[TowerTalk] Control Cable for Rotators

[Wayne Kline]

Hi Pete 
   Reading your Yaesu rotator woes ...  I did  the same as you to my towers.  1000' rolls of #12 UF was only  around  $180 in 1990 !
But  do you think the UF wire is BAD ?   I have taken a few direct lightning hits and fried the 22 ga control wires but ( knock on wood)
not the heavy 12 ga UF wires  ???   I have been using low voltage landscape wire for  the HD motor runs up and down the tower
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOW-VOLTAGE-OUTDOOR-WIRE-500FT-16GA-STRANDED-2-COND-ALT-FOR-GTO-RB509-/371050249419
 
YMMV
 
Wayne W3EA
 
PS I use multi conductor  sprinkler wire for  for  indication ... and switches 

 
> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:57:31 -0400
> From: n4zr at contesting.com
> To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Control Cable for Rotators
> 
> When I installed my tower and rotators 15 years ago, copper was 
> relatively cheap.  My total run is approximately 340 feet to the top of 
> the tower, and so I just ran 4 x 3-wire UFB house wire out and up the tower.
> 
> I'm thinking I probably should replace the cable, and the price of that 
> much UFB is breathtaking.  Yaesu says 18 AWG minimum for 40M (130 ft) or 
> more.  But for the length I'm using I'd think that 16 AWG for the 2 
> motor leads would be minimal, while something much lighter, such as 
> all-weather network cable with doubled conductors might do for the 
> potentiometer.
> 
> Advice much appreciated.
> 
> -- 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
> http://reversebeacon.net,
> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
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