I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

On 2004-12-22, wrote:
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

Making your own rotator system is probably more trouble than it is worth.
For smaller antennas you could always use an "Armstrong Rotator" -- in fact,
the more you use one of these simple rotators, the larger the antenna array
you will be able to move.



--
Alex / AB2RC
Linux is user friendly, however it is not idiot friendly

I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.
===================================
First a few questions :
1) What type of rotating antenna do you intend using , a small Yagi ,a large
Yagi , a small or big Quad antenna ?
2) Do you suffer ,from time to time , from high winds in your area ?

Especially heavy rotating antennas with a relatively high wind loading need
a powerful motor/gearbox + a BRAKE !
The latter is an absolute necessity otherwise the internal gear train will
be wasted in a short time.
Another requirement for the rotor is to be weather proof.
If the whole mast , either fitted against a building or other elevated
structure (steel tower) ,is rotating from top to bottom (inside bearings)
the electric rotator can be fitted at ground floor level . This allows some
freedom in selecting electric motor + gear box and brake . In this situation
you might not need an electric drive at all since the rotation could
possibly be established by purely mechanical means ( pulleys +
belt/cable/rope) with a ditto clamp preventing rotation when stationary.

However with the rotator in an elevated position (near the antenna ) a
homebrew unit is probably 'very difficult' .
Perhaps others on this NG would care to comment.

Frank GM0CSZ/KN6WH

when I first started as a ham (in the early 1960's) people used "prop-pitch"
motors for their antennae -- I don't know if Fair Radio has them anymore --
they were a regular item at the Dayton Hamfest way back then.

I just sold a CDR rotor (with controller) on EBay a few months ago.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

"John Walton" wrote in message
...
when I first started as a ham (in the early 1960's) people used
"prop-pitch"
motors for their antennae -- I don't know if Fair Radio has them
anymore --
they were a regular item at the Dayton Hamfest way back then.

I just sold a CDR rotor (with controller) on EBay a few months ago.

And at the other extreme, when I was first a ham in the mid 90's, I used a
tv rotator on a push up pole rotating a 3 element 2m yagi and a 40 m dipole
made with 2 40 m mobile whips. It all depends on the antenna array you
intend to move and what the winds are going to be like.
thanks, John.
KC5DWD

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.


Please a want ad in the news papers of fringe and deep fringe areas of the
US, such as western and southern Illinois. You should have hundreds offered
for postage !

gb