APC400 Overview
The APC400 Antenna Control Unit is an antenna controller that
provides basic point, maintenance, and
optional tracking functions for small and medium-sized earth
station antennas. The APC400 provides the
user with control over basic motorization kits for earth station
satellites by utilizing a simple liquid crystal
display (LCD) front panel interface and powerful software protocol
options. The software protocols can
be manipulated through remote control.
The APC400 replaces the legacy APC 100 Antenna Controller. When
equipped with an optional beacon
interface adapter PCB and appropriate software license keys, the
APC400 may be used to replace a legacy
Andrew APC300 Controller.
Standard Features
The APC400 supports the following standard features:
Motor control for two and three axis motor systems utilizing
standard interface
Two different motor speeds for azimuth and elevation axes
Single speed polarization rotators
Automatic positioning of antennas through pre-programmed look
angles
Operator control using an LCD panel and keypad
Operator remote control through network and serial port-based
communication protocols,
including legacy protocols and Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP)
10/100 BaseT ethernet interface
Serial port interface (multiple serial ports)
Optional Features
In future releases, the APC400 can be equipped with several
optional features for more complex earth
stations. The APC400 Antenna Control Unit can be purchased with
tracking capabilities and the
following more advanced features:
Integral beacon receiver to support three-point peaking based
step-track
NORAD and Intelsat ephemeris predictive tracking
SmarTrack® hybrid feedback/predictive program tracking
Unlocking the tracking features also enables several other
features, such as a time-sequenced event/fault
log. All of these features require optional hardware, and require
installation of a software license key.
APC400 Subsystems
This section provides a high-level overview of the APC400’s
subsystems. The APC400 includes the
following subsystems:
Processing Subsystem
Resolver to Digital Subsystem
ASC300LW Beacon Receiver
The Model ASC300LW Beacon Receiver is a high performance unit that
is designed to real time track the power density of a satellite
beacon and output a DC voltage that is linearly proportional to the
beacon power. The applications for the ASC300LW are for antenna
step track controlling and uplink power control systems.
