[amsat-bb] Counterbalance weight on antenna rotator?

[k6vug at sbcglobal.net]

In my case, the light weight beam was mounted to a tripod at the rear-most end so that the 2m reflector would not foul with the tripod legs. The counter balance required was not much (less than 4 pounds), so I used some fishing lead weight, see link below.  It comes in a coil that conveniently wraps around the end of the boom.  A length of magic tape secured it to the boom.  
 
PS: The arrangement worked fine but I wasn't happy that the weight of the whole thing was now twice the weight of the antenna.  
 
Link fyi:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bullet-Weights-Lead-Wire/52497626 
 
73! 
Umesh 
k6vug 
 
 
 
    On Friday, October 4, 2019, 4:02:49 PM PDT, Don KB2YSI via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:   
  
 I use a square wooden dowel on the back end of my Arrow that I clip my RX
radio on to act as a counter balance.

On Fri, Oct 4, 2019, 18:44 Bob Hammond via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
wrote:

> Hasan, front to back on the EL so as to reduce the load on the motor and
> gears.
>
> thanks,
>
> Bob
>
> On Fri, Oct 4, 2019 at 8:16 AM Hasan al-Basri <hbasri.schiers6 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Bob,
> > Are you talking Front to Back (EL) or Side to Side ?
> >
> > When I had clearance issues I had to mount my 2m yagi forward of its
> > natural balance point.  I hose clamped a steel bar on top and parallel to
> > the boom to rebalance the load of the yagi on the rotor. It worked fine.
> I
> > also used tape protected tie-wraps as a secondary safety net, so the iron
> > bar didn't fall on someone's head!
> >
> > I did not have any side to side balance issues across the rotor. (The
> 70cm
> > on one side and the 2m on the other, but if I would have, I would have
> used
> > the same trick: Steel bar on the lighter side of the boom, to balance the
> > load across the rotor.)
> >
> > Cheap, easy, dirty. But be sure to make that steel bar counterweight
> mount
> > to the antenna boom or cross-boom VERY secure.
> >
> > 73, N0AN
> >
> >
> > Hasan
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Oct 4, 2019 at 9:58 AM Bob Hammond via AMSAT-BB <
> > amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
> >
> >> Do a lot of you, or all, use a counterbalance weight on your elevation
> >> rotor?  If so, how did you implement it?
> >>
> >> I have 3 antennas (2M, 70cm, 23cm) on my cross boom and want to reduce
> the
> >> load on the Yaesu rotor so it lasts longer.
> >>
> >> 73s,
> >>
> >> Bob
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