the orbit.A typical threshold value is 20%, this will detect very early that a model does not fit to describe the satellite’s motion. If this value causes false alarms too often, you may want to raise the threshold to 50%. Setting it to 0 switches the threshold monitoring completely off.
Spindle save mode — If set to OFF, the ACU does a step track optimization with every tracking cycle. If set to a value 1 .. 12, the ACU will insert steps where it positions the antenna following the actual ADAPTIVE model. If e.g. the spindle save mode is set to 2, the ACU will do a step track optimization in the first cycle, in the second and third cycle it skips this and moves the antenna following the actual ADAPTIVE model. This reduces the number of antenna movements and spindle wear.
Spindle save threshold — Defines the model quality (jitter value) neccessary to replace step track optimization steps in spindle save mode. If the jitter value of one axis exceeds this value, the ACU does step track optimization steps everycle even if spindle save mode ist active.
Model hysteresis — If set to a non-zero value, antenna movements below this threshold are suppressed whenever the antenna is controlled by an adaptive model or by ephemeris data. The value is expressed as a percentage of the half 3dB beamwidth of the antenna. You may use this parameter to reduce the number of antenna movements in these modes.
Apply model before track — If set to ON the ACU moves the antenna to a position calculated by the actual adaptive model before it starts a steptrack optimization sequence. With inclined orbit satellites this helps to follow the satellite with minimized level degradation.
Prediction Parameters
I11 Ephemerides — The ACU provides 99 named memory places (numbered 1..99) to

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store Intelsat 11 parameter sets. With this parameter you address the number of the I11 parameter set to be used with the I11′ orSTEP-I11′ tracking modes and for the I11′ initial pointing mode as well. The setting is a reference to the memory location where the I11 parameter are stored, hence, if the parameters at this location are changed the ACU automatically uses the changed parameters. TLE Ephemerides — The ACU provides 99 named memory places (numbered 1..99) to store TLE Ephemerides sets. With this parameter you address the number of the TLE parameter set to be used with theTLE’ or STEP-TLE’ tracking modes and for theTLE’ initial pointing mode as well. The setting is a reference to the memory location where the TLE parameter are stored, hence, if the parameters at this location are changed the ACU automatically uses the changed parameters. Target azimuth offset / Target elevation offset — The offsets specified here are added to any antenna pointing which is calculated from ephemeris data or from an orbit position and also to the pointing angles read from a file in PROGRAM tracking mode. The offsets can be used to compensate for differences between measured and calculated angles, e.g. if the azimuth axis of the antenna is not exactly vertical.
Beacon Receiver Parameters
If the ACU is configured to work together with a sat-nms beacon receiver, the receiver’s settings may be remote controlled from this section of the target parameters. The beacon receiver settings are stored when a target memory is saved and and set at the beacon receiver when a target memory is recalled. Beacon receiver parameters are not available if the ACU works with a 3rd party beacon receive
RF receive frequency — This is the receiver’s nominal receive frequency. Depending on the LO frequency settings made on the Setup page, the frequency value either is expressed as the RF receiver frequency or the L-band frequency at the receiver’s input. If the 22 kHz Tone’ setup parameter is configured as AUTO’, changing the frequency also may switch the 22kHz modulation on the LNB power supply on or off. Polarization — If on the Setup page the LNB voltage’ parameter is set toAUTO’, the receive polarization may be set with this parameter by changing the LNB Voltage. Attenuation — The receiver provides a switchable input attenuator which lets you adjust the input level in 10 dB steps. This is specially useful with large Antennas pointing to a satellite which generate a high flux density. With the attenuator you may adjust the input level in order to avoid saturation effects in the receiver. All input attenuator steps are calibrated, the attenuation values are taken into account for the displayed receive level. Available attenuator settings are 0, 10, 20 and 30 dB. Measurement Bandwidth — The receiver provides four different measurement bandwidth filters (6, 12, 30 and 100 kHz). The 30 kHz filter is suitable for majority of cases. Post detector filter — The receiver’s software applies a low pass filter to the measured level values. This is much like the video filter at a spectrum analyzer. Available bandwidth settings for this filter are 0.1 to 5 Hz in 1/2/5 steps. Lower bandwidth settings make the reading more stable, reduce the fluctuation. Please keep in mind, it will take a noticeable time until the level reading settles after an input level change with a very low bandwidth setting. Alarm Threshold — With this parameter you set the level threshold. If the measured level falls below this value, the receiver states a receive level fault. To disable the level alarm, set the threshold to a very low value, e.g. -120 dBm.Please note, that the threshold value refers to the signal level, even if the receiver operates in a C/N measurement mode. C/N Noise measurement — With this parameter you select if the receiver shall perform a plain input level measurement or a C/N measurement. A description of the C/N measurement

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function of the receiver is given in chapter 5.3 C/N Measurement . You may select one of the following measurement modes:
OFF — The receiver performs a plain level measurement. The Readings page shows the input level in dBm. C/N — The receiver measures the signal / noise ratio. The Readings page shows the C/N in dB. C/N0 — Like the C/N mode, but the receiver normalizes the C/N value to 1 Hz measurement bandwidth. The Readings page shows the C/N0 in dBHz. Frequency Tracking — This parameter switches the the frequency tracking facility of the receiver ON or OFF. A description of the frequency tracking facility is given in chapter 5.4 Frequency Tracking . Noise Measurement Frequency — With this parameter you specify the frequency at which the receiver shall measure the noise level at a certain interval. Like with the receive frequency, the LO frequency settings made at the Setup page are taken into account also for this frequency value.To get reasonable results with a C/N measurement, you should consider the following: 1. The receiver does not change the LNB frequency band setting when it switches from the level measurement to the noise measurement. The LNB probably would change it’s gain in this case. The noise measurement frequency hence must be in the same frequency band as the receive frequency. 2. Measuring the noise level at the band edge may falsify the result due to the LNB’s band filter. The measured noise level may be too low in this case. 3. You should verify with a spectrum analyzer, that no signal disturbs the noise measurement at the selected frequency. Frequency Tracking Interval — This parameter sets the interval on which the frequency tracking procedure operates. The value is in seconds. Recommended settings are 15 seconds to tune the receiver quickly to a frequency you do not know precisely. For normal operation a frequency tracking interval of one hour (3600 secs) is recommended. Noise Measurement Interval — This parameter defines the interval at which the receiver inserts noise measurements in the C/N modes. The time is specified in seconds. 3600 secs being one hour is a suitable setting in most cases. Frequency Tracking width — With this setting you limit the frequency offset the frequency tracking procedure may apply to the nominal frequency. The frequency tracking never tunes the receiver to a frequency outside the nominal frequency +/- this value, a frequency track fault is generated if the tracked frequency reaches the limit. Signal search enable — Setting this parameter to ON enables the automatic signal search function. With signal search enabled, the receiver searches the signal within the frequency tracking range when the signal ist lost. Chapter 5.5 Signal search describes this function more detailed. SEARCH NOW’ starts a search scan immediately, regardless of the enable setting. Analog output offset — The beacon level shown as 0V at the analog output. Signal search delay — This parameter defines the time, the receiver waits after the signal was lost until a search scan ist started. The valid range of this parameter is 0 .. 600 seconds. Analog output scale — The analog output scale (V/dB) Spectrum Compensation — With this parameter set toOFF’, the receiver’s level reading is calibrated for a C/W signal. By selecting a modulation type for this parameter, the level display gets compensated for the selected modulation type.
CLEAR TRACKING MEMORY
Clicking to this mark clears the tracking memory. You should do this when you start to track a new

