[TowerTalk] shut fed tower and rotator

[Gary Slagel]

Thanks for the ideas on the rf in the rotator control.  Got enough feedback that I wasn't worried about damage to the rotator so I went ahead and did my testing at KW.  Sure enuff, the new 80M vertical wouldn't handle a KW!  Exactly the problem I suspected I'd have.  I'd built a kind of a trombone capacitor with 2 sizes of copper tubing with some nylon matting for an insulator between the tubes.  FB at 100W but got arcing at 800W.  
 
Now, I'm going to replace the shunt feed with a simple 80M inv L hanging off the tower just so I'll have an 80M vertical to play with in the ARRL CW DX test this weekend.  

BTW - I had already coiled the exess rotator cable in about a 14" coil in the ham shack.  Not especially to prevent RF but just to keep it neat.  I coiled that into a tighter coil, about 6", and it made a significant difference in the needle jumping.  After I get the 80M inv L up I'll probably experiment with some different rf chokes on the line to take care of any leftover rf.  After listening to your feedback it seems like I should worry more about damage to the controller then the rotator.
 
73, Gary
 

Gary Slagel
Hot Springs, SD
N0SXX
http://marina.fortunecity.com/sanpedro/351