In a message dated 3/12/02 8:43:00 AM Pacific Standard Time, n1nk@cox.net
writes:
> should be noted that the rotor is vintage 1995 or so.
Ha ha - that's a good one. They're ALL vintage early 1960's. That's when
they were designed originally by CDE. Then Hy-Gain bought them. Then MFJ
bought them.
BTW the molds currently in use are THE ORIGINALS. They've been
reconditioned at least once and are very much at the end of their service
life. When those molds go - adios rotators.
>
> now the question is: what to do about this? hate the idea of buying a new
> mast and hate the idea of buying a new rotator even more. one thought is
to
> file the shoulders of the housing away a bit so that the tube can seat
> against the V of the housing. not sure what either the current situation
or
> a modified housing would do with respect to centering the mast/rotor below
> the thrust bearing.
I think you're making this a much bigger deal than it is. Whether you use
a 1.9" OD pipe or 2" tubing or 2-1/16" or whatever - the whole
tower-shelf-rotator-mast-thrust bearing system is relatively imprecise so IMO
one-sixteenth inch one way or another isn't a big deal.
Shimming the mast isn't very useful since the shim material just makes it
more likely that the mast will slip in the rotator.
What you can do is to tighten in the following order (i.e. 25G): rotator
mast clamps, rotator base bolts, then shelf bolts. It'll work out some of the
kinks that way.
Cheers,
Steve K7LXC
Tower Tech
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