Eagle Aspen ROTR100 DiSEqC antenna rotor - Page 6

That might be it. I generally peel back the aluminum sheathing off of the dielectric but I may not have when I put on the connector. Not sure if that matters, but if it does hopefully I only did it on the lower portion and not the one mounted on the roof.

Well back to the Aspen ROTR100 with the stripped gear problem.

I drilled and installed three pins to secure the small gear to the large gear . They had just been spinning because the small gear was just a press fit into the large (wheel) gear and that had failed. Below is a photo of the fix.

Now the problem is that though the rotator rotates it only goes through about 180 degrees. There are two plastic gears that seem to be used to set the limits of rotation. Since the antenna had been free wheeling and rotating around I have no idea how the two gears should be set for properly setting the limits. Clearly I have them wrong. If someone has a photo of the gears (they are on the bottom of the inside plate that mounts the motor) it would be a great help.

Thanks in advance.

John

OK the problem of limited rotation seems to be solved. The white gear (there is one white and one black) is loaded by a spring on the shaft. All one has to do is lift up (compressing the spring) and rotate to position the white shutoff knob to a reasonable position. I set mine to stop rotation at 380 degrees.

So all seems to be good to go and I just have to get the local "handyman" to climb the tower and reinstall the rotator (also cross my fingers that I have it right).

John

Yep videobruce,

That is exactly what I needed to see. The relative positions of the set of plastic gears.

Thanks,

John

Bruce I am confused... As I understand you are bypassing the single coaxial feature (signal, power, rotor control).... You are running the signal direct from the antenna to the TV and a separate line from rotor to controller.

Q1) Why not just get standard rotor with rotor wire + coaxial for antenna?

Q2) As I understand it, by doing this, running separate lines (coaxial + rotor pwr/control) you save signal loss.

Q3) If you install it with the single wire setup as designed, you will lose signal.... Why NOT use amplifier to compensate? Won't the power controller power the RF amp?

Q4) It will be used on a end mounted antenna, hung from the house corner, so it will be limited to about 220 degree rotation (which will get all directions I need). Will this limit rotation so I don't run the antenna into the house.

Q5) I gather for the money even if you don't use the single coxial feature, it's a good rotor for the money? What else is there in cheap light rotors?

Am I understanding the situation correctly? It seems by this WORK AROUND, we're tuning the single wire rotor/antenna back into two coaxial runs (or wire + coaxial). The main reason I'm interested in this single coaxial antenna/rotor deal is I want to use my outside CABLE TV distribution box, that feeds my whole house (I can pick single lines). I still have cable internet on one of the lines, but I want to use the house wiring to feed one or two TV's with the outdoor antenna signal. I don't want to drill holes in the house to run rotor wire. I'm running a very small outdoor antenna, no big winds (due to area, trees), so this light duty rotor will work.

PS what RF amplifier works with this.... It seems that is by best solution. If I can't accept the signal loss, remains to be seen, than I'll have to add the RF amp.

Jet Pilot,

Video Bruce can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the rotator will want to do a full 380 degrees rotation when it is initially set up. If your house is in the way this may be a problem. Since I was unfortunate enough to have to reset the stop switches controlled by the two plastic gears, I discovered that if the gears are not properly set the rotation is limited (in my case to about 180 degrees). I think that if you remove the bottom of the rotator and reset the white gear (lift it and rotate it to a new position) you should be able to restrict the rotator to the 220 degrees that you say you need and then the house would not be a problem. See the photo of these gears in the original post #2.

This would possibly mean that you will not be able to "resynchronize the antenna" (rotator) and in fact it may be that you probably should not even try to resynchronize lest you get the software to lockup trying to do something that it cannot do (could be wrong here again).

Good Luck,

John

Thanks for the info.... My other option is attic mount and have free reign to rotate to my hearts content.... I figure a small out door would be more efficient than a bigger attic antenna.

I still like the idea of single cable operation. However in the attic I could put the controller in the attic and use a RF to IF converter deal. There is AC power up there. I would then have to drop coaxial down the outside to the cable box; no big deal but not as convenient. It would look better than an outside antenna.... I have the 1 meter HOA restriction, but the RCA ANT751 or DB2 would fit the rule....However I could use a little bigger antenna in the attic (there is room but not enough to swing a big beam).

