Click Image to Zoom InOur Azimuth-Elevation combination rotator is ideal for space communication antennas. The Azimuth Rotator features a turning range of 450°, while the Elevation Rotator has a rotation range of 180°.
| Cables | ||
| C-1000 | GS232A Interface Cable for SDX Series | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| FAS-1-4R | Remote Antenna Selector | |
| GA-3000 | Tower Shock Absorber Joint (G-2800DXA) The GA-3000 is a tremendous aid in prolonging the life of your tower and rotator when turning very large arrays. It's heavy-duty rubber bumpers eliminate the metal-to-metal fatigue that, over time, can damage tower installation, and it conveniently mounts between the rotator and the tower's rotor shelf. Mounting hardware is included. | |
| GC-038 | Mast Clamp for G-250/450/800/1000/5400B (Required for mounting Rotors to Pipe) | |
| GC-048 | Mast Clamp for G-2700/2800 (Required for mounting Rotors to Pipe) | |
| GL-33 | Mast Adjustment Plate | |
| GS-050 | 50 mm Thrust Bearing (Mast Diameter 1 1/4 - 2") | |
| GS-065 | 65 mm Thrust Bearing (Mast Diameter 1 1/2 - 2 1/2") | |
| GS-232B | Rotor Controller Interface (G-5400B only) | |
| GS-680U | Universal Rotator Bearing | |
| SEP KIT G-5400 | Separation Kit for G-5400B (Required to mount Rotors separately) | |
| YS-500 | VHF/UHF SWR/Wattmeter | |
| YS-60 | HF PEP-Reading SWR/Wattmeter | |
Besides certain avoidable problems (such as upside-down mounting) and “Acts of God” (lightning strikes, etc.), the #1 cause of rotator failure is under-specification. The customer gets a rotator that is too small for his or her application, and its gears get ground to bits in the first wind storm which occurs.
One needs to inspect carefully the turning and braking capability of the rotator, which needs to be specified in some meaningful way so that the prospective owner can determine whether or not the rotator is strong enough.
Unfortunately, many rotator manufacturers only specify the strength of a rotator in terms of how many “Square Feet” the rotator can hold. This is an entirely insufficient specification, because it does not account for the distribution of the mass of the antenna(s) along their boom(s). In other words, ten square feet of antenna consisting of a lightweight dish antenna (nestled in close to the mast) presents significantly less stress to a rotator than does the ten square feet of a 6 meter Yagi distributed along a 60-foot boom. A long-boom Yagi, cubical quad, or log-periodic antenna can build up considerable momentum during rotation, and the torque applied to the rotator is not reflected in a simple specification of the surface area of the antenna. In sum, the total physical size of the antenna(s) must be correlated to the capabilities of the rotator, and the rotator chosen accordingly.
In addition to the “Square Footage” of the antenna, Yaesu specifies a “K-Factor,” where
K = [Turning Radius] x [Weight of Antenna].
For “Christmas Tree” stacks, compute the K-Factor (in Foot-Pounds) for each antenna, then add the K-Factors together. Then compare both the K-Factor and the Surface Area (in Square Feet) of your antenna(s) to the specifications. If they both are within the ratings, the rotator will be OK.
G-2800DXA: 6,870 G-1000DXA: 1,663 G-800DXA/SA: 1,299 G-450A: 723 G-5500/550: 578
If you're just starting out in satellite operation, the G-5500 provides a complete Azimuth-Elevation rotation system that's ideal for most all Amateur applications. the dual controller lets you keep track of all aspects of the antenna system's positioning, and the G-5500 includes an interface jack for computer control, supported by the optional GS-232A Computer Controlled as well as many aftermarket control programs and interfaces.
