On 7/11/01 5:04 PM, K7LXC@aol.com at K7LXC@aol.com wrote:
> It's been my experience that the rotator is the weak link in the antenna
>system. While towers and other hardware will last for 15 years and more, a
>rotator has a practical service life of 6 or 7 years.
Is it that the rotator's only function so long -- or do we hams grossly
overload them?
I remember asking this question about Amplifiers on the CQ-Contest list
some time ago. There seemed to be a big rash of amp failures, especially
during contests. Why was that? Are they not built to function at their
rated limits, or are we pushing them beyond their limits?
I rescued an AR22 rotator that had been outside for 15 years. I rebuilt
it and deployed it for 8 more years. It was working great when I moved
and subsequently sold it. But then, the largest thing it was asked to
turn was an A3S and a 17ele 2M beam.
I recently acquired a Ham-M Series 5 that looks like it is from 1971. A
bit of TLC, and I expect it to last another 10 years. But, I'm not going
to ask it to turn a stack of 40m 4 ele beams, either. A single (small)
tribander is enough.
Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1901
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