AlfaRadio Alfa RAU RAK BIG-RAK User manual
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
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lfa RAU RAK BIG-RAK Rotators
Revised 12 APR 2022
http://www.alfaradio.ca
This manual is for use with units sold by
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lfa Radio Ltd. of Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada on or after March 1, 2022. Units sold by others may have different firmware
and may operate using different voltages.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 3
2 SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 4
3 INSTALLATION A LFA RAU RAK BIG-RAK ROTATORS ......................................................................... 5
3.1 WIRING............................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.2 USING THE ALFA ROTATOR ON LONG CABLE RUNS..........................................................................................7
3.3 ROTATOR MOUNTING BOLTS............................................................................................................................8
4 ROTATOR TESTING: .....................................................................................................................................
5 ROTATOR TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................................................................. 1 0
6 REPLACING REED SWITCH SENSOR.......................................................................................................12
12 MONTH LIMITED WARRANTY ............................................................................................................. 1 4
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
1 Introduction
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lfa Radio sells three azimuth only rotators - the RAU for light duty applica-
tions, the RAK for medium duty applications and the BIG-RAK for applications
that require a heavy duty rotator
These rotators use a double worm gear drive for reliable service which eliminates
the requirement for a separate braking mechanism. The main worm gear, the main
bearing and the outside case of each Rotator is made of steel, making it very
rugged and giving it a long life expectancy. Each Rotator’s surface is covered
with a powder coated paint, protecting against corrosion and each rotator will
work with controllers Rot1Prog and/or MD-01/02.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
2 Specifications
ROTATOR RAU RAK BIG-RAK
Rotang Torque
Rot1 Prog @ 18V
MD-01/02 @ 2 V
900 in lb or 102 N m
1800 in lb or 203 N m
1800 in lb or 203 N m
32 0 in lb or 366 N m
8000 in lb or 90 N m
Contact Alfa
Braking Torque 8,000 in lb or 90 N m 1 ,000 in lb or 1582 N m 2 ,000 in lb or 2712 N m
Vercal Load in lb/Kg 350 lb or 159Kg 550 lb or 2 9 kg >700 lb or 318 kg
Brake Type Double Worm Double Worm Double Worm
Encoder type Magnec Reed Switch Magnec Reed Switch Magnec Reed Switch
Resoluon 1 pulse/degree 1 pulse/degree 1 pulse/0.5 degree
Rotang Angle 360 Degree +/- 180
(720 Degree Total)
360 Degree +/- 180
(720 Degree Total)
360 Degree +/- 180
(720 Degree Total)
Rotang Time for 360 Degrees
Rot1Prog @ 18V
MD-01/02 @ 2 V
5 Seconds 90 Seconds
5 Seconds
2 0 Seconds
1 5 Sec onds
Electric Motor 12V 12V 12V
Environment -20 +50 Degree C -20 +50 Degree C -20 +50 Degree C
Mass of Rotator 18 lb or 8 Kg 26 lb or 12 Kg 33 lb or 15Kg
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
3 INSTALLATION
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lfa RAU RAK BIG-RAK Rotator
3.1 Wiring
The rotator unit must be wired to the control
unit with 4-wire cable. The gauge of the 4-wire
cable to connect the control unit to the rotator
depends upon the distance between rotator and
controller. The wire for the impulse sensing may
be quite thin - #22 or similar, even for
relatively long distances. Motor wire should be
as follows:
Length (distance) Gauge
10 m (32') #18 (1.02 mm)
30 m (100’) #16 (1.29 mm)
60 m (200’) #14 (1.63 mm)
Connection to RAU and RAK Rotators
Remove cover from the motor body as shown and make connections as follows:
1 - Motor Drive to 1 on controller connector
2 - Motor Drive to 2 on controller connector
3 - Impulse Sense to 3 on controller connector
4 - Impulse Sense to 4 on controller connector
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
CAUTION!:
Do not accidentally switch
the motor wires with the
impulse wires. Damage to
the control unit may occur!
TIP:
Before final
installation of
equipment, it is
strongly suggested you
check out all functions
and connections on a
workbench.
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
Connection to BIG-RAK Rotator
On the terminal strip in the picture
to the left, pin 1 is on the left
end and pin 4 is on the right end.
Connect the wires to the controller
as described above.
You can verify this with an ohmmeter
and measuring the resistance between
pins 1 and 2 and between pins 3 and 4. Expected values are in the table in
section 5 of this manual.
When installing any rotator, care must be taken to ensure that the antenna
cable is installed, so that it is not damaged while the antenna is rotated
through it’s normal operating angular travel. When installing an
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lfa
Rotator, that normal operating angular travel can be up to 720 degrees.
