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[TowerTalk] Radical alternative for pinning beams

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Radical alternative for pinning beams
From: ftbrady@cosmoslink.net (Frank T. Brady)
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 21:09:31 -0700
Bill, I call that one HECK of a brainstorm - maybe a brain tsunami when you
consider how much trouble it would save).  Besides, it's just . . . SLICK
and I sure hope others like you jump on this - I'd like to see it go all the
way to prototype and up the tower!  I guess it's going to take some smart
rotator controller guys to sense the flux-compass signals and adjust the
seek accordingly.

73,
 Frank

Bill Coleman AA4LR <aa4lr@radio.org> wrote:

>Here's one of those really radical ideas that strikes from time to time.
>
>The biggest problem with beam slippage on the mast is you simply don't 
>know which way you are pointing. 
>
>What if you had a way to determine where the beam was pointed, regardless 
>of how the rotator was turned?
>
>How about:
>
>a) install a flux-gate compass at the end of a beam, run the wires 
>through the boom and down to the shack to an indicator.
>
>b) mount a tiny b&w camera on the tower looking "up" at the beam. Run the 
>video to a screen in the shack. Calibrate the screen with points for N, 
>E, S, W.
>
>Perhaps there's other methods to remotely sense the position of the beam.
>
>Once the beam no longer needs to be tightly coupled to the mast for 
>positioning, maybe there's room for a fluid coupling between the rotating 
>motor and the mast, which would take care of some of the torque problems.
>
>Just a brainstorm....

(snip)


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