[TowerTalk] DX Engineering RT4500HD rotator

[Paul Christensen]

I own a RT4500HD but waiting on cooler weather for installation.  It seems robust enough as it's replacing a small form-factor prop-pitch.  Between excessive water leakage after rebuilds and K7NV now SK, I was looking for an alternative.  The reliability of prop-pitch rebuilds has been disappointing.  N4CC and I have been changing them out every 1-2 years at a cost of $2,500 per rebuild.  Crazy.  We have a prop-pitch "graveyard" at our remote site with something like six prop-pitches needing repair.  

What seems to happen is that water ingress is caused by excessive surface heat in the Florida summers, followed by cool rain.  This creates a suck-in effect.  Because a prop-pitch is mounted upside-down in a tower, the seal needs better protection without having to resort to a special covering.  In this regard, the DXE rotator seems much better.  In fairness, the prop-pitch was designed for a different application. But yes, only time will tell.

The first DXE rotator installation will turn a full-size 4L M2 40m monoband Yagi at 140 ft and a 9L M2 6m Yagi at 155 ft.  Both antennas are mounted on a 3-inch chromoly mast.  This fits within the DXE design spec.  In preparation for the installation, we used a crane back in April to change out a Rohn 3-inch thrust bearing with the equivalent type from DXE.  The DXE bearing seems much more robust.  

Paul, W9AC 

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of John Vendely
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2023 9:33 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] DX Engineering RT4500HD rotator

Does anyone have any experience with or comments on the DX Engineering RT4500HD antenna rotator?  This new product appears to be a take-off on the M2 2800G2, purportedly with some improvements, albeit at a significantly higher price.  Only time will tell, but I wondered if anyone actually owning one had any words of wisdom for us.

73,

John K9WT


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