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satellite. Clearing the tracking memory about half an hour after tracking started significantly improves the quality of the first adaptive tracking model which will be evaluated after 6 hours of tracking. This is because the model does not get disturbed by the first search steps the antenna does until the optimal pointing to the satellite is found.
Please refer to chapter 8.3 Steptrack , 8.4 Adaptive Tracking and 8.5 Program Tracking for more detailed informations about the tracking algorithms.

5.5 Test Page

The page `Test’ displays the electrical / logical level of all inputs and outputs of the ACU. This helps you to install the ACU or to identify a malfunction of peripheral components. The layout of this page differs slightly for ACUs equipped with a fourth axis. The POL2 raw angle encoder reading and the state of the extended inputs / outputs are displayed additionally for the 4 axis ACU.

test.gif
Below some information how to interpret the values in this page are given.
Electrical I/O Levels
The electrical state of an input or output is indicated by the HI / LO label displayed with the signal. HI means that current is flowing through the optocoupler for this input or output. LO means that no current flows. As some signals are defined to be true’ when a switch is opened, the electrical level of the signal not necessarily describes the logical level of this signal, too. Logical I/O Levels The logical level of an input or output is described by it’s color: Green means this signal is inactive, OK orfalse’. Read means the signal is active or `true’.

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Toggling output levels manually
The Test’ page also lets you toggle the actual state of each output signal simply by clicking to the underlined HI/LO mark of the signal. If you do this, you should consider the following: The ACU sets the motor driver outputs eight times a second for each axis having the motor driver type set toDIR-START’ or DUAL-START’. This immediately will overwrite any change you make. If you want to test if the motor driver outputs command the motor driver as expected, switch the motor driver type for this axis toNONE’ at the Setup page before you set the outputs manually. The `Test’ page is re-read by the Web-browser about once a second. Some browsers seem to ignore mouse clicks occasionally due to the screen refresh.
Adaptive tracking coefficients:
In adaptive tracking mode the ACU displays the coefficients of the actual model in two lines at the bottom of the text page. The number of coefficients displayed depends on the size of the model:
SMALL: a0,a1,a2 (1) MEDIUM: a0,a1,a2,a3,a4 (2) LARGE: a0,a1,a2,a3,a4,a5 (3)
If the beacon signal drops below it’s threshold, the antenna movement is calculated from these coefficients using the formulas shown below:
formula.gif

5.6 Setup

The page Setup’ contains the ACU’s installation parameters. The page displays a table with the parameters actually set. Each parameter value is a hyper-link to a separate page which lets you change this parameter. This parameter change page shows the actual parameter setting either in an entry field or in a drop down box. You may change the parameter to the desired value and then click to theSubmit’ button to pass the changed value to the ACU ODM. The ACU automatically returns to the setup page when the parameter has been changed. To cancel a parameter modification you already started, either use the Back’ button of you web browser or click to theSetup’ button on navigation bar. Both returns to the setup page without changing the parameter you edited.

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setup.gif
The table below lists the settings provided by this page.
Ge ne ral
This section of the setup page contains some general setup parameters.
Note — The text you enter here appears as the title of the main page of the ACU WebGUI. You may want to set this to a descriptive name of the Antenna controlled by this ACU. Date/time — By changing this value you can set the internal clock of the ACU. The clock is set as soon you click to the Submit’ button in the data entry dialog. The most precise method to set the time is to enter a time one or two minutes ahead and click toSubmit’ when this time is reached.

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Display refresh — With this parameter you select the refresh-rate of the ACU’s main window. Watchdog pulse on AUX8 — The AUX 8 output may be configured to act as a heartbeat output. If enabled, the output switches every 1000 ms between on/off. If using this signal for an external watchdog circuit, be aware that in adaptive tracking mode delays of some seconds are possible while the acu calculates the orbital model. Axes control mode — The ACU knows two axes control modes. The PARALLEL mode treats the azimuth/elevation axes independently. If a new pointing is commanded, both motors are activated in parallel, the antenna moves to the new location in the shortest possible time. In SEQUENTIAL mode, the ACU does not move the elevation axis while the azimuth motor is running. The antenna movement is done sequentially: First azimuth, then elevation. You should prefer the PARALLEL mode unless special conditions require a sequential antenna movement. The performance of the ACU in terms of pointing speed and wind load compensation will be much better in PARALLEL mode. Antenna mount type — Sets if the antenna mount is azimuth/elevation based or a Polamount. RS232 address — With this parameter you select the device address used to control the ACU through the RS232 interface. At ACU-RMU and ACU19 this parameter has to be set to NONE’. If you use a sat-nms Handheld this parameter has to be set toTERM’. The Handheld function is not implemented in ACU-RMU and ACU19 Version. RS232 baudrate — Sets the baudrate of the RS232 interface. RS485 address — With this parameter you select the device address used to control the ACU through the RS485 interface. RS485 baudrate — Sets the baudrate of the RS485 interface. Use cab open as hand held active — This controls the way, the cab-open input is interpreted. OFF makes the ACU show a CAB OPEN FAULT if this input is active, ON treats this input as an indication that the ACU is controlled by an analog handheld unit. Use hub fault as summary limit — This controls the way, the hub-fault input is interpreted. OFF makes the ACU show a HUB FAULT if this input is active, ON treats this input as a summary limit switch input for all axes. Antenna mount declination — The declination angle of a polamount antenna. This parameter is not used with az/el based mounts. Show debug trace — Clicking to GO shows a list of the recent debug messages issued by the ACU. the newest message is shown on top, the list gets updated automatically every few seconds.
Azimuth / Elevation / Polarization
The Azimuth’ /Elevation’ / Polarization’ sections contains the parameters which are specific to the individual axis. They are the same for each axis. ACUs equipped with a fourth axis show aPolarization 2′ section as well.
Antenna diameter — Set this parameter to the dish diameter. Units with the tracking function installed use this value to estimate some tracking parameters. With offset antennas, the diameter settings are different for the azimuth / elevation axes. This lets the ACU calculate suitable tracking step sizes individually for each axis. Step delta — This parameter defines size of a step the antenna moves when you click to the arrow buttons on the ACU main page. If you are using the arrow buttons to fine-tune the antenna pointing manually, the best value is the pointing hysteresis described below. This lets you move the antenna the smallest possible step when you click to an arrow button. For special applications however it might be helpful to set the step delta to a much greater value. Position sensor type — With this parameter you set the type of position sensor the ACU

