[TowerTalk] Yaesu Rotator connector replacement

[John Bastin]

On Nov 4, 2004, at 6:59 PM, Malcolm Ringel wrote:

> Again: Can you not leave "pig-tails" from the existing plugs and simply
> splice the wire ends together ? If not, why not ? I will be faced with 
> this
> shortly and had been planning to approach it that way. Mistake ?

I moved this summer, taking down a tower and a Yaesu rotator at one 
location and putting them back up at the new QTH. In the process, I 
installed new rotor cable at the new site.

I cut the existing rotor cable about a foot from the rotator and from 
the control box. I purchased a couple of automotive 6-terminal 
junctions designed for trailer lights at the local NAPA store. These 
connectors are weatherproof and designed to work in the worst 
conditions, i.e. hanging loose behind an automobile traveling down a 
highway at 60 mph towing a trailer, in sunshine or rain, snow or mud.

I attached a pair of these connectors on the new rotor cable, and the 
other pair on the rotator and control box pigtails. Now I can unplug 
the cable at the rotator and at the control box when I want to take it 
down for maintenance, for example, and can plug the pigtail ends 
together on the bench for testing.

The connectors cost me about $4 a pair. That, to me, was a lot better 
than paying around $50 for new Yaesu connectors.

Hope this helps.

John E Bastin, K8AJS
jbastin at sssnet.com
http://www.qsl.net/K8AJS