The remote control kit includes a switch box for inside the house. You can
raise or lower the tower from inside or outside. To use the "local" control
at the tower, you have to switch the inside box to the local position. I
have lowered the tower from inside but haven't raised it from inside because
I want to watch it to be sure no cable or wire antennas on the tower catches
on something. If I were ordering a new tower from scratch I'd skip the
remote control option; in retrospect I don't think it's worth the money for
me. I raise or lower the tower only infrequently, and the only times I've
tipped it over are when I've moved.
The previous two installations of my tower (in NM and AZ) had the dedicated
AC circuit in PVC not conduit. The lightning here came in on the conduit,
so I now moved the outlet a few feet from the tower base and will remove the
buried conduit. I will only have it plugged in when raising or lowering it
going forward. (This was an expensive lesson.)
On my HDX-589, which is the older model with Z-bracing, the ends on the coax
arms line up. BTW, I have a PVC 90-degree sweep (a gradual, curved
90-degree elbow) mounted at the end of the top coax standoff arm so the
weight of the cables doesn't cause a sharp bend in the cables. I have the
cables taped to the top standoff with 10-mil (or it could be 20-mil)
plumber's tape, and I use the same tape to hold the PVC elbow in place.
Yes, I agree the relay box itself should be easy to replace. I've seen the
instructions on restringing the cables, using a come-along, and that's not
something I'd want to tackle.
I've never measured the retracted height of mine, nor have I changed the
position of the limit switches. To get the rotor in or out or work on the
rotor, you can't crank it all the way down, which is next on my to-do list.
I think I've read (I'm hedging, as I could be wrong) that US Tower does not
recommend the cable lube spray that Steve sells, though I have used it in
the past. Most of the years I've had my tower were in the dry southwest US,
so no worries about rusting. I haven't noticed any here in the three years
the tower has been up in IL.
Jim N7US
-----Original Message-----
## Although it came with the remote control box, the previous owner had
main control box on tower wired, so the up/down can only be done from the
tower. I believe the remote box in shack is an option, offered by UST ?
Mine has a short 120 vac waterproof cable.. with 120 vac plug.. that went
into a 20A [10ga] outside waterproof circuit.
## The idea here was to unplug the power.. at the tower, when not raising /
lowering.
The up/down switch on the tower has a spring loaded center off. The
optional box in shack
does NOT have a spring loaded center off. IMO... I don't like the idea of
raising/lowering
these towers from the shack... too easy for coax to get snagged going
up...or down...
esp in any kind of windstorm.
## as an aside. I notice that all my coax arms don't line up [the far
ends] . ..esp the
one at the 21' level.
## That entire UST control box should be simple to replace, with a
new one. [swap out]. Steve, VE6WZ, figured out how to change
out both pulleys and also the cables, on his own 589 tower.
## I noticed something else. It's supposed to retract to 23' 8'. Mine
is sitting at
26' 1". And the limit switch appears to be right at the end of it's
mounting slot. I'd like
the nested height to be lower, it looks like to pull that off, the slot
needs to be milled
out a tiny bit ?
later......... Jim VE7RF
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