Palstar HF-AUTO Controller - Overview

[@mw0lge]

UPDATED TO VERSION v1.0.1 over on GitHub

[@kp4cz-Jose]

Awesome Quality Work! Thank you, Richie! 💪 😎 ✌️

[@MikeN2MDX]

Very cool stuff Richie great job buddy, i gave a heads up to the fellas about this and they are all trying it out. Thank you 73's! 😉👍

[@Embarking-on-a-new-adventure]

Wow, just got my hand on a second hand HF-Auto. So this is great to connect to my HL2! You are a SW wizard. Thetis is getting the best software one can imagine.

[@KC2QMA]

OMG! Richie you are amazing! I will be donating to you as well! THANK YOU!!!! You have just greatly increased the value of the HF-Auto and the ANAN again!

[@GodzillaBill]

Genius! What I have been looking for for years.

[@RobB_VK6ES]

Have the HF Auto and 7000DLE. Donated as soon as video ended. Finally a back door way to sling some $ your way for thetis development.

[@mw0lge]

Many thanks Rob :)

[@artc9114]

FINALLY a DONATE button. I will be the first to CLICK that 100% Thank you for your passion, Richie.

[@DarrenN4VFR]

@@artc9114 exactly!

[@DarrenN4VFR]

Woah! This is awesome! Thank you for the Palstar HF-Auto interface. Richie, will we need an RS232 interface to USB connection?

[@mw0lge]

yes, rs232 from back of the tuner to the pc, add a bunch of ferrite there as well ;) Palstar do a cable, which is what I use, so can't advise if other makes work, but I expect they do. I think the wiring is standard pin2/3/5, but check the manual if making your own. Good luck :) 73

[@artc9114]

Is there any how-to info on building a container for Thetis to show the HF-Auto green display while in operation?

[@mw0lge]

i will make a video on this soon art, unless you are over on discord and I can show you a demo there

[@DarrenN4VFR]

Let's say if you want to disconnect the antenna's if a lightning storm is approaching. For remote HF on the Anan, can the HF Auto disconnect the antenna's and say you put a dummy load on ANT3, then select ANT3? Would that be like disconnecting the antennas from the radio?

[@mw0lge]

Well i guess connecting the trx to the DL via ANT3 would help somewhat, but the other two antenna sockets would be connected to the sky. It might help in a small way but I doubt would save you from a close by strike, but who knows, it can't hurt. I will look into obtaining lightning data for the locator/lat/long from somewhere and add a feature in the future. Good idea as minimal protection is better than none :) Cheers 73 !

[@mw0lge]

i could also add if tuner inactive for X time then move to ANTN port. Then return to where it left off when active again.

[@DarrenN4VFR]

@mw0lge Great idea! There is an option on the HF Auto when you turn it on to select the default Antenna. Right now, I have Ant2 as my start up Antenna.

[@cheesedoodlefeeder]

For those of us that don't have an hfauto, having a lightning alert feature just in thetis would be a great idea. It could switch the rig to an unused ant port also ext io maybe to also drive an external coax switch possibly. Not that a direct or close by lightning hit wouldn't zorch everything out, but high electrostatic voltages from nearby lightning might be mitigated.

[@slickman1953]

I just installed mine and the HF-Auto does not respond to commands from the controller, It shows all the correct info if I use HF-Auto to change the ant position but not from the controller. I'm running firmware 2.4. Also, does this cable rs232 need to be a null modem cable?

[@mw0lge]

null modem wont work afaik, it is a pin2, pin3 and pin5 cable. I just use the one that Palstar sell.

[@Rattletrap-xs8il]

I'm using a SunSRD2DX radio, I can control my HF-Auto with your V1.0.1 software but I don't get all that info returned from the HF-Auto that populated the area over the "Donate button" when I connect to it. I don't have a Palstar cable yet (I have a USB-Serial CH340) and I am on Firmware V2.3.6. Only thing that came up in that field is Valid: True, F/W Version: 250.42, Mode: 64 (UNKNOWN). The circuit board is 7507301 12/10/2018. I would think if the cable was a problem nothing would return from the unit and I wouldn't be able to control it.