|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
| Reviews Summary for Yaesu G-800DXA |
|
Reviews: 12
|
Average rating: 4.2/5
|
MSRP: $409
|
Description: The Yaesu G-800DXA is a medium duty antenna rotator featuring automatic brake release, 450° rotation, overlap indicator, preset control, variable speed control, slow start/stop, and more. The illuminated control box has 360 degree readout, with moveable beam heading template. Supplied with weather-proof motor connector and quick-connect control plug for quick and trouble-free connection.
|
|
More info: http://www.yaesu.com/
|
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this review.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
|
You can
write your own review of the Yaesu G-800DXA.
|
VE3BXB
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jun 8, 2009 19:03
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Hard to Beat for the Price
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
I purchased and installed this rotor about a month ago and I have to say that I discovered the following
1. The connector on the back of the rotor control box has to be one of the poorest arrangements that I have every seen. This could stand to be improved a lot
2. Otherwise I cannot say enough about this rotor. It works very well with very few problems. Preset calibrations are easy and fairly accurate when set up properly
3 The azimuth indicator is large and easy to read with a fair amount of lighting
4 I also noticed if you are running more than 125 feet of rotor cable, you have to purchase the more expensive cable to avoid line losses. This adds more to your expenses but it is worth the extra money to save a lot of problems. I am running about 170 feet of cable and the rotor is running with no problems using the larger gauge wire
5 I have been told that if you standing below the tower you can hear the noise of the rotor but it is relatively quiet overall.
6. Adjusting the clamps on the rotor to hold the mast is very easy to do with very little effort. I see that the rotor will accept any size of mast from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter which is great
7. I expect that this rotor will last for years. The only thing that I am concerned about is I wonder how often the rotor has to be serviced. There is nothing in the manual that talks about this sort of thing.
In conclusion, if I had to buy a new rotor all over again, I would never hesitate to purchase unit.
It sure is a hard rotor to beat for the money.
Keep up the good work Yaesu
VE3BXB Bob
|
|
K4OCE
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Apr 10, 2009 20:25
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Failed Unit
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
It has been a great rotator, but it suddenly quit working. Voltages entering the motor were correct. After removing from the tower and opening it up, I found a filter section under a cover on the motor itself. There is a coil in series with each power lead and can you believe that 3 of the leads were broken off. I soldered back and all is well. I think the coil assembly (which has both coils) was probably attached to the housing originally but I found it dangling in mid air. It probably was swinging around with tower movement until the leads broke. Hope I found all the ball bearings that fell all over the floor...hi. Bob k4oce
|
|
K6GE
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 23, 2009 12:27
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
So far so good!
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
I just wired up and calibrated my new G-800DXA and although I haven't actually used it yet I wanted to say that the connectors seem fine to me. Calibration of the stops is not as accurate as I'd like to see but overall this controller and rotator seems good to me. One note to everyone that has a Yaesu rotor . . . the thin clear plastic disc that comes in a plastic bag and has the bearings screen printed in white ink has a film masking on both sides, be sure to remove this film masking before you install the disc, it doesn't mention that in the instructions. I wonder how many of you didn't do that and instead of being crystal clear the disc is less than clear.
73 -- Gary, K6GE
|
|
WA0IIH
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Nov 26, 2008 08:19
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Working Great!!
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
|
I purchased the G800SA rotor not needing the features of the DXA model. Installation was smooth on a U.S. Tower crank-up. It is turning just a single three element Mosley Classic 33. The control box is well built and very easy to adjust. The only issue I had was due to my towers smaller top section, the only way I could get the tower to completely collapse was to cut off about 1 inch from the connector shell that screws on to the rotor. I filled the open connector with coax seal, screwed the multipin connector on the rotor, installed the weatherproof boot supplied with the rotor and then applied 3M scotchkote to seal the boot just in case there might be a small opening. This again was not the fault of the rotor, it was due to my towers top section. I would suggest to yaesu the option of a 90 degree connector available for connection to the rotor. This would be a bonus to installing in situations like mine. The rotor is working great and the quality is easy to see. I am very pleased. 73s, WA0IIH
|
|
VO1HE
|
Rating: 2/5
|
Mar 3, 2008 07:15
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
From my experience, this is a very weak rotator.
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
I have been a supporter of Yaesu rotators for a long time. I had a G-400RC that provided excellent service for 15 years. When I upgraded my beam, I figured it was time to upgrade the rotator as well.
