The newer CM 9521a freezes up only during the first few initial seconds and then the drive unit responds. Which is annoying because I cannot program preset positions since it won't go back to that position.
I find I have the same problem. Small adjustments on a cold 9521 don't seem to work for me. To get it moving, I did some 90 degree-plus moves. After its "warm-up exercises", I found it was out 65 degrees from the indicator.

I did a sync, and it brought it back to agree with the indicator. It's a pain, but it works. And hopefully it warms up soon!

Perhaps when the spring comes I'll look for better wire for next winter's cold.

How many posts are we seeing of folks here in Canada saying "my rotor doesn't work when it's cold"? It's ridiculous. I think we need to abandon rotors in favour of 2nd antennas (presuming 2 would work for your situation -- it likely would in mine here in Clarington ON).
Of course I'm saying this because my Zenith ZEN-RTR1 rotor is as good as dead right now (-10 deg C).

I think its more of a case of :

1)The quality of the unit
2)The condition of the rubber seal (does it leak water that gets into the works and gums them up)
3)Doing no PM work on them (ie:Preventative Maintenance: Every couple of years pulling it down,lubricating it,checking for leaks or cracks in the rubber seal,tightening connections,checking RG6 condition etc).

I find it hard to believe that weather could be a factor here in Canada since they have been using them (with success) for donkeys years with little or no problem........whereas the recent new units?? ...

I agree with you 110% the older channel master crown rotors were a far better quality unit then are built today,and they rotated much larger antennas then the 4228 without a problem.i myself have been using a vintage channel master 9512 with a full size uhf/vhf combo for years without ever a problem!!

I also agree that you get what you pay for. If you buy a cheep made in China rotor you can't expect it to work as well as a quality unit. Having said that it is getting harder and harder to find quality rotors.

When Radio Shack was becoming The Source they got rid of a lot of stock via Liquidation World. I loaded up on a whole bunch of OTA stuff that I didn't need :D because it was all so dirt cheap. Since then the one piece that I have never used or resold is the rotor I bought - I assumed in the store that it was a good old Archer so I snapped it up quickly, but it was made by Orbyx in China and it is really flimsy, so if I ever use it I think it'll have to be for a small antenna.

Thankfully there is still Norm's Rotor Service (do a Google) so it may be possible to keep finding the strong old rotors on the market either new or refurbished.

There is a known problem with channel master 9521 and 9510 rotors regarding the gearing and the elimination of the fourth bolt securing the rotor to the housing.they have been seizing up even in summer weather and they lock-up on north, i have been refurbing the old 9512 and have scraped a least 20 of the new drive motors

Did CM ever send out a service bulletin or circular about that, southgate? That info sure explains a lot! :)

I didn't see any bulletin,but it is a well known fact among other installers about lock-up issues with those rotors.i still have a few in the garage to show the difference.even the older control boxes were built better!!!.i still have a collection of vintage 9512,9513,9515 rotors and controls and they all function great!they work great with the new remote control box also!! I tell everyone if you have an old channel master rotor,hold on to it!!!!!i sold a refurbed rotor to a gentleman went through 2 new cm rotors with in a year!!nothing to do with the cold!! He told me he thought he would upgrade the rotor when he replaced his antenna,and wishes he never did!the old 20+year old unit was still working fine!!!!!!

It is the old story that we are seeing in everything from appliances, to electronics, to automobiles where they just don't make things as well as they used to. There are several reasons for this. One is to keep the price down and increase profitability they come out with cost reduced designs. Manufacturers even like the fact that you need to replace it regularly as it increases sales. With manufacturing in China, weight is also another factor as it affects the cost of shipping. Environmental concerns can also play a role as lower powered motors are more energy efficient, but won't last as long driving the same load.

Are the current channel master rotors still freexing up ?

I know a few years ago they had problems with cold weather the rotors was freezing up.

If Im not mistaken atleast 2.5 years ago they had a slight redesign and posted the differences. I have not had any problems with the newer ones. Well for me I move my antenna only in the spring and fall 10' and it stays there stionary.

