Rotator repeater for HyGain T2X and similar

At the G3BJ station, the rotators are a long way away from the house. The ohmic losses in normal rotator cable mean that extra-large cross-section cables need to be used for the main cabling on rotators that use low voltage motors. The HyGain range (Ham-IV, T2X etc) sufer from this drawback.

One alternative (to be used with care) is to up-rate the driving power supply with a custom-built rotator controller, setting the motor drive voltage to take account of the ohmic loss.

An alternative is to mount a “repeater” power supply at the base of the tower and control it through lightweight cable such as UTP. The repeater circuit below is a way to achieve this. Note that it requires mains power at the base of the tower, but at a current that can be achieved through relatively lightweight (although suitable for outdoor use) cable. The “Mains Out” terminal can be eliminated from the circuit below if the mains power is not required for other local uses at the tower. Note that the supply feeding mains power to any outside location MUST be fitted with an RCD.

Rotator repeater T2X