Cde Rotor Manual
Posted : admin On 20.12.2020Repairing a CDE/Hy-Gain/MFJRotator
Alliance Rotors. Alliance HD-73 or HD73-1 rotors: $60.00 + parts and shipping: Alliance U100 or U110 (NO OTHER MODELS) $35.00 + parts and shipping: M2, Yaesu, Wilson, Channel Master or RadioShack rotors: We have no parts or manuals for any of these rotors and are unable to repair. CDE HAM-III / CD (SERIES 2) CD Manual Antenna Rotor Rotator Book Many thanks for stopping by at this website. Listed below is a fantastic picture for cde ham 3 schematic.NRS - new and rebuilt rotors and control boxes for saleWiring Diagram for CDE AR40 rotator. I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor). One thing about the CDE (now mfj / HyGain) rotors is the starting capacitor in the control box. Those wear out on a regular basis. If you replace the original 50-volt capacitor with a 120-volt capacitor (available at electric supply houses, Grainger, etc.), of around the same value, the capacitor will last a LOT longer. This is a vintage CDE AR-10 mast mount antenna rotor, perfect use for ham radio. It has been in my fathers ham shack for several years. The rotor mounts on an antenna mast with another mast sticking up out of it. The upper mast rotates, as you turn the dial on the base unit.
Few thingsare more frustrating to a ham than an antenna rotator which fails.It might be a failure to turn (either partially orcompletely), a failure to indicate the (correct) direction, or an intermittent turning orindicating.There are several companies, whoadvertise in the ham publications, and are set up to repair or recondition rotators andI’ve heard lots of good things about them.Iprefer, however, to attempt my own repairs on my rotators although there may come a timewhen I’ll have to send mine off to the “hospital.”
If you, likeme, want to tackle an errant CDE rotator, I’ve tried to describe the steps which Itook to accomplish this.Hopefully, it willmake enough sense that others can follow these steps and have the same success.I use the term CDE rotator since that was theoriginal manufacturer back in the 70s when I had a ham store and sold them.CDE later sold their rotator operation to HyGainwho made them for many years and then sold to MFJ Enterprises in Mississippi.Many, if not all, of the parts for the CDE rotorsare still available from MFJ.
To begin all CDErotator repairs:
1.If possible, turn the rotor facingNorth or center scale on the indicator meter.
| 2.It helps to have a device with at least a 1 1/2 inch pipe standing securely upright for mounting the rotor upside down upon.Mine uses a floor flange with a 4 inch 1 1/2 inch pipe mounted on a small piece of2 x 6 lumber. I'd like to tell you that my rotor repair mount was carefully designed and built, just for this purpose. The truth is, I built it to use with my travel trailer to act as a base for a mast holding a TV antenna. The beveled edges of the one 2 x 6 fit between the two wheels on one side of the trailer. |
| 3.With a magic marker, make a matching mark that lines up on both pieces of the rotor shell. |
| 4.With a magic marker, make a matching mark that lines up on the smaller shell piece (with the inside brake grooves) with the bottom plate of the rotator. This bottom plate is how the rotator mounts to the tower or mast. |
5.When the screws are removed, make sureyou can capture all the ball bearings, because they WILL fall out and try to cover yourtable and floor.Be ye forewarned.
I received a notefrom George - WA2VNV with the additional suggestion:
I wish to add a suggestion about the ball bearingfallout problem. On my sailboat, I have to clean/wash & re-lube the winches which alsohave a bearing fallout problem. In this case, having a ball or bearing fall overboard is amore serious problem than chasing balls around the dusty basement floor! One of the simpletricks is to use an additional box top (approx 12 x 12 x 6 in (L,W,H)) with a round holecut in the bottom sized so that it just fits over the pipe & flange that holds therotor in place during disassembly. It will contain any/all parts and balls that fall outand also keep them clean. Then you can carefully transfer them to the other box top forinspection, cleaning, etc.
Good idea George, thanks.
NOTE: The bearing holders are plastic pieces which holdthe individual ball bearings. These plastic pieces DO NOT fit either way. Whendisassembling your rotor, take careful note of the way they are mounted. If youthink you might not remember the proper way they sit inside the rotator, take a digitalpicture of the bearings and races while they are still inside the rotator. Thisaction, alone, can save you much time and frustration. Whether you finish thisactivity with all of your hair may depend on you carefully following this noted paragraph.
