[TowerTalk] Ring Rotors

[john at kk9a.com]

I am not familiar with JK antenna models but if the C31JK currently on your
mast is smaller and lighter than the 40m 404C another option is swap them.
A TIC ring rotator may be more suitable for the C31JK than the 404C?  Of
course you will need a very good rotator on the mast.

John KK9A




John Webster NN1SS wrote:


Wow. This is the first time I've posted here and I'm blown away by the
number and quality of the responses.

Some more detail... The 404C sits just above a star guy bracket with three
sets of Phillystran 6700 to each guy anchor. You can see it in detail on my
QRZ page. As many of you have mentioned, a side mount rotor solution has
definitely been contemplated. I have a Rohn 45 top section that I'm
thinking could be used if bolted to the tower. I did this once with a 6 ele
10m yagi and used a swinging gate to get something like 275 degrees of
rotation. The problem I had with this configuration was, if the mast
holding the antenna was slightly off vertical. the rotor would stall. But
that could have been fixed with a better rotor. I moved and took the whole
thing down so I never got to try that fix.

Short of using the ring rotor I'm probably happy if I can swing the antenna
in an arc between 45 degrees through to 270 degrees passing through 0
degrees. That arc would give me EU, Asia and the US. I have an OCF dipole
on a 70' tower that works fine to the south. African mults are a bit of a
stretch but I can make it work.

At this point I'm thinking that I could make the Rohn 45 top section
side-mount solution work if I mount it properly. I have to consider the
star guy bracket that would be just under the antenna and I don't really
want to move the 404C any closer to the C31JK that is 10' above it. There
is already some interaction between the two antennas on 20 and 15 (the 404C
boom looks like a 20m reflector - something that is fixable but I don't
want to make it any worse).

Anyway, that's where I'm at right now.

John
NN1SS