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Reviews For: Channel Master 9521A

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Channel Master 9521A
Reviews: 16MSRP: $79.95
Description:
Low cost, reliable rotor with digital display remote control. #9537 is an upgrade package to give existing older rotors full digital/remote capabilities. ($49.95)
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.starkelectroic.com/cmmatv.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00163.3
KG5THG Rating: 2018-06-08
Good at first, failed quickly Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this to try again after the failure of the MFJ (hy-gain) control unit. My 6 meter antenna is only 2 pounds 4 ounces so I figured it was a good fit. Worked well for 3 days. Mostly. Seemed to like to sync for no real reason. Seemed very accurate when it rotated into a position. I think I used about 10 to 15 rotations. This evening it reset out of the blue and set its self to HH-2 so the remote no longer worked. Well it couldn't be set back as the up arrow didn't work on the control unit. Didn't know that until I needed to use it. So no way to rotate the antenna. No way to change the remote. No way to reset the unit without the remote. At least the channel master unit managed to rotate the antenna which is more then I can say for the hy-gain. I think I will stick with armstrong rotation. Hopefully I can return it.
K0YQ Rating: 2018-02-22
Not for cold climates Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two of these rotating my RF1-B loop array. They work perfectly as long as the temperature is above about 20 degrees. But in the cold they both won't rotate correctly so be careful. I think the grease gets too thick for the motor.
WD9GNG Rating: 2018-02-18
Great for W6LVP Magnetic Loop Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently picked up a W6LVP Magnetic Loop a few weeks ago and put it up about 20 ft on a Channel Master 9521A rotator and use it as my receive antenna on my ham station while using a 132 ft Carolina Windom antenna for transmit. I really have found a tremendous reduction in noise after going to the W6LVP loop mounted on the Channel Master 9521A. The W6LVP will null effectively noise or interfering signals perpendicular to the loop. My personal experience is that it has a very tight null of just a few degrees. The null is incredible, but with the Channel Master 9521A rotor you will find that noise source direction varies by frequency and time of day. I also have a Timewave ANC-4 Noise reducing device that works great in combination with either antenna when fighting noise that is not nulled out by the loop because I am using the loop at times to pick between stations in different locations on the ham bands and also BCB stations on the exact same frequency. I have a 12 ft noise dipole at 3 ft above the ground for the ANC-4 that I placed right under my electrical power line pole. The combination of a W6LVP Magnetic Loop on a Channel Master 9521A and the ANC-4 has allowed me to enjoy listening to Shortwave like back in the 50s and 60s before all of the electrical environment issues we face today.
K1FPV Rating: 2017-11-10
Always Works When Used Properly ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned and used several Channel Master Rotors and never had any issues. Reading some of the reviews, it is obvious that the rotors were used with antennas too big for them. I have one still working fine after 13 years in service on my TV antenna. I have another I used with a small 144MHz Quad elevated at 45 degrees with a 440 MHz Quad also at 45 degrees I use for OSCAR. That combination has been in use for 9 years.

This Channel Master rotor is not designed to use with a tri-bander or some of the uses mentioned in the reviews. It is designed for use with TV or FM antennas as well as small VHF/UHF antennas. Don't blame the manufacturer because you didn't use it correctly!

Channel Master makes a great product and it holds up well when used properly!


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Earlier 5-star review posted by K1FPV on 2017-11-10

I used mine with a small 4 element 2 meter beam for almost 12 years. It worked great! I took the beam down and put up a Pixel receiving loop in it's place. It has worked fine in this configuration for 3 years.

Channel Master makes a good product and it works great when hooked up properly, used with common sense and not over loaded as obviously stated in some of the poor reviews.

I've used a number of Channel Master products without any issues and have had great service from them!
KD6SX Rating: 2017-11-09
Junk Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As soon as I hooked up the control unit, I discovered that it didn’t work. None of the buttons on the front panel worked and one of them actually fell out onto the floor. When I emailed Channel Master, I was told to contact the retailer even though there was a large notice in the box telling the buyer not to contact the retailer in case of a problem but to contact Channel Master instead. Whatever happened to quality control?

