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Reviews For: Channel Master CM-9521HD

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Channel Master CM-9521HD
Reviews: 4MSRP: 169.00
Description:
TV Antenna Rotator System with digital display and remote
control
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.channelmaster.com/TV_Antenna_Rotator_p/cm-9521hd.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0042.8
K1LOL Rating: 2020-11-22
So far, so good on year #2 with this antenna rotor. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
So far, so good on year #2 with this antenna rotor. I have a 3 el 6 meter beam on it, and it's met all expectations so far. The only drawback is that there is no keypad on the control unit (aside from up/down arrows), so you must use the remote to enter in degrees directly.
K8KV Rating: 2020-03-21
Not for cold climates Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Fails to rotate the first time when the temperature is below 40F. Takes a lot of cajoling/synchronizing to get it to move. I regret everything.
VK3GMO Rating: 2019-06-26
ok wire connections let it down Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It works so far. It is supporting a 6 meter 2 element compact yagi with a 2.5 foot boom. Not much bigger than a tv antenna. Firstly it does not rotate a full 360 degrees. It is about 30 degrees short. Secondly the connections for the power cable are like press on speaker connectors using spring pressure to hold the wires. It is not adequate and could be improved with a screwed down connection without adding to the cost of the rotator. I bench tested it before putting it up and was fine. However I found the cables did slip out of the contacts very easily. After mounting the antenna and rotator it failed to work. I guessed correctly the wires had slid out of their connectors in the rotator. Right on the mark. It has only been up for a few days and other than the lack of full rotation, and yes I did sync it, it seems to be working. Need to see how it holds up now.
AC6EG Rating: 2019-03-28
Works OK Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Although designed for use with TV antennas, the new CM-9521HD should have no problem handling a small amateur radio VHF / UHF yagi or a small magnetic loop like the MFJ-1788. Channel Master says it will handle antennas weighing 15 lbs with a wind load area up to 3.0 sq. ft. It turns my 1 meter diameter Wellbrook active loop antenna effortlessly.

Pros: The powder coated drive unit is quite heavy and appears to be built to last. I have mine mounted on a small tripod with a 2” o.d. mast. (This is the absolute maximum mast size for the drive.) The body of the drive unit has a convenient protrusion that rests on top of the mast so that it can’t slip down. I wouldn’t say the drive was noisy, but I have it installed just outside my shack on a roof deck and can easily hear it through a closed patio door. The drive and controller both have “press & poke” quick wire connectors to make it easy to connect a 3 conductor control cable.
I like that the control unit has a self contained power supply and a 6’ detachable power cord. The bright blue 3-digit display is easy to read and indicates your antenna azimuth in degrees. You can use the remote to enter a 3 digit azimuth and the antenna will turn to that precise heading. Stabbing the /\ or V button on the controller will move the antenna 3 degrees. Stabbing the /\ or V button on the remote will move it 2 degrees. Believe it or not, the nulls off the sides of a Wellbrook antenna are so sharp that turning the antenna just one degree can make quite a difference when you want to suppress, or pinpoint the bearing of, a signal on a particular frequency. With this setup, you can easily make those one degree adjustments by entering a 3 digit azimuth.

Cons: The control unit only has three buttons. These allow you to turn the antenna right or left or to “synchronize” the controller with the drive unit. If you want to enter a specific azimuth or memory channel, you must use the remote control. This wouldn’t matter if I was controlling a TV antenna from my easy chair, but in the ham shack it is a little bit annoying to have to pick up the IR remote control and aim it at the control unit sitting just a foot or two away.

I’ve also noticed that both the control unit and the drive unit produce RFI noise. This “hash” is only a problem when the background noise level is very low. The other night, my TS-590 indicated an unusually low 40 meter noise floor of S3. Turning the rotator control unit on caused the noise level to jump to S5. Pressing the /\ or V button to activate the drive unit caused the noise level to jump to S8. At the time, I was attempting to peak some weak signals I could hear and could see on my HDSDR display. Simply turning the rotator control unit on caused them to disappear!

A bigger concern for me is that the drive unit and controller seem to get out of sync very quickly. I’ve found that running the drive back and forth a couple times can throw the accuracy of the readout off by 20 – 30 degrees!