This is great! I live in a rural area pretty isolated from other
contesters/DXers, so I appreciate the advice.
Only one response seemed to acknowledge any problem mounting the Ham IV down
in the tower. You guys had me wondering if I had 20G or something other
than 25G, so I measured it!
The basic problem is this - I am using a 25AG top section which has a small
pipe for the mast to go through. It will not accomodate a 2 inch mast. I
am using a 1 1/2 inch pipe and having to shim to avoid eccentric rotation
and binding.
I bought a top section with a big hole (used, cheap), but the pipe extends
down into the open area where the rotator would normally be mounted. There
is an additional set of braces near the top which the 25AG does not have.
By hacksawing the bottom of the pipe off just below the brace, the top of
the rotator would have about 1/2 " clearance from the pipe. Maybe this top
section was not designed with a rotator in mind, but for maximum support of
a mast holding a large repeater antenna, etc.
Getting a new top section would be no big deal - but - the problem would be
solved if I could put the rotator lower down in the tower. There would also
be the advantages of torque absorption etc. (I don't think I will have a
windload problem with this particular installation). I looked at it again
this morning with my son, who is smarter than I am. We tried everything,
and he agreed with me that there was no way this particular Ham IV was
going in that tower, except by considerable bending of one of the braces.
It looks like even then it would have to be at one of the tower joints to
rotate, because the "knobs" at the bottom of the bell housing stick out so
far they hit the crossbraces. What am I missing here? I have hammered
braces before to get tower sections to fit together. Is that what I need to
do, just wham one to the side until I can stick the rotator through?
I know this is pretty elementary, but your advice is much appreciated.
Thanks again.
Dennis, W5RZ
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