2026 40m Antenna Repair

As part of the 2025 20m Antenna Repair and 2025 Rotator Project the gin pole was left on the tower. Over December 2025 and January 2026, the 20m yagi was freely rotating causing one leg of the 40m inverted-v dipole to snap at the top of the tower.

Both legs of the 40m dipole were replaced with 14 AWG THHN (insulated with 0.015" PVC jacket 0.004" Nylon), anchored with 50lbs rated black paracord.

January 30, 2026

Narrative Summary of Major Antenna System Repairs (2025–2026)

Station: W9YT (Badger Amateur Radio Society – BARS)

Recorded by: Skylar Culek, NQ9Z

Background: Rotator Failure History

Over the past decade, the M² Orion M2000 antenna rotator system that drives our beam antennas has progressively degraded. The primary failure mode was the rotator’s inability to hold the beam in a fixed azimuth.

Initially, the system exhibited approximately 10–15 degrees of rotational play. As the rotator continued to deteriorate, this increased to as much as 90 degrees of unintended rotation in either direction from the set heading. Eventually, the rotator reached a point where it could freely spin 360 degrees.

April 2025 Incident: Feed Line Damage

The failure culminated in April 2025, when club members and radio operators began reporting strange SWR readings on the 20m beam. Specifically, the beam could not be properly tuned on the 20-meter band.

Upon further investigation, we discovered that the feed line for the 20m beam had become severed near the top of the tower. This indicated that the beam had rotated enough times to twist and cinch the feed line against the mast until it failed.

As a result, the damaged feed line was removed and the 20m beam was decommissioned due to concerns about water intrusion, electrical shorts, and overall safety.

Removal of the Legacy Rotator

Over the following months, the failed legacy rotator—installed for approximately 20 years—was removed from the tower.

Fortunately, we had an older model of the same rotator available as a replacement. This spare unit was fully restored by:

• Disassembling all internal components
• Removing all gears and mechanisms
• Cleaning off old grease and corrosion
• Brushing down rusted parts
• Reassembling and re-greasing all components
• Sealing the rotator for outdoor operation

The restored rotator was prepared for reinstallation on the tower.

Mast Removal Challenges

During attempts to remove the legacy rotator, we encountered significant mechanical and safety challenges. A gin pole and winch system were installed on the tower, allowing us to lift the mast that supports both the 20m beam and the 6 m beam.

However, as the mast was lifted, it tended to rotate sideways, placing additional stress on the rotator. This caused the rotator’s jaws (clamps) to lift along with the mast. When sufficient height was reached, the jaws could fully disengage from the rotator, causing the mast, beams, and associated rooftop assemblies to tip over the side of the tower until they contacted one of the horizontal truss members.

This situation was highly unsafe and impractical to continue working around, so the removal attempt using this method was terminated.

Alternative Method: Lowering the Beam onto the Tower

After consulting with Tim Czerwonka (WO9U), we were advised to lower the beam onto the top of the tower instead of attempting to lift the entire mast assembly with the beam attached.

Following this recommendation, the 20m beam was attached to the gin pole and gradually loosened from the mast, allowing it to slide down until it rested on the top of the tower structure. This work was completed the week preceding Thanksgiving 2025.

Lowering the beam onto the tower significantly reduced the load on the mast, making it possible to safely lift and work on the mast without risking uncontrolled movement of the antenna assembly.

Temporary Support Adjustments

The 20m beam is supported by a lattice system using paracord lines tied to either end of the beam and tensioned upward toward the mast using a secondary U-clamp. Under normal operation, this U-clamp is kept under tension to prevent the beam from sagging.

During this maintenance period, the U-clamp was temporarily loosened when the beam was lowered onto the tower. Short-term sagging of the beam was considered acceptable given the temporary nature of the work. The U-clamp was then re-tightened to the mast to create slack in the support lines.

This configuration allowed a winch to be attached to the U-clamp system. When lifted, the U-clamp raised the mast assembly, while the beam itself remained resting on the top of the tower. This separation of loads enabled safer handling of the mast and rotator components during maintenance.