Note:
When using Switch Mode power supplies, be aware that inrush current from the
rotator motor may trip the power supply overcurrent protection circuits.
In case of trouble, refer to section 5 for help.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
3.2 Using the
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lfa Rotator on long cable runs
Since the motor uses relatively low DC voltage, a combination of long cable
runs and/or thinner than required cable may reduce the voltage at the motor
to an unacceptably low value. It may turn in warm weather or light winds,
but the power will not be available to rotate under severe conditions.
While it is easy to recommend installing heavier cable, this may be costly,
impractical or both. Don Moman VE6JY, at his contest station, northeast of
Edmonton, has a tower that is just over 1700 feet (500 meters) away from the
shack. At this distance, the only cost effective alternative was to run 22
gauge underground telephone cable and use relays to switch power from a
power supply at the base of the tower. The power supply needs to have
enough voltage to supply 13.8 to 18 volts at the motor at 3 to 8 amps. Don
uses a battery that is charged by the remaining unused conductors in the
telephone cable.
Relays chosen should be suitable for the proper coil voltage, as well as
appropriate current carrying capacity of the contacts. A relay capable of 5
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
to 10 amps DC is adequate. The diodes are general-purpose 1 amp
style such as the 1N400X series.
This information is presented as a guide to help the user realize a solution
to the long cable run situation.
3.3 Rotator Mounting Bolts
All mounting bolts on the
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lfaspid Rotators are Metric.
Rotator Bolt Size Thread Pitch Length Wrench or
Socket
RAU M8 1.25 20mm 13mm
Mini-RAS M8 1.25 25mm 13mm
RAK – RAS M10 1.5 25mm 17mm
BIG-RAK or
BIG-RAS
M10
M12
1.5
1.75
25mm
25mm
17mm
19mm
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
4 Rotator Testing:
It is highly recommended that the rotator controller and rotator be setup on
the bench before installing on a tower. This will give the operator a chance
to become familiar with the equipment.
The ROT1Prog controller is normally expected to be operated from a 13.8 Volt DC
supply. However, it may be operated from other unregulated DC or AC sources as
well. DC or AC voltage levels between 13.8 and 18 Volts capable of at least 5 Amps
are acceptable - typically 13.8 Volts.
The polarity of the power to the control box input leads is not critical for D.C.
operation. A diode rectifier on the input will provide the proper polarity to the
electronics and provide reverse polarity protection as well as A.C. operation.
TIP: Because of several steering diodes in the motor path, the voltage delivered to
the motor (neglecting wire loss) will be about 1.4 volts less than the power supply
voltage. For longer runs and/or thin wiring, a higher voltage (up to approx. 18V)
to the control unit is beneficial. A simple way to estimate if the voltage to the
motor is adequate, is by timing the rotation. Under no or a very small load, the
360 degree rotation time with 18V DC or 24V DC are noted in the specifications in
section 2. A DC Ammeter in the motor lead is also useful. It should indicate
between 1 and 3 amps with a small load. On windy days or a heavy load, the current
may fluctuate up to 3 to 5 amps.
Once set up, check the Azimuth when looking at the rotator from above:
Pressing should make the rotator move clockwise.
Pressing should make the rotator move counter-clockwise.
If rotation is reversed, switch lines 1 and 2 on the back of the controller
or at the Rotator.
Impulse sense lines (3 & 4) have no polarity concerns.
Part of the overload protection circuitry involves cutting power to the
motor, if the controller does not receive a sense indication. If the motor
turns for a few seconds and then stops, the motor has either stalled or
there is a problem in the reed switch sense wiring.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
It is highly recommended to ground the Controller.
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
5 Rotator Troubleshooting
If, for some reason, your
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lfa rotator is not operating correctly, these are
some troubleshooting tips.
Before contacting
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lfa Radio Ltd., please try the following tests:
It is important to confirm correct operation before installation on the
tower.
Check the Limits for Min Angle and Max Angle settings and rule out overlap.
Defaults are +180 and -180.
Simple resistance tests can reveal incorrect or shorted wiring.
Pins 1 and 2 are the motor winding and will have a low resistance. A typ-
ical reading will be 2-3 ohms.
Pins 3 and 4 are the sensor lines and will typically have either an open
circuit or have from 600 to 1200 ohms depending on the status of the reed
switch in the rotator and the length and gauge of wire used.
