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Installing
the Rotator Back to W4TI Home Page Next Page Previous Page W4TI Rotator Installation 30 July 2003  Once the pole was installed and had settled, the braces were removed and the pole steps were installed. The steps are Joslyn part number J1118, and are 5/8" by 10 inces long, with a threaded tip. They were installed after the pole was placed, by drilling a 5/8 inch hole 4 inches deep, screwing in a step, climbing one step up, and then repeating this procedure until the top was reached. The steps are at 14" intervals up the pole.  The bracket shown was fabricated to provide a proper mounting point for the Yaesu G-800SA rotator. The bracket is welded up from galvanized steel. The hole pattern in the angle stock matches the hole pattern which came in the pole, from the factory. The bolts shown go all the way through the pole. They are 5/8" x 10" hot dip galvanized steel, and just fit the pre-drilled holes in the pole. The large washers are necessary to spread the stress which the bolts put on the wood.  The bracket and rotator were preassembled and tested on the gound, and then hauled up the pole and bolted on as shown. The mast for the antenna has a step in it, which was required to match the rotator top bracket to the antenna. The Rotator needs at least a 1 1/2" diameter mast, and the antenna requires a 1" (ID) water pipe, which is too small for the rotator. I fixed this by adding a short sleeve of 1 1/4" (ID) water pipe over the bottom of the 1" (ID) water pipe mast. I cast an epoxy buffer in between the two, and all of the pieces are pinned together with the Yaesu-supplied 9mm bolt. It is very stout indeed. Note that the 4 AWG solid ground wire has not yet been connected, nor has the rotator's control cable been attached.  This is the over-all view of the pole with the rotator attached. The 39 foot high pole now has an additional 2 feet of bracket, rotator, and mast, for a total antenna height of 41 feet. Back to W4TI Home Page Next Page Previous Page |