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shall read for this axis. Principally, the ACU is capable to read SSI, RESOLVER and ANALOG type position sensors. The selected sensor type must match the type of interface board installed in your ACU. It is not possible to switch from SSI to RESOLVER or vice versa without changing the interface module.When selecting a SSI type position encoder, also the number of bits and the encoding scheme must be selected. For the position sensor type parameter these values are combined to one name. E.g. SSI-13G’ means 13 bit, Graycode SSI sensor,SSI-24B’ means 24 bit binary encoded SSI sensor.Beside the SSI- xxX, RESOLVER and ANALOG selections this parameter offers the choice NONE’ which tells the ACU not to read a position encoder at all. With this selection you can tell the ACU if the polarization is not to be controlled by the ACU.If you are using multiturn SSI encoders you will have to scale the reading (See Calibration scale’ below). Prescale offset — The pre-scale calibration offset is added to the raw position encoder reading before scaling is applied. The pre scale offset is defined as an 8-digit hexadecimal value in normalized position encoder ticks (00000000-FFFFFFFF equivalent to the full range of the encoder (0-360° with single turn encoders).The pre scale offset must be adjusted to avoid any 7FFFFFF to 8000000 overflow within the used range of the encoder. The value is added to the encoder reading, neglecting an overfly eventually occurring. Thus, the offset implements a 360° turnaround automatically.The pre scale offset may be computed and set manually or by assistance of the ACU’s automatic calibration function as described below. Post scale offset — The post scale calibration offset is added to the position value before the angle value is displayed, but after the scaling is applied. The post scale offset is defined in degrees of AZ/EL/POL.The ACU provides a function to calculate and set both, the prescale and the post-scale offset from a known pointing:
1. Set the calibration scale / gear ratio for the axis (this calibration parameter is described with the next paragraph).
2. Set the soft limits of the axis to preliminary values. In most cases this needs not to be very accurate, the ACU needs this information to calculate the pre-scale offset to shift the encoder overflow outside the used range.
3. Optimize the satellite pointing for the reception from a satellite for which the azimuth and elevation values are known.
4. Click to the calc’ label beside the calibration offset. 5. Enter the known pointing angle for the satellite and click to submit. 6. The ACU calculates and sets the calibration offsets to a value so that the actual pointing is displayed as the angle you entered. For the azimuth axis there is another offset which also is taken into account, theAntenna course’. This value is provided for mobile applications where a compass reading has to be included into the azimuth value.
Calibration scale — Normally the ACU assumes that the full range of a position sensor corresponds 360°. If you are using a multiturn position sensor or if the position sensor is mounted to the shaft of a gear rather than to the antenna axis directly, the position sensor reading must be scaled. The displayed angle is computed as follows: displayed-value = ((raw-reading+pre- scale-offs) * scale) + pos-scale-offs. Mathematically a scale value of 1.0 disables the scaling. Beside this, the ACU also accepts the special value 0 to disable scaling at all. If you set 1.0, the ACU performs the scaling with this factor. With the value 0 the scaling is skipped completely, including the conversion of the reading to floating point. This ensures, that the full accuracy is retained in cases where no scaling is necessary. Sense invert — With this parameter you easily can reverse the sense of a position sensor. The sense should be as follows:
Azimuth: The antenna looks more to the west for larger values.

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Elevation: Larger values mean higher elevation. Polarization: The feed turns clockwise (when looking through the antenna to the satellite) for increasing values. When operated on the southern hemisphere, the polarization sense must be set the other way round. Motor driver type — The ACU knows two different configuration modes to control a motor driver. They are called DIR-START and DUAL-START. In DIR-START mode, the FWD signal switches the motor on/off, the REV signal controls the motor direction. This is the configuration many frequency inverters use. In DUAL-START mode, the FWD signal switches the motor on in forward direction, REV activates the motor in reverse direction. This configuration mode is convenient to control a motor with relays. Beside the modes DIRSTART and DUAL-START you may set the motor driver type to NONE which prevents the ACU from controlling the motor at all. Low speed threshold — The ACU controls a motor at two speeds. If the actual position is far away from the target value, the ACU commands the motor to use the fast speed. Once the antenna comes close to the target value, the ACU slows down the motor. The low speed threshold sets the angle deviation which lets the ACU use the fast motor speed. Pointing hysteresis — The ACU performs the motor control as a closed loop: if the angle reading and the target value differ, the motor is switched on to compensate the difference. If the difference is less than the hysteresis value, the ACU leaves the motor switched off. This prevents the antenna from oscillating around the target value. Motor timeout — The ACU monitors the position readings while the motor is running. If there is no change in the position readings for some time, the ACU assumes to motor to be blocked and switches it off. This `motor timeout’ fault must be reset by the operator to release it. A timeout value 0 disables the timeout. Lower limit — The minimum target value accepted at the user interface and via remote control. This software limit prevents the ACU from running the antenna to the limit position under normal conditions. Upper limit — The maximum target value accepted at the user interface and via remote control. This software limit prevents the ACU from running the antenna to the limit position under normal conditions.
Beacon Receiver
Beacon RX type — Selects the source of the beacon level the ACU shall use. Available options are sat-nms and VOLTAGE. In sat-nms mode the ACU reads the beacon level from a sat-nms beacon receiver via UDP, in VOLTAGE mode the A/D converter input of the ACU is read. Please mention, that in sat-nms mode, the beacon receiver must be set to send UDP datagrams to the ACU/ODM. Beacon RX IP address — The IP address of the beacon receiver. Applicable only in satnms mode. Beacon RX voltage scale — The scale factor for the analog beacon level input. The value must match the scaling of the beacon level signal. Beacon RX 0V level — The beacon level which is displayed if the ACU recognizes 0V beacon level input.
Location
GPS receiver type — Defines the type of GPS receiver the ACU uses to read its geodetic location.’NONE’ tells the ACU that no GPS receiver is connected. The geodetic position of the Antenna has to be entered manually. The ACU synchronized its internal clock to the CMOS clock chip on the board.’NMEA’ tells the ACU to expect messages from a NMEA GPS receiver connected to the serial interface at CON8, pins 1-3. The ACU automatically sets the

