Rotary speeds

[Old Boggy]

11 hours ago, marsh man said:

I found using a speed control was as unpredictable as using the magnet , some days the magnet will live up to it's name and another day it can be the best scare crow on the field as nothing will come near it , this is exactly the same with the speed control , one day you will have it running at a certain speed and the pigeons will want to land on it , then a few days later you can set it again at the same speed and the pigeons will give it a wide berth , over the years I had burnt the fuse out of two or three when it was going at a slower speed , this might had been the fault of the home made magnet , while waiting for a replacement I used mine with it running at the set speed , to be honest I didn't notice any difference so when the new one came I flogged it on the forum and never used one since ,  

So do you therefore run it at full speed MM  i.e without the speed controller which only slows it down ?

You mention blowing the fuse. This happened to me once when I connected it up on full speed. I now start it on slow and ramp it up to full. Whether I need to perhaps is debatable as without a speed controller it starts on full speed anyway. 

I do agree that sometimes they work OK at whatever speed and other times more of a deterrent. As you say, each day is different, but isn't that half the fun and challenge of decoying ?

OB

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

So do you therefore run it at full speed MM  i.e without the speed controller which only slows it down ?

You mention blowing the fuse. This happened to me once when I connected it up on full speed. I now start it on slow and ramp it up to full. Whether I need to perhaps is debatable as without a speed controller it starts on full speed anyway. 

I do agree that sometimes they work OK at whatever speed and other times more of a deterrent. As you say, each day is different, but isn't that half the fun and challenge of decoying ?

OB

Morning Chris ...... My last magnet motor started life pushing windscreen wipers backwards and forwards and was certainly built to last , it had two settings on it , all you done was to move the terminal on the one that was free , this then gave you a fairy fast speed and what would be described as ( normal ) , I had it given to me when it was already second hand , I had for a good ten years and then I bought another one off a member on the forum , last year Alan ( Lakeside ) was having problems with his old one so I gave him my old one and as far as I know it is still going strong .

I don't think there is a set speed for every occasion , people will say a certain speed because it was the perfect speed on that particular day , another day it might have been a total failure , on a very windy day do you have the arms extended or pushed back in ? , is the magnet itself raised off the ground or left in it's normal position ? , do you speed it up on a calm day or slow it down in a strong wind ? I am only asking this as every situation is slightly different and I don't think any one speed will cater for them all , maybe the set speed on my newish one wont be the best speed everyday , but what speed will be ? , as you say , half the fun is finding it out , or trying to .

[Old Boggy]

9 hours ago, marsh man said:

Morning Chris ...... My last magnet motor started life pushing windscreen wipers backwards and forwards and was certainly built to last , it had two settings on it , all you done was to move the terminal on the one that was free , this then gave you a fairy fast speed and what would be described as ( normal ) , I had it given to me when it was already second hand , I had for a good ten years and then I bought another one off a member on the forum , last year Alan ( Lakeside ) was having problems with his old one so I gave him my old one and as far as I know it is still going strong .

I don't think there is a set speed for every occasion , people will say a certain speed because it was the perfect speed on that particular day , another day it might have been a total failure , on a very windy day do you have the arms extended or pushed back in ? , is the magnet itself raised off the ground or left in it's normal position ? , do you speed it up on a calm day or slow it down in a strong wind ? I am only asking this as every situation is slightly different and I don't think any one speed will cater for them all , maybe the set speed on my newish one wont be the best speed everyday , but what speed will be ? , as you say , half the fun is finding it out , or trying to .

Hello John,

I normally have it on full speed as I've found that once the battery slows down it 'appears' to lose its effectiveness. However, these days as you know my trips out are only a few hours at a time so the battery remains at full charge. If it spooks the pigeons I try moving it further upwind and if this doesn't work, I take it in.

I do tend to raise one arm of the rotary higher than the other. To me it looks less regimented, but whether it really makes any difference I don't know. Never really thought to not extend the arms when it's windy. Does it make any difference ?

The first rotary I got had four arms, two short and two long ones, not that I ever used all four at once, but Phil Beasley who I got it from referred to the short ones as 'Barley Arms'.

As you say, each day is different so you are right that perhaps different speeds may be more effective on different days.

The only thing I will say is that an intermittent fast flapper can be more effective and often less likely to spook the birds and can be set right in the pattern.

We will never always find the right combination which if 100% effective every day would become monotonous and no doubt spoil the thrill of trying to outwit our most respected quarry.

[marsh man]

40 minutes ago, Old Boggy said:

Hello John,

I normally have it on full speed as I've found that once the battery slows down it 'appears' to lose its effectiveness. However, these days as you know my trips out are only a few hours at a time so the battery remains at full charge. If it spooks the pigeons I try moving it further upwind and if this doesn't work, I take it in.

I do tend to raise one arm of the rotary higher than the other. To me it looks less regimented, but whether it really makes any difference I don't know. Never really thought to not extend the arms when it's windy. Does it make any difference ?

The first rotary I got had four arms, two short and two long ones, not that I ever used all four at once, but Phil Beasley who I got it from referred to the short ones as 'Barley Arms'.

As you say, each day is different so you are right that perhaps different speeds may be more effective on different days.

The only thing I will say is that an intermittent fast flapper can be more effective and often less likely to spook the birds and can be set right in the pattern.

We will never always find the right combination which if 100% effective every day would become monotonous and no doubt spoil the thrill of trying to outwit our most respected quarry.

Hi Chris ..... I find on a really windy day when the arms are fully extended and with the weight of a dead bird the arms can go up and down like a small boat in rough weather , this might not be the case with a artificial decoy with the set or spinning wings as these would be lighter , by pushing the arms in a bit seem to cure that problem , maybe with the arms shorter they become more rigid ?.

A friend of mine often put his magnet in the ground at an angle so the arms go round at a different level , weather this make any difference I couldn't tell you but I recon it would be work one day and like most other ways not the next .

Your one that had four arms sound exciting , I have got a promotional d v d by I believe shooters warehouse where a cog was inserted on the top that made the four arms go up and down like the horses at a fairground ride , I have never seen one work in the field , maybe a member have got one and can tell us how good , or how bad it is when it is earning it's keep .

 

[Edward Pigeon]

On 01/07/2020 at 17:46, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Which direction, clockwise or anti-clockwise?

Only go anti clockwise if you see the pigeons coming in and landing backwards. Never fails to be honest.