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Reviews For: Green Heron Engineering RT-20

Category: Antenna Rotators & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Green Heron Engineering RT-20
Reviews: 35MSRP: 569
Description:
Rotator controller
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.greenheronengineering.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00355
K8SU Rating: 2006-12-30
Outstanding Customer Service, Great Product!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Excellent product and the customer service and attention to detail is outstanding. I have used this fro about 2 months and really like the point and shoot feature. Very well designed and easy to switch to various rotors.

Currently using this with a tailtwister and plan to use on the Orion 2800.

The control box is easy to hook up and very easy to use. The manual was simple to follow and had it working within about 15 minutes after unpacking it.
K9ZW Rating: 2006-12-29
Easy to Use & Exceptional Unit Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've used rotor controls from quite a number of the "name" manufacturers. The Green Heron is simply better, easier to use and back up by first rate service.

The point-n-shoot direction feature is simple to use, very repeatable and intuitive.

The additional controls are easy to use.

Set up is straight forward.

I've yet to try the computer control feature.

My only suggestion for improvement would be to incorporate a full 360 degree point-n-shoot knob, perhaps with a knob similar to a HF rig's VFO encoder. The present system works well, but does require you to look up to see what heading you have selected with the direction scale being less than a full circle to cover the 360 degrees.

A great addition to any Tower!

73

Steve
K9ZW
K1XV Rating: 2006-08-25
Solved all my problems Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have a relatively large array turned by a prop-pitch motor on a Tri-Ex Sky Needle. This was installed three years ago, and I was using an M2 RC2800P-A controller. Due to the fact that I initially had some mast clamp slippage, I had to rezero this unit several times. Changing one parameter, however, would change other parameters which also had to be adjusted. I found the M2 documentation to be obtuse, and their support less than stellar.

I had heard about the Green Heron controller as a far superior device. I contacted Jeff, and found out that an associate, Kurt, K7NV, starts with the Green Heron RT-20 and has incorporated modifications specifically for prop pitch use. This eliminates the voltage options (but almost all prop pitch motors are 24 volt DC, so you need no options), but I believe it also beefs up the amperage available to the motor.

So before long, I had a system ready to install. Notwithstanding the fact that my prop-pitch gear reduction ratio had been modified from a non-standard ratio (prop pitch users will know what I am talking about), set up was relatively easy. Part of the reason is that the set up mode for each parameter displays both the current setting, and the new setting being programmed in.

When we did need some hand holding on set up, a phone call to Kurt allowed us to page him, and he returned the call within 10 minutes.

Another reason why the Green Heron/K7NV prop pitch controller is superior to the M2 is that it includes a nice big “point and shoot” knob. You turn it to the heading you want, and the array starts to turn.

Another advantage to the Green Heron/L7NV is you can easily program “ramp” functions, speed functions, time delays on direction reversals, overshoot turn limits, and a number of other factors.

I have had this unit in service for one day, and look forward to integrating it into my logging/computer control program.

Applause to Jeff and Kurt for a fine product.
KL7IVK Rating: 2005-12-28
Green Heron Engineering RT-20 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking for a rotor that would be able to handle the SteppIR Monster. I looked at the M2 OR-2800 but did not want it due to the color of the control box, and only having a set of buttons CW & CCW to rotate the rotor unless you program some positions in it. Someone recommended Green Heron Engineering RT-20 control box for the M2 rotor. I called GHE and talked to Jeff. What great public relations. I told him I did not care for the white face on the RT-20 and did not think it would look good on my consoles. I told him I would prefer a black face with white lettering. I also told him I thought the digital readout was to dim. He put one together with newer digital numbers and had the face done in black. From the time I first talked to him to the time I received the unit was only four days and this was during Thanksgiving. He had it all set up for me to match the M2 and of course I managed to mess up one of the settings. I called him and he talked me though the setup again in less than ten minutes and it was up and running. I could not have found a more perfect product nor a better company to deal with. I highly recommend the RT-20 to everyone. It does it all and then some.
N1NK Rating: 2005-06-10
Good deal Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I saw a note on this brand new product in the Contest Rate Sheet and decided to investigate. On investigation I decided that it would integrate nicely into my station. I ordered one and it came a few days later. As expected, getting things integrated took a phone call or two to GHE (W2FU aka Jeff). My setup is T2X on 55' crankup with 3 element SteppIR, 2 m and 70 cm yagis on top. cable run to the tower is maybe 50' so the total run is pretty short. It turns out the factory default motor voltage is a bit low. changed to the higher voltage tap and all was well. there was a bit of confusion on my part with respect to the mechanical stops being at south or north. from out of box to being operable with DXbase 2005 was maybe 2 hours including the phone calls. works just fine. has a lot of capabilities for those with much more complex setups than mine. no connection to GHE, just a satisfied customer. www.greenheronengineering.com

Jim
N1NK