[TowerTalk] DIGITAL CONTROLLER

[Dave - W3NP]

I just put a Green Heron RT-21 in service here this past Wed. It 
replaced a Hy-Gain DCU-3.  Here is the reason:

I highly concur with the comments favoring the Green Heron controller 
and I love it. The digital display on the plain unit is really very 
nice.   I did not purchase the RT-21 just because I wanted to replace 
the DCU-3 which works fine with a Ham IV or Tailtwister, but I needed to 
replace my Ham IV with a more suitable rotator for my installation which 
is a Optibeam 3-10w (10 full size elements on a 20' boom) mounted on a 
Rohn HDBX-48 (not recommended by Rohn). While the Ham IV would rotate 
the antenna I did not like seeing the torque on the tower and the 
antenna upon start and stop of rotation. I went with a Spid RAK and 
RT-21 combo from Green Heron Engineering and couldn't be happier with 
the setup.

I just got the RAK installed a few days ago and it was a pleasure to 
have my xyl rotate the antenna while I was still on the tower right at 
the rotator. Speed ramps up slowly with no noticeable torquing of the 
tower or element wagging, then the same at the antenna gently comes to a 
stop. Watching the antenna today with 20 mph winds there is only a 
slightly noticeable amount of movement, <1 degree.

While the RT-21 has a lot of features and as was noted in a previous 
post, can be configured to work with just about any rotator out there, 
_the speed ramping feature that I was after does not work well or at all 
with a rotor that uses an AC motor such as the Hy-Gain - per Jeff at 
Green Heron._

I will be selling my 2 month old Ham IV with DCU-3 (aka the Ham VII). I 
couldn't find a Ham IV at the time and ended up having to get the 
package with the DCU-3.

So, while I would highly recommend the RT-21, if you are using a Hy-Gain 
rotor, don't need the speed ramp feature, and just want the point and 
shoot, adding the Rotor-Ez by Ham Supply to your existing analog 
controller would be a good way to go. I have one along with a Ham IV on 
another tower with a smaller antenna and it works very well.

Jeff at Green Heron Engineering is a real pleasure to work with.

73, Dave - W3NP


On 12/24/2020 11:16 PM, Dale M. Schwartz wrote:
> Planning on upgrading a Hi-Gain Ham IV controller. Would appreciate comments on Hi-Gain vs Green Heron digital controllers.
>                  Dale\K4ROZ
>
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> Dale M. Schwartz
> SCHWARTZ | POSEL
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