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antenna’s geodetic location to the values received and synchronizes the clock to the GPS timestamps. If no NMEA messages are received, the ACU states a fault. Antenna course — The Antenna course is an additional offset which is included into the azimuth calibration. It is used for mobile antennas to set the orientation of the antenna without recalibrating it. For stationary antennas this value always should be set to 180°. Antenna longitude — The geodetic longitude of the antenna. For a precise orbit to pointing calculation this value should be entered with 0.001° accuracy. Antenna latitude — The geodetic latitude of the antenna. For a precise orbit to pointing calculation this value should be entered with 0.001° accuracy. Antenna abs. altitude — The absolute altitude over sea of the antenna location.
Orie ntation
Compasstype — Applicable only for car-mobile variants of the ACU Inclinometer type — Applicable only for car-mobile variants of the ACU Nick offset — Applicable only for car-mobile variants of the ACU Roll offset — Applicable only for car-mobile variants of the ACU
SNMP Control
From Software version 2.1.007 or higher, the sat-nms ACU contains an SNMP agent listening at UDP port 161. The SNMP agent provides a common subset of the MIB-II system / interface parameters and gives full access to the remote control capabilities of the sat-nms ACU with a number of MIB objects placed in the private.enterprises tree.
The actual MIB file defining the ACU’s private MIB may be downloaded from the ACU itself by FTP (user service’, passwordservice’). The file ACUODM.MIB’ contains all necessary information. SNMP read community — Sets the SNMP community string expected for read access. The default ispublic’. SNMP write community — Sets the SNMP community string expected for write access. The default is public’. SNMP trap community — Sets the SNMP community string sent with traps. The default ispublic’. SNMP traps — This parameter decides if the SNMP traps are enabled or disabled. SNMP system name — The ACU replies to MIB-II sysName requests with the text entered at this place. SNMP system location — The ACU replies to MIB-II sysLocation requests with the text entered at this place SNMP system contact — The ACU replies to MIB-II sysContact requests with the text entered at this place. MIB File — click here to download the MIB file SNMP trap IP 1-4 — Enter up to 4 trap destination IP addresses (dotted quad notation) to make the ACU sending traps by UDP to these hosts. Setting the parameter to 0.0.0.0 disables the trap generation.
Access Control
User password — Here you can define the password for the user’ login. Default password isuser’. When you are logged in as user’ you can command the antenna pointing, set the tracking parameters (if applicable) and store / recall targets. You can’t modify the setup parameters or issue low level commands on the test page while logged in asuser’. Admin password — Here you can define the password for the `admin’ login. Default

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password is `admin’. When you are logged in as “admin? you have full access to all parameters of the ACU, including the setup and the tweaks on the test page.

5.7 Handheld/ Frontpanel Operation

The antenna may be moved by means of the optional handheld or frontpanel controller. There are five different version available which will be supported by the sat-nms ACU:
LCPH , a very basic handheld which allows the movement of all three axis. It will be connected via the optional LCPI interface module, located between ACU- ODM and motor driver. LCPHD-PT , similar to the LCPH, but with angular display. RCPH , a ruggedized frontpanel controller connected via serial interface to the sat-nms ACU-ODM. RCPH19 , similar to the RCPH but in a 19? rack version. Handheld Terminal , not longer available but still supported in the ACU software.
Re mark:
The ACU-RMU and ACU19xx Versions have already a build in frontpanel control and therefor, there is no additional Handheld interface available at these units.

5.7.1 LCPH (Local Maintenance Controller)

The Local Maintenance Controller is a Handheld, which realize a sat-nms ACU- ODM independent direct control of all 3 motor driver.

LCPH.png
Ope ration The operation is more or less self explanatory. Please make sure that the “Ant Stop? button is released before you try to move the antenna. Use the button which is for each axis available to move the antenna in the defined direction. With the fast/slow switch you can choose the speed of the azimuth and elevation axis.
Remark: Requires LCPH-UP if sat-nms ACU-ODU-AC was delivered before 5/2014.

5.7.2 LCPHD-PT (Local Maintenance Controller with Display)

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The LCPHD-PT is very similar to LCPH, but with angular Display and PT- Connector for direct connection to the outdoor cabinet. Have a look to the previous chapter for the description.

LCPHD.png
Remark: Requires LCPH-PT-UP if sat-nms ACU-ODU-AC was delivered before 5/2018.

5.7.3 RCPH (ACU Handheld Controller)

The RCPH is a ruggedized control panel which is useable to control the basic settings of the ACU without the need of a Ethernet connection. The interface to the ACU-ODM is a serial RS422 link. The integrated display shows angle values of all 3 axes and beacon level. There is possible to control of all 3 axes manually as Jog-Control or by enter desired angle values via keyboard. Also step move and a target call will be supported. For a detailed operation description see chapter 6.

RCPH.png Remark: Requires RCPH-UP for sat-nms ACU-ODU-xx to realize the interconnection.

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5.7.4 RCPH19 (ACU Handheld Controller 19?) The RCPH19 is very similar to

the RCPH, but mounted in a 1RU 19 Inch rack drawer. Have a look to the previous chapter for the description.
RCPH19.png Remark: Requires RCPH-UP for sat-nms ACU-ODU-xx to realize the interconnection. ### 5.7.5 Handheld Terminal This unit is not longer available. This chapter is for existing handheld terminals only. Startup Set parameter RS485 address’ on the ACUs Setup-page toTERM’. This enables communication between the ACU and the sat-nms handheld. Connect the Handheld with the provided cable (Handheld: 9pol DSUB + Power supply, ACUCabinet: 15pol DSUB). After connecting the Handheld, push the Redraw button once. The startup screen, that shows the installed software version is displayed for a few seconds. After that the menu for controlling the antenna is displayed automatically. Ope ration

hh-keys.gif

— Emergency STOP, stops all Motors immediately, it has to be released by pushing the -button
— Releases the motor-lock that was set by pushing the STOP-button.
— Back to start screen — Turns the Polarisation counterclockwise

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— Selects the step-size: small steps: x°/keypress (x is the value that was set on the setup-screen), large steps: 10*x°/keypress, continuous mode: the antenna moves as long until the -button is pushed or a limit switch or limit value is reached.
— Turns the Polarisation clockwise
— Moves the antenna up (EL)
— Moves the antenna to the left (AZ)
— Stops the antenna movement (only in continuous mode)
— Moves the antenna to the right (AZ)

— Moves the antenna down (EL)
Remark: This unit is not longer available, but still software supported from the sat-nms ACUODM.

