Do I need a brake?

[space cowboy]

I'm planning on building a moxon out of 1/2" aluminum tubing. it will be on a roof tripod, and only a foot or two over the top of the tripod. I'm planning on making a sleeve bearing thingy for top support with the rotor inside the tripod. the tripod I expect to be 5-6 feet tall.
we usually get 60 mph winds several times in spring, sometimes gust have hit 80.

I just let a CDE AR-22R go on ebay (final price $53 NOS) because it didn't have one, but that got me wondering how necessary it is. the majority of rotors with brakes will run over 200$.
The odds of my adding anything larger is very low, but I'd rather not have to ever replace it. would a braking rotor simply be the safest way to go?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

You do not need a brake. Brakes simply keep LARGE arrays from "windmilling" in high winds. Often brakes will freeze up in cold weather and not release becoming a PITA.I had a three element tribander, a six element 6m yagi and an 11 element 2m yagi on a CDE-45 rotator (considerable larger than the AR-22) with no brake. My Yaesu G-2800DXA will handle 32 square feet of antenna and has no brake. it simply relies on the reduction gears and motor torque to hold things in place. Your Moxon has very little wind surface area and you can use the lightest of rotators. No brake required.

 

[M0GVZ]

I don't have a brake on my Kenpro I use for my Hexbeam. The worst that has happened is a couple of times in seriously bad storms its rotated slowly round to the stop. The first I'm aware of it is when I turn on the rotator controller and the needle has moved of its own accord when I've turned it on. No damage has been done, it works fine, the position of the rotator was still accurately displayed on the controller.

 

[space cowboy]

well I just got a great deal on a cd-44 so I'm good to go.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Mine has a friction brake, but in strong winds it still moves...which the way I look at it, that's probably a "Good thing", since it points the antenna into the wind so there's less resistance...Otherwise, if the wind got strong enough it could make for a bad day for the antenna...

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Mine has a friction brake, but in strong winds it still moves...which the way I look at it, that's probably a "Good thing", since it points the antenna into the wind so there's less resistance...Otherwise, if the wind got strong enough it could make for a bad day for the antenna...

Friction brake? Are you sure it's not just the reduction gears operating in reverse? I have never heard of a friction brake in a rotator. What kind of rotator do you have?

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Friction brake? Are you sure it's not just the reduction gears operating in reverse? I have never heard of a friction brake in a rotator. What kind of rotator do you have?

Think it's a Hy Gain CD 45ii....Friction brake is what the seller called it, I think the Hy Gain IV has a what he called a wedge brake, which is not suppose to move in high winds. Ken (rotortime in Alabama) is the guy I bought mine from off eBay...He also has a facebook page.

Like this one:
http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/hgn-cd-45ii

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Yeah OK it relies on the reduction gears and motor torque to stay in place. I had one of the CD-45. Good rotator until the ring gear broke. I have another unit for parts but never got around to rebuilding it yet. When I think of friction brake I think something like a pad and disc. The Ham IV and Tailtwister do have a wedge type brake that engages the teeth on the gears to prevent unintended rotation. Those often freeze up and get stuck.

 

[space cowboy]

wow, that's a big rotor. I may just hard mount the antenna and use the rotor to turn the garage.
control box looks new. post mount looks new. the rotor itself is freshly painted gray with new contacts.
makes me want to put up a bigger antenna.
I wonder if I can cut down the neighbors trees without them noticing...

 

[jessejamesdallas]

wow, that's a big rotor. I may just hard mount the antenna and use the rotor to turn the garage.
control box looks new. post mount looks new. the rotor itself is freshly painted gray with new contacts.
makes me want to put up a bigger antenna.
I wonder if I can cut down the neighbors trees without them noticing...

Do it at night, and tell them a herd of wild beavers were in their yard last night!

 

[space cowboy]

I don't know if my Agent 86 is good enough to pull that off.

would you believe...?