Oscarwatch V 1.1.3 and Foxdelta ST3 rotor controller

[F1IPY]

Hello Peter,
I have been using Oscarwatch from the very beginning without any issues.
I installed the latest version, and now the rotator tracking no longer works.
The rotor configuration is of the GS-232 type, using an foxdelta ST3 controller (https://www.foxdelta.com/projects/st3.htm)
A new message has appeared in the rotor control panel: "COM 4 open, but no response received." It is perfectly normal not to receive a response from the ST3, as it was designed that way (it is older hardware). Is it possible to restore the original functionality?

Regards, 73
Christophe F1IPY (F6KRK)

[magicbug]

Hi Christophe,

Thanks for the clear report, and sorry for the trouble.

In v1.1.3 I added a check when the rotator connects. The idea was only to confirm the COM port was really there. In practice it asked the controller for its position and, if nothing came back, it treated the port as the wrong device, closed it and never sent any move commands. The ST3 accepts GS-232 goto commands but does not report position, so it was blocked even though it is working exactly as designed.

I have fixed this for the next release:

• Opening the COM port is now all OscarWatch needs before it starts tracking. If the port is missing or in use you will still get an error.
• For GS-232 and EasyComm, OscarWatch asks for the position once after connecting. If the controller does not answer, it stops asking until the port is reopened, so interfaces like the ST3 only receive goto and stop commands.
• The sidebar shows the last commanded azimuth and elevation when the controller does not report position.

Until the next release is out, please use v1.1.2, which does not have this check:
https://github.com/magicbug/OscarWatch-Tracker/releases/tag/v1.1.2

Your settings carry over, so you can install the new version over the top when it is available.

73,

Peter MM9SQL

[F1IPY]

Thank you for your excellent work and responsiveness.
73

[magicbug]

Happy to help, really enjoying developing the app!

[magicbug]

New builds available https://github.com/magicbug/OscarWatch-Tracker/releases/tag/v1.1.4