Nope this is the exact wording:


Section 7. Antennas; Aerials; Satellite Dishes. No antennas, aerials, satellite dishes or other reception devices having a diameter or diagonal measurement greater than one meter shall be installed on any Membership Property. So long as reception of an acceptable quality is not precluded, the antenna, aerial, satellite dish or other reception device of appropriate size shall be located only on that portion of the a Lot which is least visible from public view and shielded so as to minimize any risk and to ensure a nuisance is not created.

Further there is FEDERAL LAWS that say YOU CAN NOT restrict people from an antenna to receive video,

As directed by Congress in Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Over-the-Air Reception Device Rule concerning governmental and nongovernmental restrictions on viewers' ability to receive video programming signals from direct broadcast satellites ("DBS"), multichannel multipoint distribution (wireless cable) providers ("MMDS"), and television broadcast stations ("TVBS").

The rule is cited as 47 C.F.R. Section 1.4000 and has been in effect since October 14, 1996. It prohibits restrictions that impair the installation, maintenance or use of antennas used to receive video programming. The rule applies to video antennas including direct-to-home satellite dishes that are less than one meter (39.37") in diameter (or of any size in Alaska), TV antennas, and wireless cable antennas. The rule prohibits most restrictions that: (1) unreasonably delay or prevent installation, maintenance or use; (2) unreasonably increase the cost of installation, maintenance or use; or (3) preclude reception of an acceptable quality signal.

The rule applies to viewers who place video antennas on property that they own and that is within their exclusive use or control, including condominium owners and cooperative owners who have an area where they have exclusive use, such as balcony or patio, in which to install the antenna. The rule applies to townhomes and manufactured homes, as well as to single-family homes.

The rule allows local governments, community associations and landlords to enforce restrictions that do not impair, as well as restrictions needed for safety or historic preservation. In addition, the rule does not apply to common areas that are owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly by condominium or cooperative owners. Therefore, restrictions on antennas installed in common areas are enforceable.

On November 20, 1998, the Commission amended the rule so that it will apply to rental property where the renter has exclusive use, such as a balcony or patio. The effective date of the amended rule is January 22, 1999.

For more information see: FCC Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule at:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

There is nothing limiting me mounting a RCA ANT751 or DB2 or HDTVo or similar antenna that has a dimension no greater than 3.28 feet (39.36").




PS I have a Wellbrook ALA loop (about 1 meter hulu-hoop) in the yard for LF/MW/SW and there is nothing they can say....

Yeah, Denny has been misquoting the OTARD rule for a long time. According to federal law as implemented in the OTARD rules (which trumps the HOA's restrictive language) there is no limit placed on the size of an OTA antenna (the 1 meter rule applies ONLY to DBS dishes, not OTA antennas).

You can hang an 8200HD up there if that's what required and the HOA cannot prohibit it under the OTARD rules.

What? I thought you dialed a direction and the rotor went there, so you can "aim" it. I am thinking of these:

RCA VH126N
Philips SDW1850
AntennaCraft TDP-2
Centronics AR-500-XL
Channel Master 9521A

You missed the question? Why buy the ROTR100 if you don't use the single coaxial feed/signal concept? Is it still a better rotor for the money than the above? I don't see the advantage of the ROTR100 UNLESS you use the single coaxial.... From what you said it gets out of sync as well? No rotor is perfect at these prices. Bottom line what is the best, low cost light duty for the money, single wire or not.


We are talking about different things. I did not ask about the power when the rotor is needed to turn, but that is good to know. I assumed that. I also know an RF amplifier can be powered by the ROTR100. I read and understand that. Not what I am asking. See Q5.



Right, I am just worried about restricting the range of motion so I don't drive the antenna into the side of the house! I agree you should be able to program it or limit the range of motion. I was just asking how it works. Some rotors have electro mechanical limits, some programed. Just asking. BTW my name is Greg, 50 and have a degree in engineering but don't know #$%* about rotors. Please be patient... I am not as dumb as I sound... and RF is a hobby of mine and quite accomplished at electronics restoration, including tube radios.



No it was not plainly stated, and I am very slow. May be you can explain it again? Again why bother using this single coxial type of rotor if you don't use it for that purpose. I assume you do it because it's a good rotor? As far as amplifier you are not correct. You can't use any amplifier, and I was asking for the EXACT model of amplifier that works with the ROTR100's voltage and current limits. NOT ALL amplifers will work with the Aspen ROTR100. I was looking for an answer like, XYZ make model amplifier. What you said did not help me. Sorry.


