HAM V / HAM VX
g
,
Antenna Rotator System Including
DCU-1 Di
Instruction Manual
ital Controller
308 Industrial Park Road
Starkville
MS 39759
TABLE OF
Page CHAPTER 1 - Installation and
Operation................................................................................................ l-1 Section 1. Components of
the HAM-V ................................................................................................1-1 General
.............................................................................................................................................1-1 Section 2.
Specifications ......................................................................................................................1-2 Section 3.
Precautions ..........................................................................................................................1-4 Section 4.
Installation Preparations ......................................................................................................1-5 Types of
Installations .......................................................................................................................1-5
Precautions .......................................................................................................................................1-8
Section 5. Wiring and Check-Out ........................................................................................................1-9
Section 6. Installing the Rotator.........................................................................................................1-11
Inside Tower Mount.......................................................................................................................1-11
Outside Tower Mount ....................................................................................................................1-13
Mast Mount ........................................................................ 1-13 Section 7. Optional Accessory
Kits....................................................................................................1-14 Section 8. Operation of DCU-
1 Pathfinder Control Unit...................................................................1-15 Precautions
.....................................................................................................................................1-15 Normal
Operation...........................................................................................................................1-15 Computer
Operation .......................................................................................................................1-16 Section 9.
Troubleshooting.................................................................................................................1-18 Ground
Wires .................................................................................................................................1-19 Antenna
Motion..............................................................................................................................1-19 Lack of
Power ................................................................................................................................1-19 Checking
the Control Unit Voltages ..............................................................................................1-20 Checking
the Rotator Resistances from the Ground ......................................................................1-20 Section 10.
Disassembly of the Rotator Unit .....................................................................................1-21
Spur Gear Assembly 122 Section 11. Reassembly of the
Rotator...............................................................................................1-23 Section 12. HAM-V Rotator
Replacement Parts.......................................,........................................1-24 Section 13. DCU-1 Control
Unit Block Diagrams.............................................................................1-29 Section 14. DCU-1 Control
Unit Replacement Parts List..................................................................1-30 Section 15. How To Get
Factory Service.......
w ....................................................................................1-31
Warranty
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Figure Pag
1 Front View .......................................................................................................................1-3
2 Back View........................................................................................................................1-3
3 Rotator Mounted Inside.................................................................................................... l-5
4 Rotator Mounted on Tower Top Plate..............................................................................1-6
5 Pole Mounted Rotator ......................................................................................................1-7
6 Control Cable Connector Attachments.............................................................................1-9
7 DCU-1 Display...............................................................................................................1-10
8 Rotator Mounting in a Tower.........................................................................................1-11
9 Rotator Mounting with (optional) Lower Mast Support ................................................1-12
10 Wiring Guide..................................................................................................................1-16
11 Command Set.................................................................................................................1-16
12 Sample Program .................................................. .........................................................1-17
13
Spur Gear Assembly
14 Inside View of Ham-V Rotator......................................................................................1-25
15 BrakeAssembly and Terminal Board Wiring Detail ......................................................1-26
16 Ham-V Rotator-Illustrated Parts Breakdown .................................................................1-28
17 Front Panel PCB, Block Diagram ..................................................................................1-29
18 Control PCB and External Components, Block Diagram ..............................................1-29
1
Control Cable ...................................................................................................................1-
2 Troubleshooting .............................................................................................................1-
3
Control Unit Voltages ....................................................................................................1-
4 Rotator Resistances ........................................................................................................1-
General Description
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p
.
CHAPTER 1 INSTALLATI ON AND
-
The Ham-V rotator system consists of a heavy
duty rotator and the new DCU-1 "Pathfinder"
digital control unit. The rotator is designed to be
mounted on a plate inside a communications
tower, and is attached to a vertical steel mast. The
DCU-1 control unit must be installed indoors and
connected to the rotator by an 8 conductor cable.
