[Yaesu] G-800DXA Rotator - Latest development

[Pete Smith]

Paul, I believe that the G-800 is not enough rotator for that Steppir and 
loop driven element's wind torque.  I'm surprised it lasted as long as it 
apparently did.  I have run a G-800 and a G-1000 for 13 years so far with 
no failures.  The G-800 turns a C-3E on a swinging arm sidemount, while the 
G-1000 turns a C-3E and an EF-240S 40m yagi.

73, Pete N4ZR



  At 01:46 PM 8/28/2008, Paul J. Piercey wrote:
>As noted, I had some issues with my G-800DXA. After returning from a week
>away, I noted that my beam was no longer pointed the way I had left it so,
>after investigating, found that the rotator was no longer functional. To
>make a long story short, I took the rotator down today to find that it had,
>once again, self destructed. The insides look as if a bomb had gone off in
>the housing.
>
>This is the second time this has happened. I returned it to Yaesu for repair
>and it had worked fine up until now.
>
>Anyway, I won't be buying another Yaesu rotator as long as they are
>constructed out of cheap aluminum. My beam is not large by any means (3el
>SteppIR with 30/40 dipole) compared to installations I've seen but for some
>reason, the G-800DXA is unable to handle it.
>
>73 -- Paul VO1HE
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: yaesu-bounces at contesting.com
> > [mailto:yaesu-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Paul J. Piercey
> > Sent: March 3, 2008 20:24
> > To: yaesu at contesting.com
> > Subject: [Yaesu] G-800DXA Rotator
> >
> > I have always been a fan of Yaesu rotators until now. I got a
> > G-800DXA last year and I have to admit that I am truly
> > disappointed with it's operation.
> >
> > I had a G-400RC for 15 years and it never gave me any
> > trouble. I upgraded my beam and the 400 wouldn't hold the
> > antenna in the wind so I opted for a heavier duty rotator and
> > the 800DXA seemed to fit the bill. I have found that it is
> > very good at holding its position but is sadly lacking in
> > rotating power. It struggles in moderate wind and, currently,
> > is unable to rotate my antenna any more than 5 degrees for
> > some unknown reason.
> >
> > The beam had spun on the mast so I dropped the tower and
> > tilted it to tighten up the mast clamps. When I had the beam
> > loosened completely, I tried to rotate the mast to the
> > correct position. When the mast had almost reached the proper
> > alignment, it stopped and would go no further, nor would it
> > go back to where it came from. I checked the installation and
> > found nothing that could be impeding the rotation. After an
> > hour of testing and trying to get it to move, it finally came
> > free and I could complete the job.
> >
> > Once I had tilted the tower back to vertical, I tested the
> > rotator. It rotated in one direction and, when testing it in
> > the opposite direction, it stopped and has not been able to
> > move more than a few degrees since.
> >
> > It seems that even the smallest resistance causes the thing
> > problems. I have about 80ft of cable from my shack to the rotator.
> >
> > This is not the first time it has locked up. It happened a
> > couple months ago and I thought it may have been due to
> > freezing rain but we have had much worse weather since then
> > and, until this morning, had been operating, despite it's
> > lack of turning power, in wind, cold, freezing rain, etc.
> >
> > Anyway, I will be completely re-aligning the rotator and
> > re-cabling it as soon as the weather gets better but if it
> > continues to operate in this manner, I'll be replacing it.
> >
> > Does anyone know the rotational torque of this rotator? If
> > mine is any indication, it can't be very high.
> >
> > 73 -- Paul VO1HE
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Yaesu at contesting.com
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> >
>
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