6.Have a container (top of large box)handy to place the ball bearing races and bearings in a flat condition.There are typically two sets of ball bearings(three for the Tail-Twister rotor). Some of the rotors have a single ball in everybearing space in the race while some of the lesser expensive models only place a ball inevery other space. If you are buying new bearings to replace the originals, I wouldpersonally buy enough ball bearings to place one in every space in the race.
7.When the bottom outer shell is removed,take careful note of the way the bearing races are positioned and placed (as noted in theNOTE: in red above).
Ring Gears | 8.When lifting out the motor assembly, if the ring gear is still in one piece, take note of where the end-stop stob is in relation to the potentiometer and the rest of the inner assembly.NOTE:Often with cast aluminum ring gears, which were standard with the Ham M – Ham IV series, the cause of a rotor failure is a broken ring gear.It is usually broken into several pieces.The cast aluminum ring gear can be directly replaced with the stainless steel gear that was standard in the Tail-Twister rotor.Both of these gears are available from MFJ and they often have them on hand at their hamfest booths. | Stop stobs trip the 'end of rotation' limit switches inside the rotator. |
9.The bearing races and ball bearings canbe thoroughly washed out with gasoline but this must be done CAREFULLY and in an open,outside area.
NOTE: I wasseverely chastised for using gasoline for this step and I agree that it's a poor thing todo. I do NOT recommend the use of gasoline as a cleaner since there are otherproducts as good or better and less volatile. I was just saying, in this article,that I did use gasoline because I was in a hurry, I didn't have the proper cleaningproduct available, and I'm not very smart.
10. Big chunks of hardened grease shouldbe removed from the inside of the rotator as well as all pieces of the broken ring gear ifit was broken.
11. Clean all of the inner gears with acloth soaked in gasoline.Clean all of theinner parts of the rotor.
Indicator potentiometer | 12.If the indicator potentiometer is intermittent, it may be dirty so that should be cleaned.If the rotor was subjected to abuse or if it failed due to a nearby lightning strike, part of the potentiometer may be burned away leaving an open circuit.I never did have much luck repairing a break in the resistance wire on the pot since this type of wire is not generally solderable. Since it lives in a pretty inaccessible area on the top of the tower, I prefer to replace the whole pot unit.They are also available from MFJ via a telephone call to their toll-free number or a visit to their hamfest booth.They are not cheap by any means but I believe it’s worth removing a problem that might soon appear worse when I can’t easily provide a fix. Also if you think the cost is excessive, just bite the bullet and buy it anyway. They're the only ones around who manufacture this piece and you won't find one 'pretty much like the old one' anywhere else. There is no competition for this priority piece and it's not something you can duplicate in your home workshop. A good and clean indicating potentiometer inside your rotator and atop your tower or mast will help to assure that you can continue using your rotator to turn that beam and seek out that choice DX station as the propagation improves..... uhhhh, make that WHEN the propagation improves. |
13. While the rotator unit is opened up,and cleaned up, this is probably a good time to look over the wires and solderedconnections on the motor and the end-stop switches.Again,any problem you find is much easier fixed now than during the next contest or blizzard.
14.Lookover the ball bearings carefully.If you seeany rust on a ball bearing it’s time to replace it/them and if one needs replacement,I’d replace all of them.At one time Ilooked in the yellow pages to find a bearing seller and replacement bearings for my wholeTail-Twister were quite inexpensive.
Cde Antenna Rotor Manuals
15. When it is time to re-grease therotor, I used a grease which was recommended to me quite a few years ago.I’ve seen many different recommendations forrotor grease and one may be just as good as the next.When I wanted to find a good grease, the folks I talked to who were “in theknow” recommended a grease with both cold and hot temperature operation and what Ibought was “High Temperature Grease LC #2” from Lubriko Lubricants.The container advertises “OperatingTemperature Range –40°F to 400°F (Intermittently to 450°F)” so I felt likethat pretty well covered my typical station operation.This grease is the typical greenish-brown color.It comes in a tube about 9” tall and 2” diameter.I’ve used it several times and still haveplenty, although the mass to dip into is getting just past the length I can reach with afinger.I may have to go borrow one of mywife’s butter knifes for the next grease job on a rotor rebuild.
16.Once greased up good, and with all ofthe necessary parts repaired or replaced, it’s time to re-assemble the unit.Again, the top rotor shell should be clamped tothe bench pipe and placed with the inside center potentiometer moving molded pieceforward.
