# Maps and Antennas

## Main view

The Main view is **two configurable panes** (per profile, Settings → General →
*Main view*), with a **draggable divider** between them (double-click it to
even them out). Choose from: great-circle map, locator (street) map, the
cluster grid, the worked-before grid, recent QSOs, the **FlexRadio** controls,
the **Icom** or **Yaesu** console, or the **Net control** panel.

## Great-circle map

- Short/long-path **distance & azimuth** to the worked station.
- Selectable, **key-free** basemaps: Light / Voyager / Street / Satellite.
- The **antenna beam lobe(s)** are drawn from the rotor azimuth.
- **Day/night terminator** and twilight band (button at the top right).

## Locator (street) map

An OSM street map centred on the contacted grid square — handy for local /
portable contacts. No API key.

## Rotators

An azimuthal-equidistant **click-to-turn** compass; the current heading and
target are shown. The needle follows a turning antenna smoothly — OpsLog polls
faster while the position is changing and backs off once it is parked.

**Two rotors** can be configured (two towers, or a Rotator Genius driving two).
A Rotor 1 / 2 selector appears on the compass; OpsLog turns and displays the
one you pick.

### Types (Settings → Rotator)

Every rotator interface is configured here, once — including the az/el ones a
satellite pass needs. The satellite page does not configure a rotator; it picks
one of these.

| Type | Axes | Connection | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **PstRotator** | Az, or Az + El | UDP | Enable PstRotator's UDP listener (Setup → Communication → UDP). Tick *This rotator has an elevation axis* if the mast behind PstRotator has one — PstRotator itself will forward elevation to a rotor that cannot use it. |
| **Rotator Genius** (4O3A) | Az | TCP, port 9006 | Native. *Rotator #* picks which of the two the box drives; *Two rotors* adds the second as its own rotor. |
| **GS-232 azimuth** (microHAM ARCO, ERC) | Az | LAN or USB | Set the controller's CONTROL PROTOCOL to *Yaesu GS-232A*. An **ERC** must be in GS-232 emulation, **not** Hy-Gain DCU-1. |
| **ERC-M by DF9GR** | Az + El | USB COM or LAN | The az/el interface for a **Yaesu G-5500** and its relatives. GS-232 emulation, 19200 baud out of the box. Pick this rather than the GS-232 azimuth entry: it is what tells OpsLog the mast has an elevation motor. |
| **Hy-Gain DCU-1** | Az | COM port or serial-over-IP | RotorCard DXA, Idiom Press Rotor-EZ, Green Heron. A DCU-1 is 4800 baud; others may differ — match the controller. |
| **SPID / AlfaSpid** | Az + El (Rot2Prog) | COM port | Native, so PstRotator is not needed in between. See below. |
| **EasyComm II** | Az + El | COM port or TCP | What SatPC32, Gpredict, Hamlib and K3NG firmware speak — the usual choice for a home-built az/el controller. |

Each interface carries an **Az** or **Az + El** badge beside its name, so you can
see at a glance which of your rotors can follow a satellite.

**Rotator range (360° / 450°)** appears for the interfaces OpsLog drives itself.
A 450° mast follows a pass straight through north instead of unwinding. It is
deliberately absent for PstRotator: PstRotator knows which controller is on the
other end and does its own overlap, and two programs each deciding to go the
long way round is how an antenna unwinds mid-pass.

### SPID / AlfaSpid

Pick the dialect to match the controller — they are not interchangeable:

- **Rot2Prog** — RAS, BIG-RAS/HR, MD-01, MD-02. Azimuth **and** elevation.
  600 baud.
- **Rot1Prog** — the older azimuth-only controllers (RAK, RAU). 1200 baud.

The two use different frame lengths, so a wrong choice shows up at once: the
**Test** button reports a reply of the wrong length rather than leaving you to
find out when the antenna turns oddly.

Two towers means two controllers, each on its own COM port and each a separate
rotor in OpsLog.

> **The Test button on a SPID, an ARCO or a DCU-1 only READS the heading** — it
> confirms the port, the speed and the dialect without moving anything, and
> says so. (PstRotator and a Rotator Genius are instead sent a move to 0°.)

## Motorized antennas (Ultrabeam / SteppIR)

Both follow the **rig frequency** (band change → retune) and retune immediately
when you click a spot, with three modes — **Normal**, **180° reverse**,
**Bidirectional**:

- The **radiating direction** is shown in green and the **mechanical boom** in
  grey, on both the compass and the map.
- On a FlexRadio, transmit is **inhibited while the elements move**, and
  released as soon as the antenna is tuned.
- **SteppIR — Tunable range** (Settings → Hardware → Antenna, default
  13–54 MHz): outside it OpsLog leaves the antenna and the TX interlock
  completely alone, so tuning to 30 m on a 20 m–6 m SteppIR does nothing.

Related hardware: [[Amplifiers and Switches]] (Antenna Genius switch, Tuner
Genius, relays).