One of the weakest links in the system has always been the antenna rotator.
I have certainly had my share of woes in this area. My Hygain HDR-300 has
been rebuilt 5 times since 1981. Other brands do not seem to have any better
of a track record. Prices have soared, but reliability has not.
I was watching a program last evening on the History Channel on the world's
tallest towers. The rotating restaurant atop the tower at Seattle is turned
with a one horsepower electric motor, which has operated flawlessly since its
installation. How long has your garage door opener lasted without failure?
It seems to me that for the current going rate of the top-of-the-line
rotators,
someone should be able to market a unit that would turn anything one could
think of to put up for many years before maintenance would be necessary. The
technology is certainly available, but once we all purchased such a device,
there would be little or no sales of replacement rotors or parts.
Perhaps the manufacturers of rotators see any improvements as a self-
destruction of their bottom line! I hope someone will take up the challenge
and make the rotator something we can mark off our lists of "things to fix"
each summer!
(((73)))
Phil, K5PC
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