[TowerTalk] [SUMMARY] TailTwister Repair: Who's Best?
Jeff Maass
jmaass@columbus.rr.com
Tue, 26 Sep 2000 20:46:32 -0400
Thanks to everyone who responded on my question about
the best repair folks for rotors! My question and the
responses (with sources removed) are below.
*************
I have a Tailtwister that needs repaired after 13 years.
I'd be interested in hearing of any experiences with Norm's Rotor
Service and The Rotor Doctor.
Are there others repairing Tailtwisters?
73,
Jeff Maass jmaass@columbus.rr.com Located near Columbus Ohio
USPSA # L-1192 NROI/CRO Amateur Radio K8ND
Maass' IPSC Resources Page: http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass
*************
Have never dealt with Norm. But the Rotor Doctor is very good,
he has done all of my rotator repair for years. The only hold-up
from him is that he is so busy and sometimes has trouble getting
Hygain Rotator parts from good old MFJ.
*************
Craig, owner of Rotor Doctor, has always treated me with upmost
fairness and has provided excellent quality of service in
many dealings over the past 20 plus years. I don't have any
experiences with Norm's as I've never had any reason to switch.
Craig is in Ohio nearer to you and I highly recommend him.
*************
I have had very good luck with The Rotor Doctor. Craig does
good work and he is in OH.
*************
Just had my Hy Gain Ham IV repaired by The Rotor Doctor in
Ohio. It came back looking and working like new! Considering
the price ($172) as compared to a new rotor ($520) it was a
bargain. I had the heavy duty gears and brake added, plus the
quick disconnect plug. I got good email feedback from The Rotor
Doctor too. It took 3 weeks because he was busy right after the
Hamvention this year.
*************
I have only dealt with Norm, and have nothing but praise. My .02
*************
> I have a Tailtwister that needs repaired after 13 years.
>
That's about twice the service life I usually give a rotator.
> I'd be interested in hearing of any experiences with Norm's
> Rotor Service and The Rotor Doctor.
They both do an xlnt job of repairs. Fixing Hy-Gain-type
rotators ain't rocket science. It's also a matter of cost,
turnaround and customer service - all of which the
aforementioned gentlemen do very well.
>
> Are there others repairing Tailtwisters?
Many others. Many towns have a local guy that does it. You'll
have to ask locally to see who they are. Craig and Norm are the
only ones who advertise nationally.
*************
Rotor Doc has been very good and is in Ohio nearby. That might
be helpful
*************
I had a VERY bad experience with Rotor Doc a couple of years
ago. After sending my Ham-2 (he upgraded it to a Ham-4) back
to him twice because it simply wouldn't work on the bench, he
refused to work on it again or accept any emails or phone calls
from me. He made it very clear that he doesn't want my business
and quite frankly, he was a real pain in the ass to deal with.
In one of the emails he sent me, he resorted to name calling.
I have kept copies of the email correspondance with him, and
can share them with you if you'd like.
I ended up fixing the problem myself. A friend who has a better
shop than I took it apart, and found the pot had a bad spot on it.
I had paid for a new pot from "The Doc", but thats not what was
found when the rotator was opened. A new pot, purchased from
Norm's, solved the problem and the rotator has worked great
since.
My experience with Norm's has been very positive. Polite,
friendly, and professional. With "The Doc", I always felt
that I was interrupting something more important.
Just my two cents worth. Your mileage may vary.
*************
What seems to be wrong with it? I'm not really a "fix it"
kind of guy, but have rebuilt five T2X's in the last year.
There really isn't a whole lot to them, and it might be
worth opening up yourself. If you run into lots of problems
I'll be in Columbus in a few weeks:-)
*************
Norm does good work, but Rotor Doc is closer to you.
*************
Norm's Rotator Service is the greatest !! You will be
satisfied.
*************
YOU are by far the best HyGain rotor repair technician.
This is a very easy job to do. There is nothing inside
that rotor that you can't diagnose with your eyes and
possibly an ohmmeter. It's fun to do, and will rarely
cost you more than $50 in parts. If you have more than
one HamX/TailTwister HyGain rotor, they are all
essentially the same inside, and knowing how they work
is very valuable when you need to get one fixed quick.
The secret to success with these repairs is taking
your time and doing the work in a clean, organized way.
While there are still occassional stories about problems
getting parts, I met with Martin Jue at the New England
Division Convention a few weeks ago, and he claims he
is having no problems shipping HyGain rotor parts.
As a guy with an electrical engineering background, I
get a different kind of satisfaction when I fix a
mechanical device. Fixing a TailTwister for cheap feels
like a real accomplishment. By the way, those rotors
can last an awfully long time if you are willing to do
these minor repairs every so often.
*************
I agree that it is pretty easy to fix a rotor.
A couple of hints.
1. get one of those plastic door-wet boot mats that have
a turned up edge. Do the work on there to catch all
the bearings.
2. before disassembly, scratch, paint, file, whatever a
small mark where the top casting and the bottom mate.
This saves the reassembly confusion as to orientation.
All else is pretty straight forward.
*************
I think a name change may have occurred, but about a dozen
years ago, I used CATS (in Pemberton (?) Ohio) to refurbish
a Tailtwister which had had a 300-foot fall (landed on soft
ground). The cost was very reasonable and the refurbishment
excellent.
*************
go to Norm's he's the best.
*************
Jeff Maass jmaass@columbus.rr.com Located near Columbus Ohio
USPSA # L-1192 NROI/CRO Amateur Radio K8ND
Maass' IPSC Resources Page: http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass
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