View Single Post
  #4   Report Post  
Old September 16th 05, 03:59 PM
John Ferrell
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I am not sure I understand the question. I think you have the rotator
upside down on the tower at the moment. If it went through some
weather, it is probably full of water now. The way I would handle the
problem is to remove the rotator from the mount and hang it on the
tower (clothes hanger wire) right side up. I would hang it there for a
few days to drain & dry out. When it comes time to reinstall the
antennas, test the rotator for proper operation. Chances are that it
will be OK. If you seal it tight, the moisture will be sealed in.
These things are intended to be able to breathe!

If removing/replacing the rotator is a major hassle, I would either
send it to one of the maintenance guys or put up a new one & sell the
old one on ebay WITH the explanation. There are lots of us who have
setups that are easy to change.

If the rotator must be left in the inverted position outside for an
extended time I would wrap it in black landscape plastic and duct tape
to prevent more water from entering while leaving the bottom of the
plastic open to dry out.

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:25:25 -0500, Bob Bob wrote:

One of the tricks I learnt early on with RTV sealant in medical
ultrasound water tanks is if you wet the surfaces with water and a
detergent wetting agent the sealant wont actually adhere to the
prewetted surface. Kind of handy if you wanted to force the sealant into
a clearance slot and remove it later.

Or was it oil? Damn I cant remember! I know kerosene is used to pre the
surface for better adhesion...

How about paper/masking tape over the gaps and spraying with that gluggy
sealant you use on sink drains?

Probably not very useful thoughts, sorry!

Cheers Bob W5/VK2YQA

Dan/W4NTI wrote:


Maybe ... get some axle grease, or RTV sealant would be better, perhaps.
Both should peal off reasonable well.

One other thing I am concerned with tho. I always heard that the rotar
must be kept in a vertical position or the grease would drain out of the
bearings? Wives tale ??? I don't know. But I always keep mine vertical
when stored.

Dan/W4NTI