Yes, your 9521a drive motor and your crown tenna-liner control box will work fine together,must done this myself without a problem!! You can also use the channel master 9515 ,9512,9513,9510 control boxes with your 9521a drive motor!

Thanks, I'll give it a try...

would a black plastic/rubber shroud covering the rotor work to solar heat the unit (removable in summer)?I think a passive cover like that would soon be buried in ice or snow in most parts of Canada and the northern U.S. states, and there's always the wind even on sunny days.

I was thinking of an active system in which an insulated blanket carries a small charge to keep it warm, but that's a bit hard to work out since the rotor itself works on magnetic fields that we do not want to affect or disturb.

Heater blankets have been sold for many years for car batteries. A variation of that idea would be a rotor shroud with low power heating elements that could be switched on for a minute or so until the rotor thaws, but I hesitate to propose yet another cable running up there. Hmmm... maybe a solar panel charging a huge capacitor, but then we'd be adding more wind load up there.

maybe a solar panel charging a huge capacitor, but then we'd be adding more wind load up there.

You would never get enough charge to generate any significant amount of heat. You would likely need a solar panel bigger than your antenna and a small car battery to hold the charge. :eek:

I'm glad I invested in a better rotor system. It would really frustrate me to deal with these sync and freezing up issues...It may just be an unavoidable truth that the class of TV rotors on the market today is best suited to milder climates and not cold winters. It used to be that CM rotors could handle them just fine, but those days are apparently over.

You used the word "investment" and I think you're right - a Yaesu, Hy-Gain, or other ham radio-class rotor wins every time. For the higher initial cost the payoff is spread over the years with no frozen-rotor OTA downtime.

Car battery warmer idea seems like it would work. It's only for winter anyway. Buy a long extension & tie wrap it to feed the heating unit...take it down in summer... Would or do chimney mounted rotors suffer less of the freezing problem? Due to heat proximity?

An antenna shouldn't be right near a chimney's smoke output so I would not count on the smoke for warmth. A battery blanket might cause electromagnetic interference that messes up the rotor's basic functioning, but only a real world test would tell. As for running 120VAC up an antenna pole I would not be comfortable about that for a variety of safety reasons, but then again people string xmas lights up in tall trees so I suppose it would be up to the individual.

Another idea is to find a 12VDC car seat warmer cushion on sale and wrap it around the rotor, then wrap both in waterproofing, and then run 10AWG twin-wire down to a power supply. Again, testing would be needed as per magnetic fields. ;)

It is frustrating isn't it. I suppose there's' not much you can do unless you can control mother nature. LOL... I ran into this problem briefly last year until the weather broke. After doing some research on the net, I spotted one fellow who recommended making a shroud from an old plastic bleach container or the like. I guess the idea is to keep the weather- rain/ snow etc from getting on and into the rotor and freezing up. Think of it as an umbrella for your rotor. It showed a picture of what he had done. Looked pretty gunky but I figured what the heck. Instead of using solid plastic, I got some clear heavy gauge vinyl from the local fabric store. I formed a covering or shroud to cover the rotor and attached it with zip ties and duct tape. So it's been up there since the fall. Still doesn't look all that great but.... no problem with my rotor.... so far anyway. I'll keep my fingers crossed and let you know if it's worth the effort as the winter progresses.

I too bundled up my motor on the satellite dish with a cover that was designed for golf club protection against rain for a golf bag. It keeps the snow / ice / rain out so the motor doesn't freeze up. I put it on in the fall and remove it in the spring.

The simplest solution is usually the best one. :)

I do not think its freezing up more like seizing up.
There is no moisture involved in my issue, just cold.
I am not climbing up there to remove a cover! me coward.
How about one of those roof cords that melts ice in gutters?

You used the word "investment" and I think you're right - a Yaesu, Hy-Gain, or other ham radio-class rotor wins every time. For the higher initial cost the payoff is spread over the years with no frozen-rotor OTA downtime.

I've seen some great deals on this equipment in the resale market. You need to be patient and diligent--but bargains can be found.

I will be watching............................

Has anyone taken one of these newer CMs apart?
Mine's an old style, hand me down.
It hasn't seized or frozen (yet).
But of course it has the lose sync all the time issue,
fundamentally sounds like a bad design, as alluded by Jase here
in post # 404. Was just wondering if anyone's noticed any grease
or lubricant in the newer one that wasn't in the older ones?
Kinda like when the oil in ur engine turns to sludge in the cold,
makes it tougher to turn the engine over. Possible, or no?

wilspin, I was walking out of a supermarket one day and saw that the guy parking next to me had ham radio operator call sign license plates so I had a nice chat with him about who he knows and made some notes for future reference. That's a good way to find out who is in your local ham radio community for when they have swap meets.

I always wondered what those plates were about stampeder.
I had my new CM open to attach the power cable, nothing new, just less bugs & corrosion.
I have complained to the manufacturer.

Mine is giving me trouble in this cold weather too... Anything below about -3C, and the thing wont even move. If the sun is out, that seems to help.

I went to the trouble of replacing the stock 3 wire cable, with 18-3 outdoor cable, [130 ft] and that did not help.

What about replacing the controller with one that has a bit higher output? Has anyone done this and cured the problem?

For those having issues in the cold: Are you using a thrust bearing? Or is the rotor supporting the mast holding the antenna directly?

No bearing here... My antenna is only 2 feet above the rotor itself.

Install instructions did not call for thrust bearing. It probably would add drag. I suspect the issue it thickening lube. Now been 3 days since contacting vendor, no response yet. Reminder sent now.