[TowerTalk] Ham-IV rotator brake noise

[Lux, Jim]

On 1/19/21 4:16 PM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:
> Hiya Ralph ol buddy!
>
>   
>
> Replying , but my initial answer is only a semi-serious one. (followed by
> one MAYBE (untested) suggestion)
>
>   
>
> None of your neighbours have noticed as nobody goes outside anymore ! !
>
>   

Exactly  - if you're Netflixing or killing demons on your PS/4 (with 
headphones on), you're not going to hear the random clanking in the night.



>   
>
> Maybe they never knew what that clunk was? Or--Never Heard it and associated
> it with you/your tower?

This too - for most people (except real estate agents<grin>) the antenna 
fades into the background and they don't know if it even moves from day 
to day.



>   
>
> I actually thought of this *exact* question many years ago when I was living
> on a smaller lot with closer neighbours and nobody mentioned it to me
> either.  I kinda wondered at the time if I could wrap the rotor or top
> section of tower with some pink foil backed insulation or something to
> deaden the sound in case anyone ever complained.
>
>   

The mechanical noise is coupled to the chassis by the physical 
connection, and is "radiated" by the whole tower.

You'd need suitable vibration isolation (bushings, vibration isolators) 
between rotator and tower.

And then, if that wasn't enough, you could try to acoustically isolate 
it (a flexible heavy layer hanging between noise source and victim works 
very well.. lead sheet, plastic film loaded with iron ore (which is very 
dense) something like that).  Maybe something like a tube of loaded 
plastic film.