5.8 Target Editor

The target editor lets you edit the contents of a target memory without actually applying the target setting. Using the editor permits to edit target setting while the antenna is tracking and in operative use.
You enter the target editor for a certain target memory by clicking to the edit’ icon in the target’s line in the target selection page. The editor page looks much like the tracking parameters page, it contains the same information with some additional parameters. You edit each single parameter the same way as at the trackon parameter page: click to the parameter, edit the value, and finally submit the change. All this happens with a temporary copy of the tareget memory. The target memory itself is not changed by this unless you click theSave’ button at the very bottom of the page.
General Settings
Target name — A descriptive name for this target memory. If the ACU-ODM is used stand alone, you are free to enter any text here. Target memories are saved and recalled by number, hence it does not matter if there are duplicate target names. If however the ACUODM is controlled by a sat-nms monitoring and control system, targets are recalled by name with this software. In this case you should avoid duplicate names and you should be aware, that the sat-nms software will remove all punctuation characters from the target name. Target names in the sat-nms software may only consist of characters A-Z (upper or lower case), digits and the characters space, -‘ and.’. Tracking mode — The tracking mode parameter selects the tracking method, the ACU actually uses. Possible selection are:
OFF — No tracking is performed. STEP — Step track mode. In regular intervals, the antenna performs small search steps to optimize the pointing. Chapter `8.3.0 Step Track’ gives more information about this mode. STEP-TLE — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of

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the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves along the path calculated from a TLE parameter set instead. STEP-I11 — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves along the path calculated from an Intelsat 11 parameter set instead. MEMORY — The antenna tries to optimize its pointing like in STEP mode. If the level of the received signal is too low for this optimization, the antenna moves to the position it had exactly one siderian day before. ADAPTIVE — The adaptive tracking mode works the same way as step track, but it additionally is capable to predict the satellite’s position when the beacon reception fails. It computes mathematical models of the satellites motion from the step track results recorded over a certain time. Details about this tracking mode are given in chapter 8.4.0 Adaptive Tracking’ . PROGRAM — The program tracking mode is different from the modes above. The ACU moves the antenna along a path which is described in a data file. No beacon reception is required for this. You have to create such a data file and copy it with FTP to the ACU before you can use this mode. SatService GmbH provides a PC software which lets you easily create data files for program track from commonly used ephemeris data sets for geostationary satellites. Chapter8.5.0 Program Tracking’ describes this tracking mode more detailed. TLE — The antenna moves along a path calculated from a TLE ephemeris data set. There are no optimization steps and no receive signal is required for such an optimization. I11 — The antenna moves along a path calculated from an Intelsat 11 parameter data set. There are no optimization steps and no receive signal is required for such an optimization. Initial pointing mode — The initial pointing mode specifies how the antenna finds its initial position before it starts the tracking mode selected with the setting above. This parameter only has an effect, when a target memory gets recalled. Changing the initial pointing mode does not re-position the antenna. Possible selection are: STORED-POSTION — The antenna moves to the Az/El/Pol angles stored for the particular satellite. After this position has been reached, the tracking selected by the tracking mode’ is started. ORBIT — The antenna’s Az/El/Pol angles are calculated from the satellite’s orbit position stored in the recalled target memory. Thetarget azimuth offset’ and target elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by thetracking mode’ is started. TLE — The antenna’s Az/El angles are calculated from the TLE data set selected in the recalled target memory. The target azimuth offset’ andtarget elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. The Pol angle is set to its stored position in this mode. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by the tracking mode’ is started. I11 — The antenna’s Az/El angles are calculated from the I11 data set selected in the recalled target memory. The target azimuth offset’ and target elevation offset’ values described later on this page are added to the calculated angled before they are applied. The Pol angle is set to its stored position in this mode. After the commanded position has been reached, the tracking selected by thetracking mode’ is started. Tracking cycle time — The cycle time specifies how often the ACU shall perform a step track cycle. The value is to be entered in seconds. In fact, the parameter does not specify a cycle time but the sleep time between two tracking cycles. This means, the true cycle time is

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the time the ACU needs to perform one step track cycle plus the time entered here. 300 seconds (5 minutes) is a good starting value for this parameter. Inclined orbit satellites probably will require a shorter cycle time, very stable satellites can be perfectly tracked with one step track cycle every 15 minutes (900 seconds). The maximum cycle time accepted by the ACU is 1638 seconds. This parameter is also used so specify how often the antenna position shall be moved in the PROGRAM, I11 and TLE tracking modes. Polarization prediction — Actually not implemented. Target orbit position — The nominal orbit position of the satellite (°E). This value is used for the initial pointing of the antenna if the initial pointing mode’ is set toORBIT’. Inclination — Actually not implemented.
Pointing Angles
Az target value /El target value / Pol target value / Pol2 target value — The pointing angles stored with the target are used to position the antenna if the initial pointing mode is set to STORED-POSITION’. Steptrack Parameters Tracking step size — The tracking step size is a very important parameter for the performance of the tracking. It defines the size of every depointing step, the ACU makes in order to find out where the optimal antenna pointing is. Setting too high values will cause significant signal degradations during the step track cycle because the antenna moves a too large amount away from the satellite. Setting the value too small will let the beacon level jitter mask the level differences caused by the test steps, the antenna will not track the satellite properly.The step size is specified as a percentage of the antenna’s half 3dB beamwidth. The ACU calculates the beamwidth from the antenna diameter and the beacon frequency. Expressing the step size in this relative way keeps the value in the same range, regardless of the type of antenna. The recommended value for this parameter is 15-20%. You may want to start with 20% and try to reduce down to 15% if the signal degradation during tracking becomes too high.The tracking step size is a common parameter for both axes. If both axes behave differently, you can tweak the antenna diameter settings in the setup. Specifying a larger diameter makes the ACU using a smaller step size for this axis.If the tracking step seems to be completely out of range, you should check if the beacon frequency is set properly. The frequency must be the true receive frequency at the antenna, entered in MHz, not an L-band frequency or other IF. Beacon frequency — This parameter tells the ACU the frequency of the beacon signal to be used for tracking. The ACU calculates the antenna beam width from this frequency and the antenna diameter configured at the setup page. The value has to be entered as true receive frequency, no L-band or other IF frequency. When used with a SatService beacon receiver, the ACU automatically reads the beacon frequency at the start of each tracking cycle from the receiver. Any value entered here will be overwritten in this case. The beacon frequency entered here never sets the frequency at the receiver, neither with a SatService receiver nor with a third party device! Level offset — Principally there are two ways to display a beacon receive level: Either as an absolute level in dBm as reported by the receiver or as a relative level with0dB’ signalling the nominal level at clear sky conditions. The latter gives an easy measure for any degradation of the receive level.The parameter Level offset’ lets you calibrate the absolute reading of the beacon receiver to the relative level. You may either enter a value to shift the reading by this offset or you may click to thecalc.’ link beside this parameter to set the offset to the actual absolute level reading, making the actual level being 0dB relative. Level threshold — If the beacon level falls below this threshold value, the ACU does not

