[TowerTalk] Wind Loading redux, PP Motors

[Bill Coleman]

On 6/8/01 5:10 PM, K7GCO@aol.com at K7GCO@aol.com wrote:

>used no TT Band Aids and have spent the .....
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This seems to be a catch-phrase for you, Ken. You've used it in several 
messages.

Frankly, I've been a charter member of TowerTalk (virutally) since it's 
inception, and I've never seen anyone advocate any "band aid" approach to 
tower or antenna design.

Indeed, the governing phylosophy of this list appears to be to do things 
RIGHT. Doing the job right often means it costs more, but there are 
substantial dangers to equipment, property or life doing it any other way.

--

Now, prop-pitch rotators are most definitely over-rated for the vast 
majority of tower installations, so it is no wonder that they perform 
superbly in that service. They are also as scarce as hens-teeth. And 
expensive. 

I'm sure your 55-year-old prop pitch rotators will be giving fine service 
to your grandchildren's heirs, but not all of us can afford, nor need 
them.

The new bell-housing rotators are also absurdly expensive, but it is a 
lot easier to find used ones in servicable condition, or to bring back 
one to condition yourself. (My Ham-M cost me less than $50 recently, plus 
a couple hours of work to service it) If a few aerodynamic tricks make 
the bell-housing rotators perform better, that's not a "band-aid", but a 
good idea. Let's save those prop-pitches for when we really need them. 



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


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