17. The ring gear should be placed withthe end-stop stob to the assembler’s left or to match the direction it was when therotator was first opened in Step 8.
On the left is a cast aluminum ring gear. On the right is the stainless steel ring gear. The two are interchangeable but the stainless steel gear is about triple the price of the other. |
18. Note also that the bearing races areplaced in the groove in the same direction that they were in Step 7.For my rotator, it placed the smooth side of theplastic race up toward the inside of the rotator./super-mario-64-download.html.
19. Load one bearing race onto themachined groove around and near the top of the rotator shell.The race should have all of the bearings, whethernew or old, installed and gooey with grease. Usually if you continue to hold the race inits natural circle, the bearings will stay in.Ifthe re-assembler gets too careless and lets the ends of the race come apart very much,some (or all) of the bearings will come out and let gravity determine their fate.Remember that they are now gooey with grease andthey will land where they can do the most damage or where they can pick up the maximumamount of dirt and dust bunnies on the floor.Extracare during this operation will be worthwhile and make you much happier during the cominghour(s).
NOTE: Onereader, who obviously has tread this path, wrote me with the following comment: 'There are two kinds of people in the world.Those who have chased those ball bearings all over the shop floor, and those who havenever opened a Ham-M, Ham IV, T2X, etc.' I can only say, 'Amen'
20. Place the potentiometer to the centerof its range.Carefully lower the motorassembly so that the potentiometer copper spring engages the molded piece located on theinside top of the larger rotor shell.It isvery important that this piece be placed properly since, if it does not, the meter willprobably indicate movement in one direction but not the other and will stay where it endedup on the first turn.Like the oldcarpenter’s axiom, “Measure Twice, Cut Once” it is important to spend sometime to do this operation very carefully.
21.If everything is seated correctly, theinner gears will be engaged in the ring gear, the potentiometer will be properly engagedin the piece in the top of the shell, and the motor assembly will be centered within theshell.You're looking at the rotator's 8-pinterminal strip which is now on top. You should be able to see equal spacing aroundthe motor assembly piece as it is now resting on the inner ball bearings.If you are able to easily attach the rotor(seated upside down on the pipe) and the control box via a piece of 8-wire cable, it wouldbe a good idea to try out the box.If all isOK, the rotor will turn a full 360 degrees and should automatically stop at the extremeends of its travel.If this does not happen,the problem MUST be corrected at this time.Donot go ahead and reassemble the two shells, HOPING that it will somehow fix itself and allwill be OK…………. it won’t!Guaranteed, it won’t!
22. If, however, you see it turn afull 360 degrees and see it stop at each end of travel, sit down for a minute andcongratulate yourself on your deed. You’veaccomplished the most difficult part.
Cde Rotator Manual
23. Ah, but now, back to work.The final bearing race, full of gooey greasybearings, is ready to be placed in the groove atop the piece on which the motor isattached.The same caution as noted in Step19 should be noted here too.The onlydifference here is, since you’re almost finished with the job, any ball bearingsdropped now will roll down the heating vent or will disappearcompletely………… never to be found again.Please don’t ask me how I know this, just take my word for it.The bearing race should be placed in the groove inthe same direction that they were in Step 7.Formy rotator, it placed the smooth side of the plastic race down toward the inside of therotator.The ball bearing races in my rotatorgo with the flat part of the plastic toward the center, i.e., when fully assembled, thetwo bearing races flat pieces face each other to the inside.
Cde Rotor Manual
NOTE: At one point I was having difficulty inreassembling my rotator. It was just a small amount too thick and when the finalscrews were tightened, the motor stalled and refused to turn. The problem was afailure to get the ball bearing races in properly. That's why I reinterate that youshould check which way these races originally were installed as you take the unit apart.
24. Now it’s time to place the bottompiece back on the top shell.If you markedthe two pieces correctly back in Step 3 they should match up perfectly.
Cde Rotator Manual
25. Find where you put the screws removedfrom the case and tighten them down securely.Rememberthat this rotor will be where you can’t get to it very easily so give that wrenchjust one more little tightening on each screw.
26. You, sir or madam, are now finished.Your rotor should be ready to reinstall on yourmast or tower or whatever and be good for another 20,000 miles………. orperhaps 20,000 contacts.
Cde Ham 3 Rotor Manual
Email to: k5lad@arrl.net
Created January 6, 2007 The page was updated on 04/11/08 09:54 PM