There should be no conductivity between 1 and 3 or 1 and 4, or between 2 and
3 or 2 and 4
All lines should have no conductivity to ground between 1 and 3, 1 and 4, 2
and 3, or 2 and 4.
** Be careful not to overwind your coaxial with the next test, as there will
be no protection from over-turning.
Find a small 12 volts supply that will deliver 3 to 4 amps. (A small 12
Volt battery will work just fine and is easy to take up the tower.) To
confirm that the motor runs, you may connect 12 volts D.C. to the lines that
go to the motor (pins 1 and 2). It should turn. Reversing the 12 Volts
D.C. should cause the motor to turn in the reverse direction.
To confirm that the sense circuit in the rotator is working, connect an
ohmmeter to the sensor lines, (pins 3 and 4), apply 12 volts to the motor
lines (pins 1 and 2). You should see the ohm meter reading alternate between
open circuit and from 600 to 1200 ohms.
Pin on Rotator Typical Reading Your reading
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
(not controller)
Pins 1 to 2
About 2 to 4
Ohms ________
Depends on the
length of wire
to rotator
Pins 3 to 4
Open or from 600
to 1200 Ohms ________
Depends on the
status of the
reed switch
Pins 1 to 3 Open ________
Pins 1 to 4 Open ________
Pins 2 to 3 Open ________
Pins 2 to 4 Open ________
Pin 1 to Ground Open ________
Pin 2 to Ground Open ________
Pin 3 to Ground Open ________
Pin 4 to Ground Open ________
________
Voltage on
controller
Pins 1 to 2
About 12 volts with motor
running
Depends on the
supply voltage
(14 volts
applied)
Pins 3 to 4
About 8.5 volts or 2.5
volts
Depends on the
status of the reed
switch and the
Supply voltage
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
6 Replacing Reed Switch Sensor:
After completing the troubleshooting test in Section 5 above and determining that
the Reed Switch sensor is faulty, replacing the Reed Switch is relatively easy.
It is recommended that this process be done on a bench and not with the Rotator
mounted on the tower.
Step 1 : Remove the cover from the motor at the location where the control cable
enters the Motor. The Terminal strip for connecting the control cable will be
exposed.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
Step 2 : Pull down the plastic carrier to expose the Reed Switch which can be seen
next to the three copper studs on the left of the picture below.
Simply remove the old reed switch and replace it with a new unit.
These Reed Switches are quite common and can be obtained from most Electronic supply
stores throughout the world. As a last resort, contact
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lfa Radio for replacement
reed switches.
Cautions:
1. Make sure that the flat side of the reed switch is facing you when you look at
the switch, as in the picture above.
2. Reed switches are rather fragile. When installing the switch, take extreme
care to avoid putting any strain on the glass part of the switch.
3. After installation is complete, be sure to bench test the rotator before re-
installing in the tower.
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lfaradio Ltd. 2022
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 St. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 1X8
sales alfaradio.ca 780-466-5779 www.alfaradio.ca
12 MONTH LIMITED WARRANTY
Alfa Rotators and controllers
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lfa Radio Ltd. warrants to original purchaser of the product, that the product will be free
from defects in material and workmanship for the following periods after such date of
purchase: Material - 12 months Workmanship - 12 months.
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lfa Radio Ltd. will, at its discretion, repair or replace free of charge such defective
products subject to the following conditions:
1. Delivery of the product prepaid to
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lfa Radio Ltd. or its authorized dealer.
2. Determination by
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lfa Radio Ltd. that a defect exists and is covered by the limited war-
ranty.
3. Defects due to alteration, repair by an unauthorized person, misuse, accidental damage,
lightning strikes, use of the equipment for purposes other than those for which it was de-
signed, and the like, are NOT COVERED by this limited warranty. Repairs in these cases
will be subject to normal service charges.
4. Damage to an
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lfa rotator or controller caused by using said rotator or controller with a
rotator or controller manufactured by any other manufacturer will NOT BE COVERED by this
limited warranty.
5. Repairs and replacement parts are covered under this limited warranty only for the remain-
ing term of the original limited warranty.
6. Under no circumstances is
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lfa Radio Ltd. liable for consequential damages to person(s) or
property by the use of this product.
7.
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lfa Radio Ltd. reserves the right to make changes or improvements in design or manufac-
ture without incurring any obligations to install such changes in any of the products pre-
viously manufactured.
8. All claims of defect or shortage should be sent prepaid to:
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lfa Radio Ltd.
11211 - 154 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5M 1X8, CANADA
and must be accompanied by a letter describing the problem in detail along with a copy of
your proof-of-purchase.
Contact
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lfa Radio Ltd. before sending.
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