Antenna rotor

[Vipersan]

Having never used one I'm curious ...
Why are they so expensive considering usals motors are so cheap relatively speaking..?
So ..what amount of angular shift do the provide ...and can you set limits ?
I was actually considering trying to mod a usals motor to do this job ...mainly because I could the set positions .
..but of course this would limit rotation to about 130 degrees of arc ..
So if anyone has experience of these units ..perhaps you'd like to share ?
How do commercial units compare ..?
Is it simply a wall mounted dial with no preset positions ?
..sort of ..point and click..
what diameter of pole can be attached ...and what kind of loading is permissable..
rgds
VS

 

[Terryl]

Well you can go real cheap (under $100 US) or go real expensive (over $1000 US) depending on what your trying to rotate.

The cheap ones can hold up a large deep fringe TV antenna, the big expensive ones Hams use can hold several hundred pounds (in a tower using thrust bearings) one of mine is about $450 US, it holds two beam antennas, one for 6 meters and one for 2 meters/ 440 MHz (combo beam) on a tower.

The other is from Hi-Gain and is around $150 US, it holds the stacked array of TV antennas.

The one for the ham antennas can rotate 450 degrees either direction from due North. (you have to swing it back to North before going around the other way)

The TV rotor can rotate 355 degrees from were ever you set it to as a starting point.

All are based on the total wind load of the antenna structure and amount of torque your going to put on it.(Torque is how much the rotor can stop) some of the bigger Ham rotors can hold up to 650 pounds with a total wind load of 32 square feet.

If your array weighs 50 pounds with a total wind load of 10 square feet or more then you need the bigger rotor, if just a standard deep fringe TV antenna on a short 1 foot standoff mast then you can use a cheap one.

The cheap ones can use a mast of about 1-1/2 inches, the larger Ham rotors can use up to 3 inches or more.

The ChannelMaster CM-9521a is about $93 US at Walmart it can hold about any TV antenna made.

 

[blademedia]

Tracking via software is available on the better models its years since I messed with them maybe a ham will help you better, I used this type it was possible to set limits etc very accurate you can get one that tracks incline if you have big pockets, sorry cant be more help its been a long time since I used one.
Home Page Prosistel Produzione Sistemi Telecomunicazione

 

[Vipersan]

Not sure I need to shift such heavyweight stuff ...

Perhaps the weight of a small satellite dish and a yagi antenna ..

At the moment I'm not planning anything specific ..
So more for experiment ..

 

[s-band]

I've used light weight cheap azimuth e.g. Yaesu etc. I had a very cheap CDR that lasted years until it stripped its gears and windmilled. It did have a large array on it though. For big arrays they need to be in a tower cage due to the overturning moment if there's a long pole on top.

Have a look rotators for ham satellite work from people like Waters & Stanton

BM, interesting, I'd not seen that brand. I've asked if the SPID rotators are capable of a 3.8 solid dish but have yet to get a reply. There are some fair sized dishes shown here: User Pictures
Note that the big dishes use counter-balances.

 

[Vipersan]

I've used light weight cheap azimuth e.g. Yaesu etc. They are OK but for big arrays they need to be in a tower cage due to the overturning moment if there's a long pole on top.

BM, interesting, I'd not seen that brand. I've asked if the SPID rotators are capable of a 3.8 solid dish but have yet to get a reply. There are some fair sized dishes shown here: User Pictures
Note that the big dishes use counter-balances.

Thanks G ..
Checked that link ...
Think I just died and went to heaven ..
lol

 

[blademedia]

I've used light weight cheap azimuth e.g. Yaesu etc. They are OK but for big arrays they need to be in a tower cage due to the overturning moment if there's a long pole on top.

BM, interesting, I'd not seen that brand. I've asked if the SPID rotators are capable of a 3.8 solid dish but have yet to get a reply. There are some fair sized dishes shown here: User Pictures
Note that the big dishes use counter-balances.

Don't rate spid from past experience, you will find motor to move your dish from my link.

 

[blademedia]

Hello if its a light yagi this would be a cheap option, I picked up a used telescope recently with similar tripod for £70

 

[Terryl]

A TV or Ham rotor will not turn a satellite dish like an H to H motor, all the antenna rotor will do is turn it 360 degrees along the horizon.

The H to H motor pans the dish along the Clark belt in an arc, if you want to move the dish along the horizon looking for other things then it would work.

 

[Lazarus]

Here's a Ham Rotor

 

[Archive4]

I´m up for a slice of that! With extra crackling of course!

 

[blademedia]

They tend to use az/el tracking with the correct software you can track anything in view

 

[davemurgtroyd]

A TV or Ham rotor will not turn a satellite dish like an H to H motor, all the antenna rotor will do is turn it 360 degrees along the horizon.

The H to H motor pans the dish along the Clark belt in an arc, if you want to move the dish along the horizon looking for other things then it would work.

Surely if the antenna mast is at the right inclination angle then the rotator will track the satellite arc in exactly the sam way as the H to H motor, after all both are just rotating around a fixed pole.

 

[Vipersan]

For now at least I wouldn't need elevation ...just AZ ...
As I said ..it's just experimental .
to effectively link site to site ..
I wanted to experiment with a Cantenna on a dish ...
rgds
VS

 

[blademedia]

I was actually considering trying to mod a usals motor to do this job ...mainly because I could the set positions .

Hello I cant see any reason why not ? use motor with 360 cog and remove any stops /limits ?.

 

[Vipersan]

Hello I cant see any reason why not ? use motor with 360 cog and remove any stops /limits ?.
View attachment 97374

Yes Indeed Blade ...I think I have one somewhere in the loft ...
This might indeed provide a solution ..
rgds
VS