[TowerTalk] M2 Orion cable

[George Skoubis]

What Scott / W5WZ says…

The manual does mention using shielded coax on the sensor lines for long runs. It says the square wave signal sent by the position sensor can be distorted over long runs with just shielded cable.  Not sure if it was the controller manual or rotor manual.

The DC conductors just need to be large enough to carry the current without too much voltage drop.

I used this arrangement (RG6 Lowe’s coax) when my shack was 300 ft from the tower (plus the distance up the tower to the 2800). 

After changing a couple of the 2800 reed sensors I switched to a 4O3A Rotator Genius controller at the tower base and magnetic/compass direction sensors on the boom.

Now I use shielded / flooded Ethernet cable for the magnetic sensor and irrigation wire (Sprinkler World) for the DC power.  Use stranded wire at the rotor loop if you get the solid conductor irrigation wire.  

 I used the irrigation wire as I had a leftover spool from my landscaping project when we put in a new well and irrigation system.

73,

George / W7GES

Sent from my iPad

> On May 4, 2022, at 9:44 AM, w5wz at w5wz.com wrote:
> 
> 
>> 
>> M2 cable for the OR2800 is $1.97/foot regardless of the length.  It is 2, 12
>> gauge and 2, 18 gauge shielded in a PE jacket.  Said to be custom made.  Any
>> known alternatives for such a cable?  I suppose I could look for more
>> conductors and not use them, but the feedback must be shielded.
>> Tnx,
>> Al-N6TA
> 
> For my Orion 2800 install back in 2009, I used buriable romex-style UF cable 12/2 for the motor, and the center conductor of two separate runs of RG-59 for the positioning runs. No problems at all.  The run is right at 300 feet from the shack to the rotator.
> --Scott, W5WZ
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