A homemade rotator cage design anyone??

[M3GXX]

Hi
I have been given a rotator but I need to make a rotator cage or something to allow it to fit my 2 inch pole as it was previously used on a lattice tower.

Does anyone have or know or any designs for making something useful, the rotator in question is an old Dawia DR-7500 and DC-7011 controll box.

73's
Ian
M3GXX

[VK2TIL]

I made a simple bracket for this application;

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9569/bracketbj2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Just a glorified shelf bracket really; I painted it with some epoxy paint and it was up for many years without a problem.

I've seen pretty-substantial zinc-plated shelf brackets in hardware shops; a couple of these could be used if you're not into welding. Space them to fit the rotator bolt holes on one set of arms and join the other set of arms with bolted 2" X 1/8" steel strips; drill the strips to suit the U-bolts.

[VK2TIL]

I remembered that I still have it, still attached to the pipe mast and stored under the house;

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/93/rotatorfp4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The rust is quite superficial and would clean off with a wire brush. This mast was up in a coastal environment for about 25 years.

[M3GXX]

Thanks for that

I have a good friend who can weld, and if I show him this he'll be able to get it sorted out fairly quickly.

Thanks again
73's
Ian
M3GXX

[kf4vgx]

Ive made the same thing , just out of aluminum.

I have several heavy sheets of aluminum that are already bent to an
" L" shape.

Man you brought back a few fond memories
Good luck http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KM5FL]

Question:
Wouldn't it balance better if the mast was attached to the other side of the plate??


KM5FL

[VK2TIL]

In an ideal world; yes.

But there are so many forces acting up there that it's a bit academic, I think.

This mast is 22 feet of 2" gal pipe; it was unguyed, just clamped to a verandah post at the bottom and at about 6 ft up. It had that most unwieldly of animals, a 10/11 metre 2-el delta-loop, on top.

It gave no trouble in about 25 years.