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Reviews For: Hygain TailTwister

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Hygain TailTwister
Reviews: 45MSRP: 649.95
Description:
20 sq. ft. wind load rotator
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hy-gain.com/products.php?prodid=T-2X
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00453
KE6PID Rating: 2006-05-11
Oldie but Goodie Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got mine second hand in non working condition. Upon disasembly I found a date stamped inside dating it back to the late 70's. Once disassembled I found it was extremely coroded and would not devolop any torque in the CCW direction. The problem was that the gearbox berring carrier had become cracked. It's a very small affair and it's amazing that it does the job. After I repaired and cleaned the unit up I installed some upgrades recomended by CDE. For the last 7 years it's been working flawlessly.

A few observations: The gearbox is extremely light duty, the motor looks like something you might find powering a phonograph. The original brake assebmly could bind, the upgrade solved this problem through a slight redesign. The instlation of the pisition senseing pot is critical, if it's not just right side load will be placed on the shaft and will cause intermitant problems.

Mine has the standard analog control box and it's been flawless.

Use is pretty straight foward, it always works, never sticks and the azimuth indication is always spot on. Call me a happy camper.

Would I buy a new one? I'm not so certain. It looks like there are some QC issues since MFJ took over, and although MFJ has always given me great support on their products-it's an awfull long way up that tower if something should go awry.
K6XN Rating: 2006-01-28
My three TailTwister rotators have performed flawlessly Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have three TailTwister rotators currently in operation. One has been in use for approximately 15 years and rotates a large KT34-XA 6 element beam with a 32 foot boom and a KLM dipole. It has performed flawlessly. My second TailTwister has been in use seven years and rotates a VHF/UHF array comprising 6 VHF/UHF yagi beams. My third TailTwister rotates an 11 element M2 6 meter beam with a 70 foot boom at my summer QTH in the Sierras (we crank this one down for any wind ). I am using US Tower MA-550 and MA-770 self supporting tubular towers wherein the TailTwister is mounted below the tower in a special MARB fixture and rotates the entire tower and antenna array from below. No problems.
WV4R Rating: 2005-08-06
From Hygain to MightyFineJunk... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own three Hygain rotors. I have exclusively owned Hygain rotors since 1978. I purchased the most recent TailTwister at the same time as MFJ (Mighty Fine Junk) acquired Hygain. I had an issue with control box hum. I needed a part. I had ZERO warranty help since MFJ had No parts and No expertise for their new rotor line and would not honor the Hygain warranty. MFJ is a low cost,low expertise provider. Now to the good news. I rebuilt one rotor after 20 years service. One is down for parts after 10 years. The third one is chugging right along after six years. There has always been a bit of slop in the rotor brake assembly which was slightly disconcerting in high winds... but no failure due to wind. The Tailtwister rotated a stack of 20m/4ele, 2m/11ele, 440/22ele, dual-band ground plane until I replaced it with the ORION/M2 model: RC2800P-A which is the answer to a dream rotor. Due to the hum, the slop in the rotor brake, and MFJ Non-Service, Non-Expertise the TailTwister earns the wv4r-THREE star rating. 73 es God bless, murf/wv4r.
G3VOF Rating: 2005-08-06
20+ years down the line Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Good day to the readers.....

I have had my T2X for 20+ years now...and yes it's true to say I did suffer with the hum already mentioned, due to it's eathing problem while it was rotating, and sometimes it did get stuck at either extremity, always at the wrong dx moment, causing a few bad words, and yes now in 2005 the main tag strip at the bottom of the rotor has now rusted, and needs replacing..but in it's defence, it did turn five beams for all that time, including a KT33XA, and a TH7DX..it also suvived the bad gales that England suffered in 1989 with wind gusts over 100mph. Most of the time it worked well for me (ignoring the hum)....of course there will always be the rogue one that slips through the net from time-to-time like most products, but for me the Tail Twister has been a good ole workhorse...I am moving from this qth, and its now been removed from the Strumech tower for an overhaul, but I expect it will go on another 20+ years beaming out the dx at a different location.
VE4MM Rating: 2005-06-23
NO PROBLEMS YET Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
HOLDS UP IN 70 KMH WINDS IN WINNIPEG.
VE7ABC Rating: 2005-05-22
20 years and still going Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had no problems with my TX2 in the past 20+ years, and I bought it used from a CB'r. My antenna is a trusty old Wilson system 36 up at 50 feet, and other than bringing it down when I moved, it has worked without any problems. I serviced it while it was down during the move, and now, I'm going to have to replace the indicator pot this summer. Other than that (after 20+ years), there have been no issues. I should mention that where I live, winds in excess of 70MPH can at times happen.
To KL7GS, contact some one like Norm's Rotor Service for your parts. I'm going to order the indicator pot from him, based on the experience of others. There are reviews of his service and others here.
73..de..VE7ABC
W5JON Rating: 2004-12-15
No Problems- BUT Time Owned: more than 12 months.

Without the Idiom Press Rotor-EZ the T2X, is a good but problem prone rotor. The Rotor-EZ seems to solve all the weaknesses (jammed stops, brake lock-ups, break release, etc.)of the T2X, and makes operation a breeze. It has been in for two years now and both T2X and control with Rotor-EZ are great.

Bottom line is the T2X is Rated a "3" without the Rotor-EZ and Rated a "5" with.

73,

John W5JON
NW5E Rating: 2004-08-31
Way too expensive for what it is Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The T2X has gone way down hill since MFJ bought out HyGain. I have several of them and they are over priced, unreliable and poorly made. The rotors are subject to corrosion of the terminal strip in enviroments like coastal areas, use expensive rotor cable and the metal quality of the brake wedge and gears is suspect. They simply do not hold up to there specifications. I will not be making the mistake of buying anymore of them. It the case of the T2X you do not get what you pay for.
K0XD Rating: 2004-08-27
RUSTS Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I HAVE TWO OF THEM. BOTH HAD RUSTY TERMINAL STRIPS ON THE BELL HOUSING. BOTH HAD TO BE TAKEN DOWN FROM THE TOWER AND REPAIRED WITHIN 2 YEARS OF USE. COSTLY TO TAKE DOWN FROM A TOWER AND THEN TO FACTORY AND THEN BACK UP. I WON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE A 3RD TIME.
W9BDN Rating: 2004-02-24
Not reliable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had problems with the brake not releasing. Have less then 100ft. Belden heavy conductor rotor cable, it's not a wiring issue. Finally after 14 months the brake solenoid burned out.