[TowerTalk] Rotor on the verge of failure? - Follow up

[Mike]

Hi Tony,

We emailed back and forth.  

I really would not worry at this stage, mine creaks and so does my friend's
across town.  I have never had or know anyone that has had a unit like ours
free wheel. I had an old Kenpro unit that the cork clutch plate got oil on
it after a rebuilt and it still did not slip.  I think the history of Yaesu
rotators went like this, Kenpro, Diawa and then Yaesu took the company over.
I could not imagine that there would be wear on the reduction gears.  I just
looked at an old Kenpro unit and the gears still look brand new after years
of turning and stopping a beam twice as large as its rating.

Anyone that has had the Yaesu style rotators will tell you that the control
box is usually what fails long before the actual rotators or maybe the limit
switches, but I have never seen one fall apart where it windmills.

I have had way more trouble with the wedge brake style rotators with water
ingress and the brake wearing out the stops on the aluminium casing than the
Yaesu style.

Mike, K6BR

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tony


On 4/15/2010 5:52 PM, Roger (K8RI) wrote:

>I've not seen any rotators using planetary gear trains that offered much
>resistance to rotation. IOW you can probably turn most any of them by
>hand when the wedge is disengaged, which is the reason I went to
>rotators that use double worm gear drives.


Thanks for the reply Ron. I understand that Yaesu uses gear reduction as the
braking system instead of a wedge. If that's the case, it could be that the
noise is being cause by wear on the gears. Don't know.

Tony -K2MO


>
> Tony wrote:
>    
>> On 4/13/2010 8:05 PM, ronald schmid wrote:
>>
>>      
>>> Get up their and make sure the bolts are all tight. Mabe it will make
the noise while your up their Ron / N6DCN
>>>
>>>
>>>        
>> Ron,
>>
>> Ive been on the tower several times (see link below). Tower / rotator
>> bolts are tight. The noise seems to be coming directly from the rotator
>> itself and some say it's normal, others say it's not. I'm hoping that if
>> it does fail, it will freeze and not free-spin. Not sure what to expect
>> with Yaesu's planetary gear rotators.
>>
>>      
> I've not seen any rotators using planetary gear trains that offered much
> resistance to rotation. IOW you can probably turn most any of them by
> hand when the wedge is disengaged, which is the reason I went to
> rotators that use double worm gear drives.
>
> 73
>
> Roger (K8RI)
>    
>>    http://www25.zippyshare.com/v/53201444/file.html
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Tony -K2MO
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TowerTalk mailing list
>> TowerTalk at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>
>>      
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
signature database 5031 (20100415) __________
>
> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
>
>
>    

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
Version: 9.0.730 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2813 - Release Date: 04/15/10
11:31:00