Yes, I stopped Cable TV and now watch OTA (and web content). I am NOT sharing any lines. I have a newer house with built in Cable wiring. I had Time Warner Digital Cable TV and Internet. I got rid of Cable TV and kept internet (save $80 a month and was not watching the 250 digital channels). I am now watching OTA digital TV and some internet streaming, Hulu, NetFlix, Network Web sites for "TV", plus RedBox DVD's. I am using a Terk HDTVa indoor antenna with some success.

One coaxial goes from Time Warner's distribution box at the edge of my property, which services several homes. One line comes to my house, to box on the side of the house. Inside the box is a basic splitter, feeding 4 rooms. Each line is separate and goes to a F connector wall outlets. They are only tied together outside the house, with a standard splitter. I can use any line separately.

In one room I have a cable modem, WiFi router and computer as I always have. For a TV antenna I use a Terk HDTVa.... However I am GOING to use a larger antenna outside or in attic. I will run the coaxial to one of the other UN-USED coaxial lines outside, specifically the one going to the room with my digital TV. I have already tested this and it works great.

IF I GO WITH AN OUTSIDE ANTENNA, I will be close to the outside coaxial box and even a power outlet if needed. IF I GO WITH ATTIC antenna I will run the coaxial out the roof eave soffit, down the side of the house and over to the coaxial distribution box.... I am not running lines though walls if I don't have to. I don't want to drill through the house to run rotor wire either.

I don't want to drill holes for rotor wires either. To bad they don't make a RF rotor controller. I know they make RF to IR repeater but that is just more complicated. To be clear I am not doing anything with mixing cable internet and OTA signals or breaking HOA rules....


Yes I know! However for the record cable TV & internet can and are streamed on the same coaxial. However I am NOT mixing any cable TV/internet signals with OTA... ever! I am not doing that. I have 4 or 5 separate lines and one will be internet ONLY! The other separate lines will be for OTA TV, just for OTA TV. I use WI-FI router for internet distribution to my three computers. We got WAY OFF the track.

Of all the light duty rotors out on the market is the Aspen ROTR100 a good one to get? It seems like a no brainier for me, since I really want a single coxial run (no rotor lines, no drilling holes in the house). I don't like signal loss, but I may not need the amplifier. It may still be good enough with the relatively strong signals I have. The only way to know is buy it and try it. I can wire it as the manual shows and run the antenna signal separate from the rotor controller line.

That is interesting. I see reading the OTARD rules like a lawyer it really only restricts satellite dishes not OTA. My HOA does not just say satellite dish.... As with anything to do with law it is not decided unless there is legal precedence and a legal ruling... Do you know of any? Other wise it is opinion. Even then each HOA is different, each bylaws, covenants and restriction rules are different. I don't need a Winegard HD8200P on a 50' push up poll, on the top of the second floor roof.... although that would be a sight! To get all the signal a small outdoor antenna will do at my address. So I could not justify that... Personally I want the smallest that works that I don't have to look at either.

There are plenty of Direct Dishes in the neighborhood, and as long as it's no more obtrusive than those, they will not say a word. I am going to fence my back yard in, for my Wellbrook SW loop (one meter) on a 10 foot poll. You can see it. I had a 65' wire, 20 awg, white insulated, virtually invisible unless you looked for it. As long as no one complains you are good.

I don't need a massive antenna unless I was going for the stations 100 miles away. Frankly I don't want to see antennas all over either. This is my tvfool print out.




My Terk HDTVa does so well I was thinking of making a Log Period antenna of the same size or a little bigger and mounting that on the side of the house (something like a Terk HDTVo or Cornet ET8DA). If there was a good Omni I could put that up, but of course Omni directionals are not very good. I really don't need a rotor if I am willing to give up one station, "ION" network, 47.1. It's an oddball off to the North East. Anyway thanks for your help. Cheers

Well I had a revelation.... The antenna will go in the attic.... I put the Terk HDTVa (indoor antenna) up there and the performance is nothing sort of spectacular. The 30 feet in the air does not hurt. Before I had the Terk HDTVa first floor up about 7 to 8 feet from the floor (ground level), up on a shelf. It worked well there. I used a coaxial extension to get it away from the TV and give it a view of south facing windows. It was north window "adjacent" with one internal wall in the way. (I highly recommend moving indoor antennas away from the TV.)

