PCT International 9521 Channel Master Antenna Rotor Remote Control System
by PCT International, Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $107.72 You Save: $37.27 (26%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Buy Used: from $104.42 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PCT International 9521 Channel Master Antenna Rotor Remote Control System
Customer Review: A Risky Investment
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased the 9521A back in August of 2008 from on online TV Antenna distributor/dealership. Along with the rotor, I purchased a 50' mast and a new Winegard antenna, both of which were replacing a dated rooftop antenna and short, 20' mast.
The unit was DOA (almost). Like others have reported in their comments, my unit managed one partial rotation (to 360 degrees) and stuck! That was it. I'd had it mounted on the mast and fortunately, I'd tested it before raising it up the remaining 40 feet and completing all the guy wiring.
A call to Channel Master brought about a very surprising suggestion from the head of service and tech at Channel Master (Ron's his name); "bang on it" he said, "real hard" and to see if that might fix it. Say what@#!??!! Yeah okay... I'll just spank this expensive item I just bought and see if it just might come back to life, right. A couple of moderate taps on the housing did nothing. By the way, as was also mentioned in another post, the unit was receiving power as the hum of the motor could be heard, it just wasn't turning. When I'd called Ron back, he'd informed me that it's defective and I should return it for a replacement. What he didn't mention was the fact that it's a significant quality/build issue with that model and that they (Channel Master) were having to service many failed units with the same issue. To Ron's credit, he did allow me to return it and subsequently sent back one that he said he'd personally tested. Guess who paid shipping return shipping? (Hint: Not Channel Master). In hindsight, I should have returned the unit to Solid Signal, the online company I'd purchased it from.
Bottom line, the new one works for now but I have zero confidence it will prove to be reliable in the long term. I most definitely would NEVER BUY AGAIN. Channel Master was once a reliable, reputable and quality manufacturer. Since they outsourced manufacturing and who knows what else to China, it's been a different story. My advice? Stay away from this rotor.
Customer Review: It's great - when it works
Summary: 3 Stars
I have this Channelmaster model, which I installed about a year and a half ago. It received moderate use for a seven foot FM-only antenna. I found the accuracy to be good when given occassional resets.
Why the past tense? Well, about a month ago I started having serious problems with the 9521 motor unit: it was not responding properly to the remote commands (the motor unit wouldn't turn past about 200 degrees even when a higher rotation was specified through the controller).
First stop was back to the owners manual. The troubleshooting section in the latter is very thin (a half a page of rather general suggestions, the most annoying being one that says "if you rotator is working but not properly aligning the antenna, either realign the antenna on the mast or re-coordinate it through the remote control." The manual contains no information whatsoever on how to do the latter!!!) So I ended up googling to find general rotator troubleshooting support. That led to more helpful info that allowed me to bench test the motor unit, which turned out to have become defective .
So I then had to shop for a complete replacement of the 9521 rotator unit. In the process of doing that, I learned that while these used to be manufactured domestically (in Ohio) a few years ago ChannelMaster started sourcing them from China. So what?
Well, according the the rotator experts in the shortwave community, there have been ongoing quality control issues (similar to what I experienced) with the Chinese made 9521 motor units. In fact, so much so that the particular retailer I ended up buying from now extensively tests each one before putting them up for sale. So stand advised and if you buy one of these make sure you keep all warranty documentation!
Customer Review: Channel Master antenna rotator
Summary: 3 Stars
The product is easy to install and operate, and it performs basically as advertised, but there are a few things to grumble about.
First, communication over the control cable is one-way, from the control box to the motor. That means that the controller doesn't really know where the antenna is pointing. Rather, it knows, or thinks it knows, how fast the antenna rotates and figures how long it should take to get to where you want it and then assumes that it got there. My experience is that if it is really pointed where the controller thinks it is and you command it to rotate 180 degrees in one continuous motion, it will go somewhere between 170 and 190 degrees or so, but if you use the UP and DOWN buttons to "tweak" the pointing for best reception, the allowance for acceleration is not all that great, and you can easily have the antenna pointing 20 degrees from where the controller thinks it is. Second, the errors accumulate: if it starts from an inaccurately known position, it will end up with even less accuracy.
There is a "resync" feature, which consists of commanding the motor to turn counterclockwise long enough to give confidence that it's reached the "zero-degree" stopping point. That gets things back to a known condition, but it takes about a minute every time you resync, which is a pain. It would be much handier if the display reflected an actual MEASUREMENT of the position rather than a dead-reckoning guess.
Nevertheless, the unit does its job, and I have had no problems with it. If it's a little off in pointing, you can always do a fine adjustment with the UP and DOWN buttons. Maybe I was expecting too much for the price paid.
Customer Review: Won't last long, Keep Receipt for Warranty!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this Rotor after having 1 before, reading good reviews and thought I was getting 1 of the Best Antenna Rotors on the Market and bonus Infrared Remote to boot. Besides I had 1 since 1989 that lasted up until 2005.
I purchased new because I installed a HDTV Antenna and wanted to get All of the available over the Air Stations.
Well about a year later, the thing stops working and is stuck pointing due NORTH. I tried the owner install and troubleshoot manual but everyting tested OK. Then I called the Channel master Tech Support and he basically said that they have had major problems with the Gear sets sticking at the 0 deg or 360 deg position. All I had to do was fax him my original purchase receipt (which I can't find). I then asked if I could just give the serial # which should be in their database, to get replacement. He apologized and said that was not going to happen.
Sooo, Good luck to those of you who decide to purchase this model.
01/28/09 added comments: Price has jumped to $183 w/o shipping, for an item with only a 90 day warranty.
I just tried to repair my own Rotor and found Water & Rust throughout the inside, even though I was very careful to calk the outside parts. The only way for water to get in was thru the Rubber cover grommet. Very poor quality. I will never purchase another Channel Master product!
Customer Review: Rotator is NOT reliable, constant problem sticking in North Position!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have this Channelmaster Rotor with Remote, which I installed about a year ago. I used it for more HDTV Channel reception.
Why the past tense? Well, about 6 months ago I started having serious problems with the 9521 motor unit: it was not responding to the remote commands (the motor unit wouldn't turn from due North 0 or 360 degrees
First I referred to the owners manual. The troubleshooting section in the latter is very thin and basically said to replace the Rotator Unit. So I ended up googling to find general rotator troubleshooting support. That led to more helpful info that allowed me to bench test the motor unit, which turned out to have become defective (Stuck).
So I emailed Channel Master for more Support for the 9521 rotator unit. The Support Tech was helpful but said that this is a common problem and he would replace it if I could produce the original receipt, which of course I could Not! My problem with this type of Warranty, is that they know when it was manufactured by the Serial # I gave them & they know it has been on my Roof Mast only. So, why not ship new one to me & I ship junk back with RMA#. They already admit to problem. He did suggest buying a Ham Radio Mast Rotor, but cheapest is about $350~500. Now way.
So be advised and if you buy one of these make sure you keep all warranty documentation and Receipts!