Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV
Bill,
Start by checking the connections in the shack at the controller. If they are good, then disconnect lines 1, 2, and 3 on the elevation side and check the _cables_ with an ohm meter. You should read 500 ohms between 1 and 3, and something intermediate between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3. If the antenna is parked, one of them will be close to 0 ohms, and the other almost 500 ohms, so it is better to point the antenna at 45 degrees or so. You can see a clear difference, and eliminate a shorted or open line. If this checks good, then the problem is inside the controller.
If you don't, then you either have a bad connection in the cable or connector at the rotator, or the reference potentiometer is bad in the rotator. The easiest way to check this is to swap the connectors at the rotators. The systems are electrically identical. If the problem follows the connectors, there is a problem in the cable or connector. If not, it is in the rotator.
Fixing the rotator pot is messy but straight forward, requiring only mechanical skills, and there have been several reports on how to do that. Fixing the controller depends on what is wrong. In either case, Yaesu will repair them for a "modest" fee.
Let us know what you find.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Gillenwater Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:21 AM To: AmsatBBS Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Bill, Alan seems to have covered all the troubleshooting areas for this rotor- Simple system.
From what I have seen here on the BB, It is a toss up between poor
connections and Pot probs. Good luck... Dee, NB2F
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Alan P. Biddle Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 9:51 AM To: 'Bill Gillenwater'; 'AmsatBBS' Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
Bill,
Start by checking the connections in the shack at the controller. If they are good, then disconnect lines 1, 2, and 3 on the elevation side and check the _cables_ with an ohm meter. You should read 500 ohms between 1 and 3, and something intermediate between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3. If the antenna is parked, one of them will be close to 0 ohms, and the other almost 500 ohms, so it is better to point the antenna at 45 degrees or so. You can see a clear difference, and eliminate a shorted or open line. If this checks good, then the problem is inside the controller.
If you don't, then you either have a bad connection in the cable or connector at the rotator, or the reference potentiometer is bad in the rotator. The easiest way to check this is to swap the connectors at the rotators. The systems are electrically identical. If the problem follows the connectors, there is a problem in the cable or connector. If not, it is in the rotator.
Fixing the rotator pot is messy but straight forward, requiring only mechanical skills, and there have been several reports on how to do that. Fixing the controller depends on what is wrong. In either case, Yaesu will repair them for a "modest" fee.
Let us know what you find.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Gillenwater Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:21 AM To: AmsatBBS Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
_______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
To T/S the meter, swap the elevation wires with the azimuth wires and see if the problem follows the swap. I hope you did not do what I did:
The contacts for the motor wires lay down onto the mete wires applying 26v to the meter ckt. Taking the control unit apart doesn't look fun.
73, Ed - KL7UW
At 06:39 AM 1/28/2011, Dee wrote:
Bill, Alan seems to have covered all the troubleshooting areas for this rotor- Simple system.
From what I have seen here on the BB, It is a toss up between poor
connections and Pot probs. Good luck... Dee, NB2F
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Alan P. Biddle Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 9:51 AM To: 'Bill Gillenwater'; 'AmsatBBS' Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
Bill,
Start by checking the connections in the shack at the controller. If they are good, then disconnect lines 1, 2, and 3 on the elevation side and check the _cables_ with an ohm meter. You should read 500 ohms between 1 and 3, and something intermediate between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3. If the antenna is parked, one of them will be close to 0 ohms, and the other almost 500 ohms, so it is better to point the antenna at 45 degrees or so. You can see a clear difference, and eliminate a shorted or open line. If this checks good, then the problem is inside the controller.
If you don't, then you either have a bad connection in the cable or connector at the rotator, or the reference potentiometer is bad in the rotator. The easiest way to check this is to swap the connectors at the rotators. The systems are electrically identical. If the problem follows the connectors, there is a problem in the cable or connector. If not, it is in the rotator.