I ran a coxial from the first floor TV, up the stairs into the laundry room, into the attic via fold down attic stairs, not a permanent set up of course. To poison the well a little, I faced the Terk almost due NORTH, mostly because there was some wood between rafters that made a handy place to prop it up on. The main stations in order of strength are SE, West and NE.... So North was random. To my shock I got almost all stations, including the one that was being the most stubborn to the NE. However I lost a religious channel due East and a duplicated station due West. The strong stations are no longer 100% at 32 dB SNR, more like 97% at 29 db SNR, still with no errors. Good enough compromise. Heck the Terk HDTVa in the attic is almost a winner as is. So may be one attic antenna will work. Heck the Terk HDTVa up there is doing the job fairly well.

The solution seems to be an attic antenna, may be a rotor or two antennas with an IR A/B switch and an "IR extender". I kind of like the idea of just being able to flip between two antennas. I'm pretty sure two antennas will do it, may be three. The second antenna would be a combo of a UHF and seperate VHF antennas, with a UHF/VHF combiner. I could face the VHF as need for that one station. I would be on one antenna most of the time. I only have one HIGH VHF station, ABC, 21 miles, which is fairly strong, so rabbit ears (dipoles) should work. I tried rabbit ears inside, first floor and tried them outside last weekend, on a stand. The results were great, even on UHF. I'm guessing DB4 or even DB2 in the attic will work. Below is the experiment. I used the cable wiring from the distribution box into the house to the TV. It worked like a charm.



The signal was perfect for VHF at 201 Mhz, but the station I get, UHF was also very good, to my surprise. Being outside LOS helps. I'm going to put the rabbit ears in the attic and see what is what. Height is golden.




If I use a rotor like the Eagle Aspen ROTR100, I could run a seperate wire down to the coxial distribution box and run that into the house via one of the spare coaxial lines. Of course the rotor power control box will be in a different room. Again an IR extender might work. I could even leave the controller in the attic for that matter with the IR extender (RF to IR). There is AC power up there.

It looks like the outside antenna is less desirable. If I can get great reception from the attic, may be with no rotor, why go outside. ALSO the attic had the advantage I did not have with an antenna on the South East corner of my House, a view North West, which might get more signals. There is a big furnace AC system in the middle of the attic so two antennas would be able to be positioned to avoid that.

Tomorrow I'll scurry up into the attic again and play with the antenna, see what I can get. I did an add channel scan and it said it found two more digital channels? I did not see which ones.... I am going to leave it for now.

You are right BRUCE.. Sorry. Back to the ROTR100. Is ANYONE using the Eagle Aspen ROTR100 in the SINGLE COAXIAL mode? I really want to talk about how it works as intended, in that it's SINGLE WIRE antenna signal + rotor power/control + RF amp power.

At the start of the this thread it was determined signal loss was higher than advertised, significant at some Freqs. From there the thread took the direction of bypassing or splitting Signal and ROTOR control, plainly. I want to talk about NOT bypassing the signal+control, using the one coaxial feature. Anyone?

I recall reading the #2 post in this thread:


Will an amplifier totally negate that issue (if it was an issue)? Using the ROTR100 (which will help me in all kinds of installation issues)..... Sadly almost every one of these Freqs is of interest for me. It seems 3 dB is equivalent to the loss of an antenna being outside verses inside an standard attic (composite shingles, tar paper, wood). Sticking with the ROTOR topic... can some one tell me if they use it for SINGLE COAXIAL operation, with or with out an AMP?

I started with the ROTR100 in single wire mode with a CM0068 amp. I had this for 2 years and then went to the two wire setup. I did this for two reasons:
First I wanted an amp with more gain, ie the cm7777. The power feed from the rotor cannot support the higher gain amps which draw more power.
Second I figured why introduce another break in the downlead and put up with a drop in signal when I don't have to.

The one wire setup may be fine for some, especially if your sources are strong (mine are not). I regret not going dual wire from the start. If you're going to pull wire, why not just pull two?

The major advantage of the ROTR100 over every other rotor is it uses feedback positioning and so provides more accurate positioning over a longer time (I've never had to resync mine). AFAIK no other rotor does this.

Also videobruce has done a lot of research into this rotor (take apart, signal graphing, etc.) and I would consider him the authority on it.