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perform a step track cycle. If the level falls below the threshold during the steptrack cycle, the cycle gets aborted.If the ADAPTIVE tracking is enabled and there is enough data in the tracking memory, the ACU computes a mathematical model from the stored data and predicts the antenna pointing position from the extrapolation of the model. Analogously the antenna is moved to the actual TLE it I11 position in such a case if the STEP-TLE’ or STEP-I11′ mode is selected. If the tracking mode is set to STEP’, the ACU leaves the antenna where it is if the beacon level drops below the limit.Adjusting the threshold level that adaptive tracking is switched as expected must be done carefully and may require some iterations, specially if the beacon is received with a low C/N. A good starting value for the threshold is 10 dB below the nominal receive level or 2 dB above the noise floor the beacon receiver sees with a depointed antenna, whatever value is higher.To turn off the monitoring of the beacon level (this in fact inhibits the adaptive tracking), simply set the threshold the a very low value (e.g. -99 dBm) AZ Maximum model type / EL Maximum model type — These settings let you limit the adaptive model to a simpler one, the ACU would choose by itself. The maximum model type can be set individually for each axis. Normally you will set both axes toLARGE’, which leaves the model selection fully to the ACU’s internal selection algorithms.In cases where the ACU seems to be too `optimistic’ about the quality of the step track results, the maximum model on one or both axes may be limited to a more simple and more noise-resistant model. Specially inclined orbit satellites which are located close to the longitude of the antenna’s geodetic location may require this limitation for the azimuth axis. With such a satellite, the elevation may move several degrees while the azimuth shows almost no motion. Measurement delay — During a steptrack cycle, the ACU positions the antenna to a certain offset and then measures the level. Between the moment when the antenna reached commanded position and the beacon level measurement the ACU waits some time to let the beacon level settle. The optimal delay value depends on the beacon receiver’s averaging / post detector filter setting and is a quite critical for the steptrack performance.If the delay is too short, the beacon voltage does not reach its final value, the steptrack does not properly recognize if the signal goes better or worse after a test step. If the delay is too long, the impact of fluctuation to the measured level grows and may cover the small level difference caused by the test step. With the sat-nms LBRX beacon receiver, best results are achieved if the receiver is set to 0.5 Hz post detector filter bandwidth and a measurement delay of 1500 msec. Recovery delay — After the ACU has done the tracking steps for the elevation axis, it waits some time before it starts tracking the azimuth axis. This is to let the beacon level settle after the final position has been found. A typical value for this parameter is 4000 msec. Level averaging — When measuring the beacon level, the ACU takes a number of samples and averages them. The standard value of 5 samples normally should not be changed. Larger values will slow down the ACU execution cycle. Retry after motor fault — When the ACU encounters a motor fault during steptrack, the tracking cycle gets aborted and the ACU shows a fault. This parameter tells the ACU how to proceed after this, with the next tracking cycle:
NEVER — The ACU will not try to move the antenna again. This will stop tracking until an operator will have checked the antenna motor and re-started the tracking. FOREVER — The ACU try to move the antenna again with the next tracking cycle. If the antenna is really blocked, the ACU will try to move the antenna every tracking cycle. This increases the probability to keep the antenna following the satellite – even if the antenna motors show sporadic faults. But this also increases the risk to crash motors and/or spindles of the antenna. ONCE — This mode offers a compromise between preserving the motors and trying to keep the antenna following the satellite. The mode ONCE allows the ACU to do exactly

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one retry after a motor fault, if this fils as well the ACU stops tracking Smoothing interval — This parameter controls the smoothing function. Setting it to zero disables smoothing. Smoothing lets the ACU point the antenna to positions evaluated from a simple model calculated from the step track peaks of the recent few hours. A detailed description of this function you find at chapter 8.3.3 Smoothing’ Peak jitter threshold — If the jitter value of at least one axis exceeds this threshold, the ACU raises anmodel fault’. If this happens three consecutive times, the ACU resets the models of both axes. Adaptive tracking will be possible not until 6 hours after this happens.During adaptive tracking, the ACU evaluates for each axis a figure called jitter. The jitter value describes standard deviation of the measured peak positions with respect to the positions calculated from the (currently selected) model. The figure is also expressed as a percentage of the antenna’s beamwidth, low values indicate, that the model ideally describes the antenna’s path. High values indicate that’s something wrong. The step track results may be to noisy at low amplitudes or the model does not fit at all. This may be the case if a satellite gets repositioned in the orbit.A typical threshold value is 20%, this will detect very early that a model does not fit to describe the satellite’s motion. If this value causes false alarms too often, you may want to raise the threshold to 50%. Setting it to 0 switches the threshold monitoring completely off.
Prediction Parameters
I11 Ephemerides — The ACU provides 99 named memory places (numbered 1..99) to store Intelsat 11 parameter sets. With this parameter you address the number of the I11 parameter set to be used with the I11′ orSTEP-I11′ tracking modes and for the I11′ initial pointing mode as well. The setting is a reference to the memory location where the I11 parameter are stored, hence, if the parameters at this location are changed the ACU automatically uses the changed parameters. TLE Ephemerides — The ACU provides 99 named memory places (numbered 1..99) to store TLE ephemerides sets. With this parameter you address the number of the TLE parameter set to be used with theTLE’ or STEP-TLE’ tracking modes and for theTLE’ initial pointing mode as well. The setting is a reference to the memory location where the TLE parameter are stored, hence, if the parameters at this location are changed the ACU automatically uses the changed parameters. max. TLE/I11 age — If the epoch of a TLE or I11 parameter set which is actually in use (TLE’ orI11′ tracking modes) is older than the time specified here, a TLE-OUTDATED or I11-OUTDATED fault is raised. This has no impact on the TLE/I11 tracking but signals, that the ephemeris data should be updated for an optimal antenna pointing Target azimuth offset / Target elevation offset — The offsets specified here are added to any antenna pointing which is calculated from ephemeris data or from an orbit position and also to the pointing angles read from a file in PROGRAM tracking mode. The offsets can be used to compensate for differences between measured and calculated angles, e.g. if the azimuth axis of the antenna is not exactly vertical. The buttons at the bottom of the target editor page let you either save the edited value, save the edited values to another memory location or you may leave the editor without saving the changes. CANCEL — This abadons the editing process, leaves the stored values unchanged. You are returned to the target selection page SAVE — This saves the edited values and returns to the target selection page. The updated target memory is not recalled, not applied to the live’ settings. If you want this, you have to clickgo’ for this target memory at the target selection page. SAVETO — This saves the edited values to the memory location set at the entry field right beside the button. The value in this field is preset with the target number for which the editor

