[TowerTalk] T2X cable connection at rotor

[Steve Maki]

Bob,

The idea for hard-wiring a short pigtail that comes out a hole on the 
bottom of the Ham4/T2X is a great one, which is why I've been doing that 
for decades :-) The legacy terminal strips on these rotators are a PITA 
for sure.

I'll just add that trailer connectors, while good for applications that 
require frequent make/break operations, are a little overkill IMO for 
rotator connections on the tower. You still want to weatherproof them, 
and retrofitting your existing home-run lines is somewhat time consuming.

Here's what I do: I use 8-terminal euro-style terminal blocks to connect 
the pig-tail to the home run cable, and simply push the block up into a 
short piece of 1.5" PVC pipe with a cap on top, tape the pipe to a tower 
leg, and stuff a little sponge material into the bottom of the the pipe 
to keep insects out.

Done. Works great.

-Steve K8LX




On 08/12/18 17:31 PM, Bob K6UJ wrote:

> Thanks Bob for the info on the Delco 8-way plugs.  And thanks to all
> you guys for your info. The trailer connectors seem to be the most
> popular thing to use.  It makes sense when you think about it.  For
> trailer use it gets pretty rough usage bouncing around on the cable
> and in the rain.  I am confident I can have a trouble free connection
> now.  I still climb at 73 but would like to minimize the
> repair/maintenance trips up the tower and the barrage of complaints
> from my wife and family about me climbing.