New Manufacturer Spotlight: AALogic Rotator Controller, Mic Control Interface & More

The list of amateur radio product manufacturers at DX Engineering continues to grow! At OnAllBands, we’re doing our best to keep up with the wave of equipment that has been added to the comprehensive selection of amateur radio gear at DX Engineering.

For an overview of the latest additions to DX Engineering’s lineup of products from more than 180 manufacturers, simply click on “What’s New” from the DXEngineering home page.

Today, we’ll be looking at high-performance equipment from one of these new additions—AALogic. Founded in 1979 as DenRad Technical Group, the company became AALogic in 1998, focusing on products for the telecommunications sector. Led by company principals and Extra class licensees, Wayne Mathews, N5FPD, and Wayne Morris, AC5V, AALogic shifted its attention to amateur radio equipment. Today, the company produces high-performance devices that continue to improve operations at stations around the globe.

Here’s a summary of AALogic equipment you’ll want to seriously consider for your setup:

DTC-100 Version 6 Rotator Controller

This controller is compatible with digital pulsed feedback rotators such as the Orion 2800, the Alfa SPID, HyGain DCU-3 compatible rotators, and the DX Engineering RT4500HD. It will also work with rotators that use resistive sensors to determine the orientation of the rotator, including Yaesu’s G450/G800/G1000/G2800 series and all HyGain rotators.

The DTC-100-V6 also allows the user to set soft rotational limits for both Yaesu and HyGain rotators that incorporate mechanical limits to help keep the rotator from traveling to the mechanical stop. A full-color, five-inch touchscreen display fills the front panel.

The DTC-100-V6 supports extensive calibration options when it comes to rotators that don’t have “hard limit” switches. Even with those that do, the user can set soft limits for stopping the rotator before the hard limit switches are set. Once the rotator type has been selected in the calibration screen, the user can set rotation limits for both clockwise and counterclockwise rotation.

The configuration of the DTC-100-V6 allows the user to adjust the backlight, the start and stop brake function (needed on HyGain rotators), coast settings, and ramp up and down speeds. These settings allow for control of the rotator as it gets close to the end of its safe rotation, allowing for the rotator to coast to a stop and not jerk to a halt where you want the antenna pointing.

Six memories allow the user to set frequently accessed headings to expedite a starting point of turning the antenna. Memories can also be programmed on an ad hoc basis and not saved to work DX or for some operating event that is outside of the user’s normal scope of operation.

The main operating screen provides a graphical representation of where the antenna is facing, saved memories, quick access to the system configuration screen, and controls to manually turn the antenna clockwise and counterclockwise as well as stopping the rotation. The display also shows if the rotator has spun into the overlap zone, and if there is remote control of the DTC-100.

MCI-102 Mic Control Interface

This handy device lets you use one microphone on two different radios, even if those radios are from different manufacturers.

(Image/AALogic)

It also lets you use the same foot switch and amplifier key line on either radio, with no cable juggling—just the flip of a switch. The front panel features four switches: Power, Key Enable, Radio Select, and Mic Select. LEDs indicate status at a glance, and there is also an RJ-45 and 8-pin foster…