As an aside if you are looking to combine your catv and antenna content you could consider setting up a windows media center with two tuners. I'm working on doing this right now. In my area I get more HD ota than over cable!

Fantastic insight. I was able to dismiss the rotor and have a very acceptable single antenna in fixed position. It's a DIY home brew 4 bay with out a reflector, so it gets distant signals in three directions and strong ones in a forth off center aim. However to bring signal to all TV's I need a distribution amp and I like other ones better than the CM7777. I also have the luxury of powering it independent of the coaxial since I have power both in attic and right at the cable distribution box on the back of the house (there is an outdoor jack). Since the antenna is in the attic the amp goes there near the antenna.


That was the whole deal. The house is wired for cable TV with a box on the back of the house with 4 coaxial runs (three bedroom one living room). There is a 4-way splitter that divided up the "Cable TV" service, which I have discontinued. I kept cable internet, but I run that seperate from the splitter straight to that one coaxial, to one bedroom (office), where the cable modem and wifi router are. The antenna feed was going to that box. There was no pulling lines through the walls. Each room has a cable TV outlet, so having a rotor wire penetrating the house would take a big long drill bit and going through the outer wall. If it had to be done? However since this rotor is only two wires, aka coaxial, I could use one of the other two of four coaxial not used just for rotor power/control. I could add a IR extender (to RF remote). However as I say I avoided the rotor all together, but I still am interested in the Aspen Eagle product for grins.



I think I read his stuff and was turned off by the signal loss. However using it like a regular rotor, routing the antenna coaxial independent of rotor and rotor control box is doable. I still want a rotor to play with! I like the idea of DX'ing digital TV. There is so much opportunity in my area middle of North Carolina, from stations North in Virgina, South West NC coastal. Right now I get TV from 20, 30, 40 and 57 miles. The two major directions with most of the major TV 'affiliates' are the local ones at 20 miles SE, and also 57 miles West, next big city or cities over, is another batch of stations (which I am happy to say I get now). The two secondary directions have one or two fairly weak channels per direction, one station being unique with good programing (ION) at 40 miles NE. That was a challenge to get with the other stations with one antenna. Getting all this with one indoor DIY attic antenna is amazing. One thing that helps is height. I have a very tall two story house, built more vertical than spread out. The attic antenna is about 30 feet up. The roof material must be conducive for RF. Actually now that I think of it, most signal must be coming in on the West and East Ends of the attic where it is just vinyl siding and particleboard. Any way the idea of getting the stations at +90 to 120 miles might be fun with a highly directional UHF antenna on a rotor for fun. The reason for the attic antenna is looks. The area has HOA rules, but if you need an outdoor antenna you can put one up, but the expect you to use cable or satellite dishes, which are allowed. I could see them saying you don't need stations at 57 or ore miles when we have locals at 20. I would do it if needed but I have success with this set up. Still I might put up some "experimental" small directional outside. As long as I don't put a 10 foot yagi beam 30 feet above the roof peak, I don't think they will care. I was going to go with one of those omni-directional round white flying saucers above the roof but doubt it will work as well as my bi-directional antenna.

I have already "DX'ed" a station 93 miles out, but only when I had a directional amplified indoor antenna (Terk HDTVa) aimed at it from the attic. (I experimented with the indoor antenna in the attic, worked great, however with then high directional nature of that antenna I could not get all the stations with the antenna in one position. The UHF part of the Terk HDTVa uses a "log period" type antenna, which has OK back side reception but not like my DIY 4 bay with out reflector. Still it gets the stations at 57 miles which is the main group of second stations. I am greedy and get 17 networks, which includes duplicates of Independent, MyRDU, CW, FOX, ABC, CBS. On many networks, especially off prime time there is more selection of shows, as they air different programs or have time times for shows.

This is a temporary setup, but works well.


These are the day night no excuses channels. The antenna is more or less pointed about 80 deg (E)/250 deg (W). It does quite nice on the one high VHF station 11, even though I am about 40 degrees off center aim direction. Anything over 80%/20 SNR is a good signal. At about 76%/16 is marginal. Occasinally one or two of the distant 57 mi stations drop out mid day. Seems to be noticable night/day change on the weak stations from "troposcatter".



