Hello,
I got somehow working AT and now I want to test it with vehicle simulated in SITL. Vehicle does perfect its job in SITL (flights mission around near to AT with circle diameter 400m) but the AT doesn’t move at all when switched to auto mode. I assume it is because it doesn’t have GPS 3D fix since I’m sitting with AntennaTracker in my flat without GPS signal. Therefore I’m curious if is possible to set GPS position of AT with my static values and make AT use this position instead of data from real GPS?
Or could be there another reason the AT doesn’t follow the vehicle in SITL?
Is there a way how to verify the AT is bind/connected to some vehicle (even vehicle in SITL)?
See this. It is not your case since I wanted to use Mission Planner as tracker, but if you have a Pololu Maestro (and your AT has conventional servos) you can experiment if it moves with SITL using MP.
MP: PLAN, right click, option to place tracker (default Home).
See that for rover I need to locate the tracker above the rover, not knowing how.
Starting to be hopeless. All data seems to flow correctly - between SITL vehicle and AT, between SITL vehicle and MissionPlanner and between AT and MissionPlaner. GPS 3D fix achieved on AT, AT is correctly configured and sensors/compass is calibrated. But the AT is not moving at all. When testing Pitch and Yaw movement on Extended Tuning page, servos on AT are moving OK, when switched to Scan mode it moves OK, when switching to Auto mode no output on ch1 and ch2 
. On Messages tab I can see:
Command received: but nothing else, no error message, that I can trace the problem!
At last I made my AT working. BUT there is a problem with SITL. My AT is working only with live real vehicle running on real hardware. It’s pitty and strange because when using SITL in MissionPlanner everything seems to be OK only AT doesn’t aims to target when auto mode is engaged.
The situation in MissionPlanner seems to be pretty the same as for displaying AT, vehicle and their headings and directions to target when using real vehicle instead of SITL.
Does somebody have working configuration - real Antenna tracker that is following vehicle simulated in SITL?
Hi,
Following is my procedure to run SITL for my AT. Hope it works for you.
To run SITL :–
- Connect AT controller to PC Mission Planner via telemetry radio. Don’t click “connect”
- Click “Simulation
- Choose vehicle
- Top right hand corner changes from “connect” to “disconnect”, and COM port changes to “TCP”
- Press “Ctrl –F” . If “temp” windows does not pop up, drag the whole windows up/down a bit, then Press “Ctrl-F” again, “Temp” windows will pop up immediately. Otherwise, you have to wait for few minutes before trying to press “Ctrl-F”.
- Click “Mavlink”. “Serial output -Mavlink” windows pops up.
- Select COM port and set speed to 57600, make sure the tracker has booted, then click “Connect”, followed by long beep.
- Quad appears on AT screen
- Wait for 2-3 seconds, then click “Arm and takeoff”
- Then select whatever mode to fly in “Actions” tab under HUD. (Seems only GUIDED mode works)
If it still does not work, re-open the “Serial output -Mavlink” window , click “Connect” again, and then click “Arm and takeoff”.
My situation is the other way round verus yours, in that, my quad works well in SITL, AT pans and tilts the vehicle which is GUIDED MODE in the map. However, for live vehicle, it only pans once or follows the vehicle very briefly (1-2 second), and then stop tracking. I have spent couple of years to make it work
but fail. Hope you can share your experience.
well with SITL I’m not able to test since it doesn’t work with my AT in any way. But whe connecting to real vehicle it works somehow. Still not tested in the air, have not time for now.
Hi, I don’t know if this is a right forum to ask but , is there a way to set the default direction of the mission planner / Maestro based ATT as that would resolve all complication needed to make a 360 deg antenna tracker as most long range missions are less than10 Degree shift from mean. two 90 deg servo will be good for east and south bound missions …
this question may be out right stupid and the answer may be obvious and somewhere there, but i could not find it !
Ravi