Am having a new problem with the beloved TIC ring.
I had to use extra shims in the cradle because the boom
had bolts protruding through the bottom. The shims Carl
made were simple pieces of 1/4" angle, and they allowed
the cradle to clamp the boom, and not the bolts holding
the boom together.
Well, after some good winds came through, the beam turned
about 10-20 degrees off of horizontal, with the boom slipping
in the cradle. I'd planned to fix it "soon." Without my
realizing it, this allowed one of the element tips to snag
on an 80m sloper wire, where it had cleared OK with the beam
truly horizontal.
So, after swinging the stack north to work XZ1N, I go outside
this AM and notice an element is being bent by the sloper wire.
I rush inside to turn the antenna back west in an attempt to
"unsnag" the element tip from the wire. The TIC box lights up
and the relays are clicking, but the antenna and meter are stuck
on North. Can't get anything to move (meter or antenna.)
I then went out and untied the 80m sloper wire and freed it from
the element tip, by hand. Unfortunately, now the ring won't turn,
nor does the TIC indicator meter. Both are stuck on North.
Any ideas on what to look for before I start climbing would be
appreciated. Again, the antenna is freed from entanglements, the
TIC control box lights up and points North, and the relays in the
control box engage when I attempt to turn the ring, but there is no
movement of antenna or meter. The way I remember it, the meter
turns with the motor even if the ring is not "engaged." This makes
me fear that the motor itself might not be turning.
Thanks for any ideas on what to look for.
-Kirk K4RO
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