Hy-Gain TX2 / DCU-1 via USB-serial – left/right buttons reversed + Stop button + auto rotator not working
Posted: Sat 8. Aug 2026, 13:28
Using Rotor to control my Hy-Gain TX2 rotator through a Hy-Gain DCU-1 controller, connected via a USB-to-serial adapter (Prolific PL2303G-USBtoUART chipset).
**Setup:**
- Protocol: DCU-1
- Interface: Serial (Use serial)
- Poll rate: 500 ms
- Connect at start: enabled
- Serial port: PL2303G-USBtoUART23120
- Baud rate: 4800
- Connected: RUMlog logbook UDP port 12060 (enabled), WSJT-X broadcast UDP port 2237 (present but not enabled)
Everything connects fine (port shows "open", status LEDs green) "direction, grid, call” Field is working however, the manual rotation controls in the main Rotor window are not behaving correctly:
1. Clicking the **right rotation button** (clockwise) actually makes the TX2 rotate **left** (counter-clockwise).
2. Clicking the **left rotation button** (counter-clockwise) actually makes the TX2 rotate **right** (clockwise).
3. The **Stop** button does **not work at all** — the rotor keeps turning and does not stop when pressed. I can stop the rotation only on the DCU-1 control unitpress stop button.
So it looks like the CW/CCW direction commands sent over the DCU-1 protocol are swapped, and the Stop command is either not being sent or not being recognized by theDCU-1 control unit.
On top of that, the **Auto Rotator** feature (linked to the RUMlogNG, "Log DXCC: Always") doesn't work correctly either: when a new station is logged/spotted (e.g. G7RCQ at 100°, or "G" at 321°), the Rotor window does show the command being issued — "Last sent command: Turn to 321°" — but the physical rotor never actually moves. It stays parked on its previous position; the command seems to be generated and displayed by the app, but it never physically reaches/turns the DCU-1.
I’ve also attached a photo of the DCU-1 unit at that moment: the display correctly shows two values at the same time—151 (current position) and 321 (target position)—but the rotator doesn’t move on its own; to move it, I have to press the start button on the control unit. Furthermore, if I close the “rotor” and then reopen it, the rotator starts up and reaches its destination.
Thanks in advance for any help!
73, Luigi IW5DNZ
**Setup:**
- Protocol: DCU-1
- Interface: Serial (Use serial)
- Poll rate: 500 ms
- Connect at start: enabled
- Serial port: PL2303G-USBtoUART23120
- Baud rate: 4800
- Connected: RUMlog logbook UDP port 12060 (enabled), WSJT-X broadcast UDP port 2237 (present but not enabled)
Everything connects fine (port shows "open", status LEDs green) "direction, grid, call” Field is working however, the manual rotation controls in the main Rotor window are not behaving correctly:
1. Clicking the **right rotation button** (clockwise) actually makes the TX2 rotate **left** (counter-clockwise).
2. Clicking the **left rotation button** (counter-clockwise) actually makes the TX2 rotate **right** (clockwise).
3. The **Stop** button does **not work at all** — the rotor keeps turning and does not stop when pressed. I can stop the rotation only on the DCU-1 control unitpress stop button.
So it looks like the CW/CCW direction commands sent over the DCU-1 protocol are swapped, and the Stop command is either not being sent or not being recognized by theDCU-1 control unit.
On top of that, the **Auto Rotator** feature (linked to the RUMlogNG, "Log DXCC: Always") doesn't work correctly either: when a new station is logged/spotted (e.g. G7RCQ at 100°, or "G" at 321°), the Rotor window does show the command being issued — "Last sent command: Turn to 321°" — but the physical rotor never actually moves. It stays parked on its previous position; the command seems to be generated and displayed by the app, but it never physically reaches/turns the DCU-1.
I’ve also attached a photo of the DCU-1 unit at that moment: the display correctly shows two values at the same time—151 (current position) and 321 (target position)—but the rotator doesn’t move on its own; to move it, I have to press the start button on the control unit. Furthermore, if I close the “rotor” and then reopen it, the rotator starts up and reaches its destination.
Thanks in advance for any help!
73, Luigi IW5DNZ