[TowerTalk] Ring Rotors and Swinging Gates

[gwj at me.com]

K4IDC built a Sidewinder for us at N6RO last year. It’s supporting a 10m and a 6m Yagi, not a heavy load. Robin did a nice, clean fabrication job. All his work is custom, to-order. He’s very easy to work with and delivered on time in spite of his ongoing cancer treatment at the time. His welding technique is top-notch and the kit mounted up with no problems. So thumbs up for Robin and http://idctechnology.net/ <http://idctechnology.net/>

His basic version is not really meant for heavy arrays like your big 4L 40m but discuss it with him. I suspect he can beef it up. His default tubing is 6061-T0 (1.5 in rigid aluminum conduit, 1.95 in OD) but says he can order T6 mechanical tubing for the more demanding jobs. I’d ask if he can go to 3 inch...

We turned our Msquared 4L 40m with a regular Spid RAK for a few years until it totally self-destructed… split the case open. A BIG-RAK is doing well after about 6 years, other than crushing the water pipe mast. Swing arms are definitely worse than straight antenna installations because of the added torque! We also have a 20m 5L with a 42-foot boom on a swingarm that was a rotator eater. Finally installed a medium prop pitch there and that solved the problem once and for all.

Another reason we like the Spids is that, like prop pitches and some other modern rotators, it uses a pulse counter so if the mast ever slips a bit you just re-zero it. 

-Gary NA6O

> From: John Webster NN1SS <nn1ssnh at gmail.com <mailto:nn1ssnh at gmail.com>>
> To: towertalk at contesting.com <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Ring Rotors and Swinging Gates
> 
> All:
> 
> First, many thanks again for all of the great responses. As a result, my
> way forward at this time is the swinging gate solution. The IDC Technology
> "Sidewinder" is at the top of the list. It seems beefy enough and looks
> like it will maintain a vertical position under a load which in New
> Hampshire can mean more than just the weight of the antenna. Heavy wet snow
> really piled up on the 404C a week or so ago. It also has an optional
> thrust bearing shelf to make rotor replacement simple. I like that.