The DCU-1 "Pathfinder" digital control unit features 6 memory presets, automatic brake delay (8
seconds), automatic motor slowdown (last 5 degrees), automatic motor control on startup, programmable center of rotation, full circle analog
display of current and target bearings, digital display of current and target bearings, automatic display blanking of target bearings (30 seconds),
automatic display blanking (30 minutes), RS-232
control with pass-through, and an 8 pin socket for
the control cable.
The Ham-V rotator features low temperature operation (-30 deg. F/ -34 deg. C), a weatherproof
AMP connector with gold-plated contacts, an improved high-strength steel drive gear, RF beads
on the potentiometer lines, wedge brake, and safe
26 volt operation.
The Ham-V rotator system consists of the followin
main components:
P/N 5137202 Ham-V Rotator Assembly
P/N 870804 DCU-1 Control Unit Assembly (110
VAC)
P/N 870842 DCU-1 Assembly Control Unit (220
It is recommended that you use this rotator system
with compatible antennas and towers. For example, the maximum antenna size for this system is
15 sq. ft. (1.4 sq. m). Therefore, if you anticipate
using antennas near this limit, the tower system
should also be rated for wind areas of this magnitude. If you are considering antennas with long
booms and/or long elements, do not exceed the
Effective Moment specification of 2800 ft. lb.
(387 Kg m). EM is defined as the antenna turning
radius times weight. Antennas with long booms
and elements have much more angular
momentum and exert more torque on rotator
systems than antennas with shorter booms and
tions:
O
The Ham-V also features a rugged powder-coat
The rotator unit must be connected to the control
unit with an 8-wire cable. You may assemble
your own cable from the information supplied in
this manual
The optional heavy-duty lower mast support kit
must be procured if you elect to use a mast mount
(see Figure 5 and 9). The part number for this kit
is 51467 10. When using the lower mast support,
the antenna size is restricted to 7.5 square feet of
wind area. The "inside tower mount" configuration is recommended (see Figure 3 and 8).
A 3 foot cable with a pre-assembled AMP
connector may be ordered as product 307-3. The
other end of the cable has bare wires. You must
supply the connector for this end!
Section 2.
DCU-1 Digital Control Unit:
(
)
Control Unit
Display: Type
Scale
Blankin
Display Life Memory
Presets Rotation Center
Brake Delay Automatic
Motor Control
8.5"x4.3"x9.0" (WxHxD)
21.6x 11.0 x22.8 cm
Gas Plasma, Amber filter
5 degree (Analog), 1 degree (Digital)
Target Bearing ( 8/60 seconds) Total
( 30 minutes after no activity)
30,000 to 40,000 hours
6, independently programmable
User selectable, 0 - 360 degrees
8 seconds, fixed
- momentary reverse direction on start-up
-automatic stop if no rotator movement detected in 8 seconds
- motor pulse (half-cycle) on last 5 degrees before stop
1 Knob ( 36 pos. digital
encoder) - sets target bearing
- sets center of rotation in calibrate mode
- increment of 1 degree (slow speed
mode) and 7 degrees (high speed mode)
6 Memory Preset ( pushbuttons)
1 Start Rotation ( pushbutton)
- also starts EPC (calibration)
1 Stop Rotation ( pushbutton)
1 Display ( pushbutton)
- turns on display after
blanking - enters calibration
mode
1 8-pin socket (rotor
Figure 1 Front
View
Section 3. Precautions
,
)
Towers and antennas require caution during erection and placement! Extreme care must be taken
during erection so that metal tower and antenna
parts DO NOT contact power lines, even if the parts
slip, rotate, retract, fall or fracture!
Antenna position mechanisms (towers and rotators)
must be placed so that if they fail, the parts of the
antenna system cannot contact power lines, be a
hazard to individuals
or endanger property.
Metal towers must be grounded properly at the
tower location before the tower is erected. This is to
minimize electrical hazard and the possibility of
lightning damage. DO NOT bury bare aluminum
wires or stakes in the ground. Use copper or copperclad ground stakes. The service entrance ground
should be checked. The household convenience
outlet should be th e 3 -pron g type (grounded b ack to
the service entrance
.