The old older rotors never had a problem other than from extreme age when rust finally sets in.

I know when the newer rotors came out to fix the previous ones back then Ron at Channel Master said I could have sent in my rotor to get updated under warranty. Not sure if this still applies.

My first post to this forum..a reply from CM regarding my dead CM rotors..
Thank you for the email. I can understand your frustration. Currently
concerning the CM-9521A our problems with raw material vendors is reflected
in your time line of bad rotors and this is exactly why we chose to not
release over 5000 made with faulty parts about 3 months ago. Since then we
have secured new parts vendors and begun building the rotors again. With
the rotors that will be available in April you should find the quality of
which you were accustomed to years ago.
Kind Regards,

Director of Sales, Western USA
Channel Master by PCT International
I've used deep fringe V/U combo antenna for years. My rotor history is as follows..

1. Superior Rotor (my folks house) - lasted 20+ years 1972-1992 still working when my mom had it taken down when she switched to cable

2. CM rotor (my house) - lasted 10+ years 1993-? still working when I moved

3. CM rotor (my next house) - lasted 10 months 2006 - blew around like a wind vane - frequently needed recalibration - eventually wouldn't turn (gears stripped)

4. CM rotor - lasted 6 months 2007 - didn't move around as much - but eventually got stuck on north (a frequently reported problem)

5. RS (CM) rotor - lasted 10 months 2008 - this was an old style ~1996 model I rediscovered. I had bought it as a backup. Worked extremely well - rarely needed calibration - until we had -23C weather a week ago followed by 32 mph - will no longer turn. Gears likely stripped.

Next up : I'm going with the Delhi model (I have a Delhi antenna). I'll give this one a chance before I fork out the big bucks for a Yaesu that has a 1960's-era control box. For $300-$600 you would expect a digital controller like the CM.

I too am searching for a decent rotor that can survive Canadian winters...something in between better than a CM but not overkill like a ham rotor.

Hi All,
I found this Wade rotor with remote control. Model # is 604-rc. Anyone know performance ability or price and where to buy on this one? I'm also having problems with my CM rotor over the past month or so and would like to try something new this spring.

I found this Wade rotor with remote control. Model # is 604-rc.

That's the Delhi I was looking at.

They look similar to units sold by HyGain and NTE. Not sure if they are exactly the same but the control boxes are. I've seen a few comments on the web about the NTE's freezing up in cold weather, but overall they seem to have favourable reviews. I've never seen a review on the Delhi itself. Weight rating is 100 lbs.

I am having the same problems with my CM rotor. Have had two in the last 3 years. This one is dead now. No even trying to rotate.

Where can I buy a Delhi 604?

Use the OTA threads in the Where Can I Buy forum... :) not this one.

Does anyone have one of these similiar rotors and care to express an opinion? I too would like to get away from CM's rotor if another one just may have the same problems. I could even settle for an old fashioned rotor with dial if it will last the winter. I wonder which company is manufacturing this similiar rotor for these three different labels. There just too similiar not to be coming off the same assembly line.

"Where can I buy a Delhi 604?"

oops... your'e right. I will check out that thread.

Does anyone have one of these similiar rotors and care to express an opinion? I too would like to get away from CM's rotor if another one just may have the same problems. I could even settle for an old fashioned rotor with dial if it will last the winter. I wonder which company is manufacturing this similiar rotor for these three different labels. There just too similiar not to be coming off the same assembly line.
If you don't mind the clunk -a- chunk dial control box,the Alliance U100 or 110 is still available from Norm's Rotor Service found on the net.The rotor inards are way beefier than a CM-a heavy duty worm gear design.

Another issue with the CM is the digital control box.I've had two go bad with no indication from the box itself.They turned just fine to around 315deg but would go no further.I first suspicioned the rotor,so had to dismantle the whole mast bearing install to bench test the rotor.Checked out fine,so I took another look at the control box and sniffed around the back and it smelled like burnt wiring.Hooked it to another good rotor-same problem.