OK, I know this has got to be a dumb question, but here goes.
Most of my ham career I never used real antenna rotators. I used
homebrew contraptions or the like. Now I have an 80 foot tower with
a rebuilt and "upgraded" Ham M rotor (yes I'm aware of the
controversy regarding the "upgrade" in question) and a 100 foot
tower with a Ham IV.
The Ham IV works fine in all seasons and weather conditions, never a
problem. The Ham M, however, is useless much of the winter. Snow
melts off antennas above, water drips down and forms a thin layer of
ice on the rotor shelf. The ice is just thick enough to seize the
lower rotating part of the bell housing so the rotor can't turn. I
have climbed up there several times (in past winters) to verify that
is the problem. If I chip away or melt the ice all is well until the
next thaw/freeze or rain/freeze event.
I have a few questions about this.
1.) Why is this happening to the Ham M and not the Ham IV? Is there
a physical difference in these two rotors that explains it? (I am
currently unable to climb to inspect this -- a temporary situation,
hopefully)
2.) How can I stop this from happening? Is it advisable to put
spacers between the Ham M rotor base and the rotor shelf to provide
more clearance for the rotating portion of the rotor? If so, any
recommendations or potential pitfalls to avoid? Are there other
possible solutions for this problem?
3.) I don't recall ever hearing anyone mention a similar issue.
Maybe I just wasn't paying attention, but, could there be something
wrong with my "upgraded" Ham M that is causing this? I can't see how
it could be assembled wrong and still work fine, aside from the
icing, but...?
Thanks in advance for any education and/or suggestions in this
matter! In the previous couple of winters it was up there, this was
a minor annoyance. If it was frozen and I wanted to turn it, I just
climbed up and removed the ice. Now that I can't do that, it's
driving me crazy! (er... more crazy? ;-)
73,
Paul N1BUG
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