I have done that! I am a PVR nut. I started about 2 or 3 yrs ago, even when I had cable. I made a PVR from an old computer, added TV capture card (Hauppauge), big drive, good video card and a wifi card. I am still using it. I just upgraded the card to a HVR1600 digital NTSC/ATSC/QAM card about 8 months ago when I got rid of CATV, so I can record off air DTV. I had an analog PVR150 card before. It worked great for recording Cable TV and OTA (when it was analog).

The only down side is recording TS or MPG2 at HD (720p or 1080i), the files are huge. Also it makes editing them a pain. My computer CPU can't chug on these files easily. Some times I just want to save a part of a show. However I found HDTV2MPG good for snipping out parts of a show. However to convert even a small file from MPG2 HD, to AVI or WMP takes my computer too long. I am a big fan of PVR's..... Play back of MPG2 HDTV on the computer is also processor intensive. Play back of older 480p files took a fraction of CPU. HOWEVER the pictures of HDTV (recorded) are spectacular. I wish Hauppauge card/software allowed you to record at a lower quality for shows that don't require HD. With analog you can do that. With HDTV you record the stream at what ever quality it is coming at. The only solution I could think of with the hardware I have is buy a digital TV converter box with a Standard Def TV output (S-video) and record from that. That would work fine and record HD in Standard Def. The card I have has a IR blaster, which means at scheduled shows it will tune a "set top box". However for now recording HD is fine and much of the shows I once recorded I just watch on internet or don't watch at all.

When I buy a new computer with Win7 or what ever it is at the time I will get windows media player. However I am happy with out windows media player and just the software that came with the card (WinTV7). There is also free software that does media, TV schedule recording playback.

Has any one used the ROTR100 with a TB-105 thrust bearing?

If so, any problems with mast alignment between the two?

Thanks for the feedback.

I hope to be able to get get it installed this fall.

I had a ROTR100 installed with the TB-105 thrust bearing, but the mast snapped. A really wimpy mast and mount that was already there mounted on the eve. The antenna that fell was a Weingard HD8200U. The antenna boom broke too, but I think I managed to repair it. When it was up, I got really nice reception until the wind blew it down and snapped the mast. The rotator had to be replaced too.

I need some help in getting it re-installed and I'm working on it.

Anyway the side mount was changed to 2 pieces of Electro Gold (EG) strut that straddles an eve vent. The top strut is attached using all thread and is nice and solid. The lower strut fasteners are of the screw type into the 2 x 4.

This is the new plan: I have made out of slotted strut, a 45 degree support with that has a 400 lb load forged eye bolt at about 1.5 foot and at 2 foot from the side. The other eyebolts are through the roof with turnbuckles. The 45 deg support is not installed yet. The mast is made from EMT tubing and attached to the strut using the standard strut clamps to do so. One of the necessary brackets cost me about $85 for one fitting. This one: http://www.superstrut.com/ps/fulltilt/index.cgi?part=AW219 This bracket is for the member that sticks out perpendicular to the side of the house. I used the standard 1-5/8 channel for perpendicular piece and for the 45 degree member, I used the 1/2 sized channel. There was an eve vent to deal with and I lucked out in terms of position, so that the anchor areas don't interfere with the mounting of the AW219. I used EG bolts too. I don't want to have to deal with rust stains on metal siding. The eyebolt mount was done somewhat unusual too. The bolts are about $15 USD each, not including the square washers. I think they are 3/8" diameter, SS and drop forged and about 8" long (not sure).

The problem I ran into is that the way in which you have to orient the Eagle Aspen is toward North. There is no way to get around that. North in my case is probably within 10 degrees away from the roof line. What this means is that there is no way to get three guy wires attached to the thrust bearing. The mast needs 3 guy wires and you cannot change the orientation, so I have 2 on the roof and will have one about 2 feet perpendicular to the side of the house.

The next problem that you will have is that the North TAB has to be cut off. Normally, this rests on top of the main mast. I did on the last install, change the allthread to stainless steel. They need to be heated to be removed and re-locked with threadlocker. and I managed to change the mast clamps too, Parts such as ground strap, hose clamp to stud, ground braid and aluminum mast came from here: http://www.dxengineering.com/ The antenna clamps were changed to stainless as well. I think I needed a little more thread because I think I used two opposing clamps with double nuts. A ground strap was used around the rotor.

The antenna also has to clear a chimney. I have to use this side of the house because of a BIG tree, For now, I've been running a less than satisfactory solution on the other side of the eve.