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has been opened. It has to be changed if the editor shall save the edited target to another location. After saving the ACU returns to the target selection page. Like with SAVE’, the saved target memory is not recalled, not applied to thelive’ settings.
All three buttons work immediately when clicked, there is no `do you really want’ query before the clicked action is executed.
Please note, that the ACU-ODM uses one single temporary memory for the target editor. The implies that the target editor may not be used from more than one browser window at a time or the edited values will be messed up. This also applies to a remote controlled edit session, either a target memory may be edited in the WebGUI or via an external software, not from both sources at the same time.
Target Editor Page Example:

targedit.gif

5.9 Orbital Data Editor

The ACU permits to store up 99 TLE ephemerides data sets and up to 99 Intelsat 11 parameter data sets. The datasets are numbered 1..99 and are referenced in the target memory data by this number. This means you assign a data set to a target satellite by its number rather than by its name.

Position 0 in the table is reserved and labeled `NONE’. In the Target Editor or when editing the actual tracking parameters, you may select dataset 0 to tell the ACU that there are no TLE/I11 ephemerides known for this particular satellite.

The Orbital Data Editor page shows a table of all 99 datasets of a type (TLE or I11) with their memory number and their name. Unused datasets have no name assigned, they are shown with their memory number only. The table shows either the TLE datasets of the I11 datasets, the heading above the table described which type of ephemerides are actually shown. At the top right corner of the page there is a link which you can click to switch between TLE and I11.

A click to the number or name of a dataset in the table opens a page which lets you edit the parameters of this particular dataset. For TLE parameter sets this is the TLE Dataset Editor , for I11 datasets the I11 Dataset Editor . At these pages the parameters of the datasets may be

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edited, the changed values may saved to the original or to another memory location.
At the bottom of the Orbital Data Editor page below the table there is link labeled “re-read the TLE.TXT file? (or “re-read the I11.TXT file? if the I11 datasets are actually shown). Clicking this link makes the ACU re-read the file like at power up.
At the end of each of the data set editor chapters you find a step by step instruction how to upload a complete set of 99 TLE or I11 datasets with FTP and how to make the ACU use the new data.
Orbital Data Editor Page Example:

orbdata.gif

5.9.1 TLE Dataset Editor

If you click to a TLE dataset number at the Orbital Data Editor page, the ACU opens the TLE Dataset Editor page for this particular dataset. The editor shows the TLE data in a multiline text field where it can be edited or modified with copy&paste. A number of buttons are provided to tell the ACU what to do with the edited dataset.
The buttons at the right side of the TLE dataset editor page let you either save the edited values, save the edited values to another memory location or you may leave the editor without saving the changes.
CANCEL — This abadons the editing process, leaves the stored values unchanged. You are returned to the orbital data selection page SAVE — This saves the edited values and returns to the orbital data selection page. If the ACU actually uses the TLE dataset with this number for tracking, the new dataset will be used with the next tracking cycle. SAVETO — This saves the edited values to the memory location set at the entry field right beside the button. The value in this field is preset with the TLE memory number for which the editor has been opened. It has to be changed if the editor shall save the edited TLE data to

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another location. If the ACU actually uses the TLE dataset with this number for tracking, the new dataset will be used with the next tracking cycle.
All three buttons work immediately when clicked, there is no `do you really want’ query before the clicked action is executed. To delete a dataset, clear the text input field and save the dataset, its content will be cleared.
TLE Dataset Editor Page Example:

tleedit.gif
You may use copy&paste to get the TLE data from the external source into this form field, this is a convenient way to edit or update single TLE datasets at the ACU. Beside this, the ACU permits to upload a text file with all 99 datasets with FTP. This way you may update / replace all TLE data at once. The procedure for this is described below step by step:
Step 1: prepare a text file named TLE.TXT containing all 99 TLE datasets
In this file, each dataset occupies exactly 3 lines of text: one line with the satellite name followed by two lines of TLE data. The TLE data format is commonly used, a detailled specification of the format may be found at Wikipedia.
TDRS 3 1 19548U 88091B 21039.70744037 -.00000308 00000-0 00000-0 0 9992 2 19548 14.0431 355.3612 0039480 323.7372 25.7572 1.00275903105784

SKYNET 4C 1 20776U 90079A 2 20776 13.9269 TDRS 5 1 21639U 91054B 2 21639 14.2519 TDRS 6 1 22314U 93003B 2 22314 14.0797

21039.50845519 .00000115 00000-0 00000-0 0 9996 3.9374 0002599 315.1892 36.0996 1.00268879111281
21039.72583038 .00000073 00000-0 00000-0 0 9991 8.6689 0026423 358.2787 225.7580 1.00268316108116
21039.89348271 -.00000306 00000-0 00000-0 0 9994 11.8449 0005571 62.6291 340.3063 1.00279982102812

ASTRA 1D 1 23331U 94070A 2 23331 9.4282 …

21039.48377461 -.00000282 00000-0 00000-0 0 9990 40.8176 0003567 279.7873 279.3655 1.00273492 96683

The example above shows the the beginning of a TLE.TXT file defining the `TDRS 3′ satellite in

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dataset 1, SKYNET 4C’ in dataset 3,TDRS 5′ in dataset 4 and so on. Datasets 2, 6 and 7 are empty in this example, unused datasets have to be expressed as three empty lines. Please note, that this scheme must be strictly followed as the software interprets the file content based on the line numbers.
Step 2: upload the TLE.TXT file to the ACU using FTP
You may use the FTP client of your preference for this, simply connect to the ACU’s IP address and log in with user name service’, passwordservice’. Then upload the TLE.TXT file to the default directory on the ACU. You may be asked to confirm if the existing TLE.TXT file shall be overwritten.
Step 3: reload the TLE.TXT file in the ACU software
For this last step open the Orbital Data Editor page from the navigation bar and ensure that the page shows the TLE ephemerides list (The heading Two Line Elements’ is shown at the top left). Now click to there-read the TLE.TXT file’ link at the bottom of the page.
The TLE data is now imported from the TLE.TXT file, replacing all TLE ephemerides previously stored on the ACU.

