I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

wrote:
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest you can't make a serviceable
rotor for less than you could buy a used one at a hamfest.

You didn't mention how large an antenna you'll want to turn. There was
a time that many hams rotated their antennas manually (shaft down
through the tower, chain or other mechanical linkage into the shack).

--
John Miller
email address: domain, n4vu.com; username, jsm
Surplus (FSoT):
New Conn V1 double trumpet case, no logo
Tektronix 465B oscilloscope
New leather business case

In article , John Miller
wrote:

wrote:
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest you can't make a serviceable
rotor for less than you could buy a used one at a hamfest.

You didn't mention how large an antenna you'll want to turn. There was
a time that many hams rotated their antennas manually (shaft down
through the tower, chain or other mechanical linkage into the shack).

Known, reasonably enough, as an "Armstrong" rotator.

Isaac

wrote in message
oups.com...
| I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
| at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
| something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
| center that has many in it.

Have you priced a Radio Shack tower and rotor? It might be heavy enough if
your antenna is not too large.

N

wrote:
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.


Go to a local ham club meeting and chat up some hams.
Although we'd never put our "spare" rotors up for sale, many of us
have an extra rotor or two...or four in the attic that we could
be talked out of.
mike

--
Return address is VALID.
Wanted, Slot 1 Motherboard
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http://nm7u.tripod.com/homepage/te.html
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Bunch of stuff For Sale and Wanted at the link below.
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Monitor/4710/

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 05:08:04 GMT, Isaac Wingfield
wrote:

In article , John Miller
wrote:

wrote:
I am a under funded newbie ham. I am wanting to set up a base station
at home. Can I make my own rotor cheaply? Maybe using a dc motor or
something? How would I go about doing it? I have a catalog to surplus
center that has many in it.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest you can't make a serviceable
rotor for less than you could buy a used one at a hamfest.

You didn't mention how large an antenna you'll want to turn. There was
a time that many hams rotated their antennas manually (shaft down
through the tower, chain or other mechanical linkage into the shack).

Known, reasonably enough, as an "Armstrong" rotator.

Isaac

You can usually pick up the old Alliance brand rotors pretty cheaply
at flea-markets or yard sales etc...
I have one running a rather large long range uhf/vhf/fm antenna that I
picked up for around five bucks at a yard sale.(controller box
included.)
My second one I'm using as a rotor for a surveillance camera, picked
it up at a estate sale for ten bucks. 50 ft mast, 4 strand wire and
control box included.
If you shop around these can be gotten for next to nothing or even
free.

Try a Hamfest.