So, it's not easy to get things to work out. The Thrust Bearing will work. I could not get dimensions for the life of me, so i just had to order it.

Not being able to arbitrarily position the rotor is a necessary evil.

There are about 8-10 locations for TV in the house from a Slingbox and at the time a VCR. There is a 36-52 db amplifier in the main distribution area and then there is the Winegard Mast mounted amp.

I did use a separate RG-6 for power and an RG-6 to a mast mounted Weingard AMP. The amp can't be powered from the ROTR100. The power injector for the AMP is in the attic. The RG-6 is copper clad steel for about 75' which isn't recommended. This drives four 4-way taps. There was a way to inject an NTSC signal on channel 4 and that's still in place. There is at least one location that needs to migrate from twinlead to RG-6 and one location that needs to get hooked up period. The holes are drilled and the wall box is mounted. I cannot receive some stations where the twinlead is. In that case, I use my laptop with the Slingbox which has the shortest signal path. If I want, I can use the laptop HDMI output and run it to the TV.

Plans down the road are to map the channel gains and figure out what I need to do and get a custom attenuator made to normalize the signal levels. I already have the meter to do the mapping.

At the initial time, I was thinking about using one of these tilt devices for the antenna http://www.atechfabrication.com/reception_solutions.htm but at the time they were no longer available. It now looks like they are available. Not cheap.

There are two VHF stations that are 2edge signals and are 37.4 NM (db) and 28.4 db based on TV fool. Here is a snip from the TVFOOL output.

signals avsforums.PNG 35k .PNG file

Do you guys have any idea what kind of improvement can be had using a tilt system?

And the final question:
Since the Eagle Aspen is a Deseq (sp?) kind of system, COULD:
1) An Eagle Aspen control box be modified to control a Satelite actuator such that when you selected a channel, both tilt and rotate would happen automagically?

or is there any other way to make them both happen at the same time?

I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say.

Sorry it took so long to reply.

Here is a bunch of annotated pictures in this Skydrive link: http://sdrv.ms/XClELs (Fixed the link), although way out of order.

Sine I posted last, I manged to get the guy wire support installed.

At one point in time the Winegard HD8200U was installed using flimsy mounts and an older aluminum mast with only two guy wires. In heavy wind the mast snapped (pic) and the antenna fell off the roof secured by the guy wires. The wind also snapped the antenna boom (pic).

There was another antenna and rotor on the opposite side of the house with the chimney. I scavenged the best antenna's I had lying around and put them on that mast and that's what I'm using for an antenna. Stations are missing from when the antenna was mounted on the chimney side of the house. The real plan is to make the non chimney side FM only. An antenna on that side of the house points right into a 52 year old oak tree. There is a pic taken with the camera at the end of the antenna and a pic taken from the other direction. Everywhere you look, there is the big tree.

The pics also show the antenna mount to the side of the house, the guy wire support by itself, the support bearing mounted to a mast laying on the ground and the mast ready to accept the ROTR100. The next step is to get the ROTR100 mounted and to make sure I have all of the parts ready before I ask for help.

The distribution system is shown too using a Tinlee amp and taps. Once it's up again, I'll measure all of the signal levels at the head end and try to get the system custom equalized. I'll also deal with the taps at that time too.

What's weird, from TV fool says:

Real channel 31: 22.7 NM (db) -68.1 Pwr (dbm), 2Edge, 29.1 miles, 46 deg true, 57 deg Mag I can get without issues
Real Channel 17, 23.7, -67,2, 2Edge, 28.9, 45 deg, 57 deg I can't get at all with the hodgepodge antenna and the tree in the way. I could get it with the HD8200 where the tree is not obstructing as much.

There was a mast mounted amp with the 8200U, but there is an ersatz mess and twinlead with the hodgepodge antenna. I'm not sure exactly what I dug up to make it work. Apples and oranges for sure. I know there are a couple of twin lead amps that I used. Initially, that side of the house used foam twinlead. It was probably installed in the mid 60's.

One TV location still uses dual twinlead and I keep loosing real channel 6 and it is supposedly the second highest signal level, but it's VHF. Real channel 6 and real channel 12 are VHF stations in use where I'm at.

I have the means of measuring the levels, but I've not done so anywhere.

The stations are listed right after one another and everything is nearly the same, but I can't get it.
Edited by K I S S - 12/8/12 at 7:50am