Fixing the rotator pot is messy but straight forward, requiring only mechanical skills, and there have been several reports on how to do that. Fixing the controller depends on what is wrong. In either case, Yaesu will repair them for a "modest" fee.
Let us know what you find.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Gillenwater Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:21 AM To: AmsatBBS Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 144-1.4kw*, 432-100w*, 1296-testing*, 3400-winter? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep dubususa@hotmail.com ====================================== *temp not in service
As I recall, there are reports about meters quitting/acting up because of poor electrical connections with the screws that physically mount (and electrically connect) the meters to the case/housing. (maybe a grounding issue? I forget specifics...)
Worth checking, since that's about the easy thing to check!
Mark N8MH
On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 9:51 AM, Alan P. Biddle APBIDDLE@united.net wrote:
Bill,
Start by checking the connections in the shack at the controller. If they are good, then disconnect lines 1, 2, and 3 on the elevation side and check the _cables_ with an ohm meter. You should read 500 ohms between 1 and 3, and something intermediate between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3. If the antenna is parked, one of them will be close to 0 ohms, and the other almost 500 ohms, so it is better to point the antenna at 45 degrees or so. You can see a clear difference, and eliminate a shorted or open line. If this checks good, then the problem is inside the controller.
If you don't, then you either have a bad connection in the cable or connector at the rotator, or the reference potentiometer is bad in the rotator. The easiest way to check this is to swap the connectors at the rotators. The systems are electrically identical. If the problem follows the connectors, there is a problem in the cable or connector. If not, it is in the rotator.
Fixing the rotator pot is messy but straight forward, requiring only mechanical skills, and there have been several reports on how to do that. Fixing the controller depends on what is wrong. In either case, Yaesu will repair them for a "modest" fee.
Let us know what you find.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Gillenwater Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:21 AM To: AmsatBBS Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Alan,
I did all of the swaps and checks and eliminated several possibilities. Rotors seemed OK, cables OK. Took control cover off and checked a few voltages, wiggled a few things. Put it back together and it works. Must be a loose ground or connection somewhere. Seems to be working fine now. Thanks all who responded. Not sure but seems like something loose in the control box.
73 Bill K3SV
----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan P. Biddle" APBIDDLE@UNITED.NET To: "'Bill Gillenwater'" k3sv@pa.net; "'AmsatBBS'" amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 9:51 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
Bill,
Start by checking the connections in the shack at the controller. If they are good, then disconnect lines 1, 2, and 3 on the elevation side and check the _cables_ with an ohm meter. You should read 500 ohms between 1 and 3, and something intermediate between 1 and 2, and between 2 and 3. If the antenna is parked, one of them will be close to 0 ohms, and the other almost 500 ohms, so it is better to point the antenna at 45 degrees or so. You can see a clear difference, and eliminate a shorted or open line. If this checks good, then the problem is inside the controller.
If you don't, then you either have a bad connection in the cable or connector at the rotator, or the reference potentiometer is bad in the rotator. The easiest way to check this is to swap the connectors at the rotators. The systems are electrically identical. If the problem follows the connectors, there is a problem in the cable or connector. If not, it is in the rotator.
Fixing the rotator pot is messy but straight forward, requiring only mechanical skills, and there have been several reports on how to do that. Fixing the controller depends on what is wrong. In either case, Yaesu will repair them for a "modest" fee.
Let us know what you find.
Alan WA4SCA
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org [mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On Behalf Of Bill Gillenwater Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:21 AM To: AmsatBBS Subject: [amsat-bb] Yaesu 5500 Rotor Problem
The meter for elevation on the Yaesu 5500 is not working. Any idea what might be wrong? Are there places to have them fixed if I can't shoot the bug? Thanks. Bill K3SV _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
participants (6)
-
Alan P. Biddle -
Bill Gillenwater -
Bill Gillenwater -
Dee -
Edward R. Cole -
Mark L. Hammond