KD6SX
KA4KOE Rating: 2014-04-07
Like it Time Owned: more than 12 months.
You cannot use this rotor with a large aerial. You must also get the TB105 thrust bearing kit. With that, the rotor is good for 2 SF. I have had a KMA50500 LPDA on it over 5 years with nary an issue.
KD6RF Rating: 2013-10-18
2 units in 2 months dead dead dead :( Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
First unit (a gift from a friend) was in service for about 2 months then quit with antenna (4el 2 M yagi and small VTenn vivaldi) pointing due North.

I knew I should have taken it apart to see what was wrong, but instead I purchased a second unit thinking that it was a fluke failure.

3 days later the new unit failed in the same fashion – stuck due North.

I dissembled both units and found the same problem with both.

The unit doesn’t have an internal sensor that tells the controller where it is pointed; instead it guesses (Number of 60Hz cycles? Amount of time on?) at the position and displays it's guess on the degrees indicator.

Periodically, you must “re-sync”. The “re-sync” procedure runs the rotator to due North (and past if necessary). At some point near (or even past) it thinks due North is, a steel pin on the main drive gear hits a steel peg on a secondary drive gear and prevents further rotation, stalling the motor, with the now zeroed degrees display.

It’s fun to watch the pin fly past and miss the peg at everywhere but due North as this thing rotates around. The “North-ing” mechanism is actually pretty darn clever.

Unfortunately, it is also mechanically unsound. The end-mount bearings on the gears, or perhaps the shafts themselves, bend enough such that the gears start trying to tear themselves free from their mounts, and finally bind up solid.

A whack with a hammer will free them up, but of course they bind up again the next time or 2 that the unit “hits the peg” at due north.

Nice idea, nice controller and display, but a Big Fat Zero for the mechanism.
PD0MRD Rating: 2011-02-12
not bad at all. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Last year, i got one for free, including the old rotating controller.
I has one 2x10 el. crossyagi (2 mtr.) on it, and it performs very well.
When i got it, it was already some 20 years old, so first i cleaned the inside with white spirit, then lubricated it with sprayable chaingrease. Runs smooth now, even at -10 C.
SWMAN Rating: 2011-01-14
No Good ! Junk ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just bought one of these rotors last week brand new. Took it home and connected it up on the bench to test it before installation. It worked on the bench for 1 minute or so them just stopped dead just sitting there humming. I checked everything per skimpy munual wiring, with remote and at front panel, did a full reset several times still just a loud hum.I called Channel Master 6 times in the past 10 days and can never talk to a tech for troubleshooting.Everytime the person answering the phone said they will call back within 2 days. Never a call back even after my 6 calls. Also they will not let you talk to a tech at the time. I don't think that they even have a tech. I took the thing back to Frys for a full refund. Save your money and buy something good and from someone who cares about their coustmers. 73 Jim
KC0UUT Rating: 2009-01-27
Good value Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Purchased it from Menards home improvement store under the Philips brand in fall 2008.

Am using it to rotate a two element yagi (Mosley Mini 32A which has 16 foot wide elements).

Pros - it works, it's cheap, controller can be programmed to just punch a button and it will swing to at certain direction and stop.

Cons - It's cheap. The controller shows the angle that the antenna is pointing based on a guess of how long it takes the rotor to swing (no separate direction sensor is mounted in the rotor). Amazingly, this scheme to indicate direction works pretty well. It does lose track of the direction periodically (cold weather & strong wind affects this). Recalibrating the direction takes only a push of a button and about 1 minute, so it's only a minor nuisance. During the summer, it would hold direction for several weeks before needing recalibrating.

Cold weather does impact it. Last weekend it would not rotate when the temperature was below zero. Today it warmed up to 5 above and it came back to life. Apparently the little universal motor does not have the power to overcome the stiff grease when it is cold.