I bought a G-800SDX last year and I have to say it's one of the weakest devices I have ever seen in my life. It's braking power is pretty good but it seems to have no rotating power at all. The slightest bit of resistance and it refuses to turn. My beam had gone out of alignment so I tipped the tower over this morning and loosened the beam completely. I tried to realign the rotator and it wouldn't turn. I could move it slightly with my hand but the controller would only move it 5-10 degrees. After an hour of working on it, it finally broke free and went to the position I needed it in. I clamped the beam back on and tilted the tower back up and as, I sit here now typing this review, the rotator will only turn 5 degrees total in either direction. The temperature is 1C and sunny. It isn't frozen because I was working on it. It was working fine before I tilted my tower over.
If it's windy, it has a hard time turning into the wind although, like I said, it will hold there once it gets there.
I have thought that the mast was chafing a bit on the tower guides but, from what I can tell, it isn't touching in such a manner as to completely keep it from moving.
I don't know what else to say. I will be doing a complete realignment and service on it when the weather gets better. I will also be replacing the cable with heavier duty cable. If it continues to perform as weakly as it has been, it will be replaced.
73 -- Paul VO1HE
|
|
AA6A
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Nov 27, 2007 19:37
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Still Working Flawlessly
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
It has been over 2 years since I posted the last review of this excellent product, and it is still working flawlessly. My prior callsign was K6RSG and you may read that September 2005 review below.
The Idiom Press Board has also proven to be exceptional and has needed no attention nor realignment.
Aside from powering the unit on and off, I rarely touch the rotator control. Most of the time (about 95%) rotator activity is controlled via Ham Radio Deluxe communicating via the Idiom Press Card.
I do lubricate the thrust bearing on the tower at least once a year.
I'm not a fan of Yaesu's transceiver products, but their rotators are great!
Very 73,
Rob - AA6A
(prev. AK9G)
(prev. K6RSG)
|
|
W7PSK
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Nov 27, 2007 09:00
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
After 6 months I love it
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
Over all I give it a great. Solid, dependable and quiet. It turns an A-4S pretty easily and is really fun to use compared to my old HD-73.
I must agree though that Yaesu really blew it with that connector. Change that and it would be a 10plus.
|
|
W4RAR
|
Rating: 2/5
|
Feb 12, 2007 07:26
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
a few faults
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
This rotor works ok but a couple of things that really need improvement. Like everyone else wrote the connector for the control cable is the worst, a child could have designed something that would work better. I've also had problems with the presets they never seem to return back to the point you set em. Idiom press makes an upgrade board for rotor control other than that guess its ok
|
|
W7IS
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Aug 28, 2005 14:14
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Old World Technology
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
The G800DXA is basically a well made product. The two way adjustable mast clamps can be adjusted for most any size mast by using the built in size markings. Although trying to see the marks and adjust it while standing at the top of a tower wouldn’t be the easiest process. Fortunately I had the top 8 ft of the tower at ground level and was able to perform all the rotator adjustments at ground level before final assembly of the tower. I found all the factory adjustments to be very close -- requiring only minor changes. A total of five pots to adjust on the back of the controller. There are two things I don’t like about these Yaesu series of rotators:
1.They use a pot in the rotator that controls a slave motor in the controller to show the ant position. It would be great of Yaesu updated their line of rotators to be all digitally controlled. The salve motor in the controller is just a trouble spot for later problems. And its old world technology not up to today’s standards.
2.The small connector that attaches the rotator cable to the back of the controller is very cheap and cheesy. It’s supposed to be crimp on pins and I found them to be totally inadequate. I soldered the pins but the cheesy connector is such poor construction that I plan to later solder the cable directly to the inside of the rotator. And use a proper external cable connector. I’ve already had problems with a bad connection due to this poor quality connector. The other connector at the rotator is weather sealed and good quality. But it does take a very steady hand to solder the tiny pins. Yaesu should have provided an option of purchasing a ready made 125 ft cable like what comes with the G2800DXA.
I used it with the Yaesu GS-065 Thrust bearing and it’s the best designed thrust bearing I’ve ever come across. The speed control is very handy and on fast speed it will turn the rotator 90 degs in 10 seconds. It would have been lots better if there were more than one adjustable preset. But that wont happen till Yaesu upgrades these old analog rotators to be digitally controlled. Other than what is mentioned above, it does the job very well. And dosnt have the loud clunk of the brake that the Ham IV rotators have. Every time I used the old Ham IV rotator it used to wake up the neighbors
|
|
N6AJR
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jul 11, 2005 17:17
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
works for me
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Mine is actually the g-800 sdx, older model of the same rotor. it does well with my 3 ele steppir on a 15 foot roof tower. The preset is hands and also the speed control helps with torque on the tower ( also the auto soft stop on the preset.) I live in a really windy area and use the preset to park it when I am done. it seems to do everything I need. Its a rotor and it turns the antenna.. what else is there to do??
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
