> Is there a better way to determine if a rotator can handle an antenna
based
on its size rather than just its wind area? Lots of people here have
recommended the M2 Orion 2800, which on paper is rated for 35 sqft, but
when I asked the tower installer who will be putting the antenna up whether
he thought the Orion could handle the OB17-4, he said that antenna will
tear an Orion up and strip the gears on the output shaft in short order.
Hiya, Jerry --
I also recommend the Orion IF 1) you use a different controller
(preferably the Green Heron - the factory controller is something only the
designer could love) and 2) use a different mast clamp (the factory one has a
couple of fatal problems),
I've installed dozens of Orions and have never seen one with gears
stripped. It uses a worm gear drive so it's kind of far fetched that the gears
would be stripped. I do question your installer though but everyone is
entitled to their own opinion.
Rotator ratings are not an exact science. Different antennas have
different wind profiles and characteristics. The rotator chapter in my UP THE
TOWER book has a table of the static specifications and IMO using the
Hy-Gain Effective Moment or the Yaesu K Factor are both reasonable
estimations.
You'll never get the exact answer you're looking for. My advice? Go with
what you've got and it'll work FB.
Cheers &GL,
Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH
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