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Re: [TowerTalk] OR-2800PX Point and Shoot?

To: K8RI on TT <k8ri-on-towertalk@tm.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] OR-2800PX Point and Shoot?
From: Stan Stockton <k5go@cox.net>
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 05:41:31 -0600
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
This is great entertainment.  I vote for Jim on this one.

It my be that what we don't know doesn't hurt us, but all rotator  
boxes I have ever played with including the PST-61 pale in comparison  
to the Green Heron controller - although the PST-61 comes in second.   
I don't know anything about Pulse Width Modulation and RFI (or HVAC  
costs) but don't think the serious M/M contest stations would have as  
many Green Heron boxes as they could possibly afford if there was a  
problem.  I want two more and am quite sure will question myself five  
years from now why I didn't buy them in 2011. I  believe if you had a  
prop pitch refurbished by K7NV and a Green Heron control box you would  
perhaps have the very best and trouble free rotator system possible.

Stan, K5GO

Sent from Stan's IPhone



On Mar 3, 2011, at 3:20 AM, K8RI on TT <k8ri-on-towertalk@tm.net> wrote:

> On 3/3/2011 3:19 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
>> Date: Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:22:20 -0500
>> From: K8RI on TT<k8ri-on-towertalk@tm.net>
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] OR-2800PX Point and Shoot?
>>
>> Point and shoot?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Roger (K8RI)
>>
>> ## The GH  box's  have a large knob on the front panel....marked  
>> off over 360 degs.
>> The digital display always shows the CURRENT  heading.    You  
>> simply crank the knob
>> over from say ZL land  to  say EU  [ 30 deg from me].... and sit  
>> back and watch the show.
>> After a brief pause, the rotor will ramp up in speed..like a 9 x  
>> speed auto transmission, and once up
>
> I'd hardly call that "point and shoot", although it is the most basic
> rotator function and the only available with the early TV rotators.   
> My
> PST-61 has a feature where you just punch a button to get you "close".
> To me that is "point and shoot".
>
>> to max speed..whizzes  over the pole to EU.   When it gets  20-30  
>> degs  b4 EU.. it starts the slow down sequence
>> and ramps  down  from speed's 9, down to 8-7-6-5-4  etc... till   
>> it's  barely crawling along..then stops..exactly at
>> 30.0 degrees.    It will put it within .1 deg  of where u want it  
>> every time.
>
> 0.1 degree of the heading with a beam than may have 30 or 40 degrees
> between the half power points?
> Even with the largest of HF physically rotatable arrays, "off that a
> way" is far more accurate than needed.
>
> Even with large VHF and UHF arrays (except for large dishes) 2 or 3
> degrees is great.
>
>> ##  once u start cranking the knob, the display will also display  
>> the  new heading, or where ever the knob is cranked to.
>> That way you can dial up a specific heading...like 34.6 degs  if  
>> you like.   It's  all automatic, no fuss, no muss,  and with the
>> ramp up/down... you don't trash gears etc.   On ramp up, ur not  
>> slamming all the torque on at once.
>
> I agree with the ramp up and down, but hate the thought of any one
> using  PWM control any where near my station.
>
>>  With the PWM
>> motor controller,  it ensure u get max torque, even when rotating  
>> at slow speeds. PWM  just applies  max  normal
>> voltage.. but with gaps  between pulses.   IE:  they alter the duty  
>> cycle to control the speed.   Since each pulse gets max voltage,
>
> And has the potential for creating maximum RFI.
> I'm looking at geothermal H&V for the house. The estimate cost per  
> year
> here in central MI where it's presently 7F is about $360 per year.   
> That
> heat and air conditioning for a whole year.  It sounds cheap until I
> figure it currently costs a tad under $700 per year with a more
> conventional H&V system.  That means I'd have to be 120 or 130 by the
> time the thing saved enough to pay for itself and that's with some
> pretty good rebates and tax incentives.
>
>> that scheme  minimizes any loss of torque.
>
> That'd I'd argue.  For 100% torque you need 100% current, 100% of the
> time.  You can improve it by using a massive armature in the motor.   
> You
> only have the 100% torque for the duration of the pulse plus the
> mechanical inertial which at slow speeds is no where near what it  
> would
> be at full speed.
>
>>  IE; if u just reduce the operating voltage to slow down a dc  
>> motor, sure it will run slower,
>> but the torque will also  drop off really fast.    The PWM scheme  
>> gets  around that.
>>
>
> It's an improvement, but it does not eliminate the torque fall off.
>
>> ##  Not having ramp up/down capability is a real detriment to rotor  
>> life.  It makes me cringe when u see a heavy array, that has been
>> turning at 1 rpm  for 30 secs..then comes to a crashing  
>> halt..yikes.  Sorta like driving down the highway at 60  
>> mph,....then shifting into park.
>
> Let it coast. <:-))  On second thought rotators with wedge brakes and
> large antennas do not go well together.
> I operate rain or shine, wind or calm.  I hit the brake release on a
> Hygain HDR-300 and though the meter had shorted as it just snapped  
> over
> against the peg.  It went right by the limit switches and tore up 5  
> runs
> of coax.
>
> There are a lot of good rotators out there that use the equivalent  
> of a
> "step start" and stop and do not need brakes.  Nearly all of the dual
> worm gear rotators seem to do quite well.  Although I like the PST-61
> I've been using parts, are expensive and were slow delivery. Now they
> have a stateside supplier that may have improved.  They are still  
> kinda
> pricey though.    OTOH most, but not all of the parts were standard
> automotive.   I think the next one with be the Canadian AlphaSpid.   
> They
> were going to come out with an even larger version. I don't know if
> they've done that yet of not.
>
> I believe MFJ was going to be selling them state side, but I haven't
> found them in the catalog yet.
>
> 73
>
> Roger (K8RI)
>
>
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