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I am looking for an antenna rotor controller with a TCP/IP interface. Most rotor controllers (like the ones for YAESU series) are either serial or USB-based. I was wondering if there are alternatives that could be connected with a standard ethernet cable and be accessed through TCP/IP.

Thanks in advance.

Moses.

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    $\begingroup$ There is at least one with builtin WiFi, but we aren't supposed to do product recommendations here. $\endgroup$
    – hobbs - KC2G
    Commented Jul 28, 2021 at 4:49
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    $\begingroup$ I recommend to leave open; this isn't a solicitation for a product rec, but rather a request for alternatives. $\endgroup$
    – webmarc
    Commented Aug 1, 2021 at 0:48

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The method I use to connect over the network to several different hardware devices that only come with USB and/or serial interfaces is to colocate an inexpensive Raspberry Pi as the protocol converter.

This method is highly flexible and not limited to the protocols that a specific model of hardware adapter might support. There are multiple RaspberryOS(Linux) utilities that will turn TCP or UDP packets into serial port signals (perhaps thru a USB-to-serial adapter, etc., if needed). Or one can write a script or Python program to customize your network interface protocol to whatever hardware device you might want to use (serial, USB, Bluetooth, SPI, I2C, audio, buffered raw GPIO logic levels, isolated relay contact closures, etc.) Then connect to the hardware device thru the Raspberry Pi (or equivalent SBC) over your LAN, or even remotely over a WAN network.

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My advice would be to use some sort of ethernet-to-RS232 adapter, or Wi-Fi-to-RS232 adapter. A web search reveals many such devices for sale. I have successfully helped to test such a device across the internet to remotely control an antenna rotator. (Unfortunately I don't remember the brand of the device that was successfully tested.) The computer on the other end, across the internet, installs software that creates a virtual COM port (for a Windows computer, not sure what other OSes are supported). Once the connection is set up, the rotator control software is told to use the virtual COM port, and then things "just work" despite the physical distance between the computer and the station.

Controlling a typical ham antenna rotator is a good use for remote control over the internet, because the amount of data is small, and a few tenths of a second of latency don't matter. That much latency with received audio is a much bigger problem when trying to conduct contest QSOs, unfortunately.

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  • $\begingroup$ I too have used an RS-232 to Ethernet adapter (and I can't remember its name either.) The drivers make the device look like a serial port (for example COM5:). As long as the software doesn't need to control the hardware (which was common back in the dark ages of XP) it does a great job. I have a folder called "Lantronix" and the driver software was called "Com port redirector", so I don't know if either of those are current production names. $\endgroup$
    – Duston
    Commented Aug 2, 2021 at 13:18

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