5.9.2 I11 Dataset Editor
If you click to a I11 dataset number at the Orbital Data Editor page, the ACU opens the I11 Dataset Editor page for this particular dataset. The editor shows the I11 data as a form with multiple fields where each parameter can be edited. A number of buttons are provided to tell the ACU what to do with the edited dataset.

The buttons at the bottom of the I11 dataset editor page let you either save the edited values, save the edited values to another memory location or you may leave the editor without saving the changes.

CANCEL — This abadons the editing process, leaves the stored values unchanged. You are returned to the orbital data selection page SAVE — This saves the edited values and returns to the orbital data selection page. If the ACU actually uses the I11 dataset with this number for tracking, the new dataset will be used with the next tracking cycle. SAVETO — This saves the edited values to the memory location set at the entry field right beside the button. The value in this field is preset with the I11 memory number for which the editor has been opened. It has to be changed if the editor shall save the edited I11 data to another location. If the ACU actually uses the I11 dataset with this number for tracking, the new dataset will be used with the next tracking cycle.

All three buttons work immediately when clicked, there is no do you really want’ query before the clicked action is executed. To delete a dataset, clear thename’ input field and save the dataset, its content will be cleared.

170 Hour Prediction Values Check

The I11 ephemerides contain the predicted satellite at 170 hours after the epoch of the data set. The I11 dataset editor uses this predicted position to verify if the ephemerides data has been entered correctly. When the a data set has been saved (SAVE’ orSAVE TO’), the ACU calculates the satellite position for 170 hours after the epoch and compares the calculated position to the predicted values in the data set. If they differ more than 0.005°, a warning is displayed with both,

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the calculated and the predicted angles.
The edited dataset is saved even with this warning displayed, but you should re-edit it and check if all values have been entered correctly.
I11 Dataset Editor Page Example:

i11edit.gif
For Intelsat ephemerides there is no compact standard format defined as is for TLE ephemerides, hence entering each particular parameter into the form shown above is the way to edit or update single I11 datasets at the ACU.
Beside this, the ACU permits to upload a text file with all 99 datasets with FTP. This way you may update / replace all I11 data at once. The procedure for this is described below step by step:
Step 1: repare a text file named I11.TXT containing all 99 I11datasets
In this file, each dataset occupies exactly 3 lines of text: one line with the satellite name followed by two lines of I11 data. The expected format for the I11 data is described below the example shown here:
EUTELSAT 10A 2020 04 29 00 00 00;10.0156;-0.0041;-0.000151;-0.0139;0.0005;-0.0598;-0.0003… 9.9328;-0.0580
EUTELSAT 12 WEST B 2020 04 29 00 00 00;-12.4836;-0.0024;-0.000200;0.0337;0.0005;-0.0746;-0.0001… 347.4772;0.5068 EUTELSAT 16A 2020 04 29 00 00 00;15.9867;0.0034;-0.000108;-0.0047;0.0004;-0.0584;-0.0004… 15.9675;-0.0562 EUTELSAT 33E 2020 04 29 00 00 00;33.0998;-0.0036;-0.000029;-0.0299;0.0003;-0.0370;-0.0004… 33.0263;-0.0425

EUTELSAT 7A 2020 04 29 00 00 00;59.6893;0.0029;0.000033;-0.0404;0.0000;-0.0292;-0.0004… 59.6600;-0.1654

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The example above shows the the beginning of a I11.TXT file defining the EUTELSAT 10A’ satellite in dataset 1,EUTELSAT 12 WEST B’ in dataset 3, EUTELSAT 16A’ in dataset 4 and so on. Datasets 2, 6 and 7 are empty in this example, unused datasets have to be expressed as three empty lines. Please note, that this scheme must be strictly followed as the software interprets the file content based on the line numbers. The ACU uses a special text format for I11 parameters which contains the data for one satellite in three lines: Line 1 contains the satellite name Line 2 contains the epoch time and the 11 parameters of the satellite model. They have to be formatted as a semicolon separated line containing the coefficients in the following order: EPOCH;LM 0;LM 1;LM 2;LONC;LONC1;LONS;LONS1;LATC;LATC1;LATS;LATS1 The epoch has to be (exactly) defined in the formatYYYY MM DD HH MM SS’. Numbers have to be given with (exactly) 4 digits precision, except for the LM2 parameter which must be formatted with 6 digits following the decimal point.
Line 3 contains the prediction values as two numbers LON;LAT, each with 4 digits precision.
Step 2: upload the I11.TXT file to

satnms ACU2-19 Antenna Controller

Specifications

Product Information

Product Usage Instructions

FAQs

Introduction

Safety Instructions

The sat-nms ACU19

3.1 Frontpanel Display

3.2 Frontpanel Keyboard

3.3 Motor and Limit Switch interfaces

3.4 Analog beacon level input

3.5 Angle encoder interfaces

3.6 Compass and inclinometer interfaces

3.7 Remote interfaces

3.8 Mains input

Installation

4.1 Mechanical installation

4.2 Interfaces to the Antenna, Pin descriptions

4.2.1 Connector Layout

4.2.2 Pin descriptions

4.3.1 Setting the IP Address

4.3.2 Limit switches

4.3.3 Angle detectors

4.3.4 Motors

4.3.5 Pointing/ Tracking

4.3.6 Backup of ACU settings

Operation

5.1 The Web-based User Interface

5.2 Antenna Pointing

5.4 Tracking Parameters

5.5 Test Page

5.6 Setup

5.7 Handheld/ Frontpanel Operation

5.7.1 LCPH (Local Maintenance Controller)

5.7.2 LCPHD-PT (Local Maintenance Controller with Display)

5.7.3 RCPH (ACU Handheld Controller)

5.7.4 RCPH19 (ACU Handheld Controller 19?) The RCPH19 is very similar to

5.8 Target Editor

5.9 Orbital Data Editor

5.9.1 TLE Dataset Editor

References

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Related Manuals