[TowerTalk] FW: Hindsight: Check your rotator bolts

[Jim Rhodes]

Whenever this discussion comes up I am glad that I have studs 
lock-tighted (is that a word???) into the bottom of the rotator. That 
way I just have to drop in onto the shelf and start the nuts from the 
bottom. There is also a jam nut at the bottom of the rotator housing 
and one on the nut under the shelf. I would rather start a nut on the 
threaded stud than search for the hole through the shelf. Also this 
way if I do lose both of the nuts below the shelf the rotator still 
isn't going anywhere. And now that I have a crank-up, tilt-over tower 
it is even easier to mount the rotator with the shelf standing on edge.

At 10:40 AM 6/11/2008, Dan Hearn wrote:
>If my memory is correct the original problem occurred when the bolts in the
>bottom of a OR2800, holding it to the mounting plate, loosened and fell out.
>I believe the rotator holes are tapped blind holes in an aluminum casting. I
>think a good solution would be to use bolts with a long threaded portion and
>double nuts as suggested. However, I would saw them off at the top of the
>thread and saw a screwdriver slot in the top end. These would be turned in
>to the full depth of the tapped hole for maximum strength and avoidance of
>thread stripping in the casting. I would probably apply a coating of
>permanent Locktite to the tapped hole then tighten the dual nuts. Aluminum
>has a fairly large coefficient of expansion which might be part of the
>loosening problem.
>73, Dan, N5AR
>
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Jim Rhodes K0XU
jim at rhodesend.net

Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.