NOTE:
This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and
if not instal led and used in acco rdance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful i nterference to radio or television
reception', "which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on, the us er is e ncouraged
-
- Increase the separation between the
It is recommended that you use a "daisy-chain"
ground connection rather than connecting all units
(DCU-1, radio, tuner , etc.) to the ground rod separately.
The DCU-1 Control Unit is not weatherproof and
must be located in a house or other protected location. Connect a ground wire to the 1/4"-20 terminal
on the back of the DCU-1.
- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a
circuit different fro m that to which the
- Consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/TV technician for help.
The Ham-V rotator system has been carefully designed and manufactured to give many years of
trouble-free service when carefully and professionally installed. It consists of the strongest and best
commercially available components. This product
is manufactured in the U.S.A.
Sectio
n 4. Installation Preparation
s
y
Types of installations:
There are three general types of rotator
installations (see Figures 3, 4, and 5).
l. The recommended installation is an "inside"
tower mount with a thrust bearing or bushing
to provide vertical and horizontal support. The
thrust bearing should mount on the top surface
of the tower and should fit the size of mast
ou are using.
The rotator shelf should be at least three (3 ) feet
below the thrust bearing. If a single antenna is
mounted on the mast, it should be no more than
one (1) foot above the thrust bearing. The thrust
bearing should be of commercial manufacture and
should properly fit the tower that it is attached to.
If your installation follows these guidelines, this
rotator system will easily handle an antenna
system of 15 sq. ft. wind area or EM of 2800 ft.
Figure 3 Rotator
2. An "outside" tower mount may be used when
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the rotator unit will not fit within the tower, or
there is no rotator shelf provided. In this
installation, the rotor mounts on a flat plate at
the top of the tower. There is no thrust
In this application, it is extremely important that
the antenna is mounted no more than six (6)
inches above the top of the rotator. If these
guidelines are followed, the rotator system will
easily handle a single antenna with a 7.5 sq. ft.
Figure 4 Rotator Mounted on Tower
To
Plate
3. A telescoping or other type mast may also be
used. This installation requires the optional
"Heavy Duty Lower Mast Support Kit". In this
application, it is extremely important that the
antenna is mounted no more than six (6)
inches above the top of the rotator.
If these guidelines are followed, the rotator
system will easily handle a single antenna with a
7.5 sq. ft. wind area or EM of 1125 ft. lb. Ensure
There -are variations of mounting which fall
generally into one of the above categories. For
example, the rotator may be mounted much lower
in the tower than described. In this case, more
than one mast bearing may be required.
Figure 5 Pole Mounted
1. Unbalanced weight: Weight should be as
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p
closely balanced as possible. Unbalanced
weight in an antenna creates a bending
moment of force which is concentrated on the
mast at the
2. Wind Pressure: Balanced wind pressure against
the antenna system produces a bending force
on the mast which can cause the same stress es
as unbalanced weight. To minimize these
forces, a thrust bearing should be used where
possible, the antenna should be as close to the
top of the tower as possible and the rotator
shelf should be as low as
oint where it is clamped to the
ossible.
3. Unbalanced Wind: If the antenna has unequal
wind areas and element spacings on each side
of the mast attachment point, it could produce
torque on the support mast. This is similar to
the principle of a weather vane. If the
unbalance is high enough or the wind velocity
is high enough, this could prevent rotation or
could damage the limit switches. To minimize
this effect, the antenna should be designed for
minimum mast torque or "torque
compensators" added to produce minimum
4. Mast Binding: If the antenna support mast
binds withig. the tower due to ice
accumulation or other reasons, this could
prevent rotation. The DCU-1 checks for
rotator movement upon pressing "START",
and if no movement is detected within 8
5. Extreme Cold: If the ambient temperature is at
or below -30 degrees F, this could prevent
rotation. If no movement is detected within 8
seconds of pressing "START", then the rotator
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