NGhost Posted September 12, 2002 Report Share Posted September 12, 2002 Hi Chaps, Ive lurked for a bit, but now I have a question. ever since using a pigeon magnet on a days shoot, my own decoying seams realy lame. So I want to get a rotor at the midland show at the weekend. The magnet seems very expensive, are the cheaper ones any good? Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 12, 2002 Report Share Posted September 12, 2002 Hi Nigel, I too was fellow lurker until yesterday! I have some experience of rotors having successfully used a Vale rotor for the last year. It probably falls into the cheapie class but I found it did the business, not all the time but most of the time. I have still managed to blank with it . I have just sold it and bought a Pinewood Advantage model purely to save on bulk and weight as the pinewood is very light and slinky but does the same basic job. I saw the Pigeon Magnet in operation at the CLA show and it looked very effective if not a bit bizarre. The pigeons looked very realistic with the flapping action but I think it is at a high price. My personal opinion is that any rotor will attract pigeons into the killing zone by movement alone. I think the rotors success lies in attracting birds off the flight line that would have otherwise steamed by and getting them into your dec pattern. After that the birds are either drawn to the decs or spooked by the rotor although hopefully it will be too late by then. This is one reason why I don't subscribe to the 'remotely switch it on when you see pigeons' theory. I reckon the rotor pulls in the birds long before the shooter sees them; hence I leave it spinning all the time. The downside is the extra batteries required to keep it going (1 batt lasts about 3.5 hours in the Vale). Something for you to chew on! Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 NGhost, welcome to the site! If you check out the 'meet up' thread, you'll see a few of us are meeting at the N+S stand on Sunday, I'm sure you will get a good deal on their rotor at the show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 Excuse my ignorance, but who are N+S and do they have a web site? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 Tony, access the pigeonwatch home page and scroll to the bottom, click on the 'wildfowler' link and access the N+S site from there......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NGhost Posted September 13, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 Sorry Chaps cant meet at the N+S stand as I have to go on Saturday (had an invite to break clay on Sunday). I will have a look at the N+S stand their stuff looks quite good but no piccy of a rotor on the web page. Cheers Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 Rotary devices are one of the largest single investment items a pigeon shooter is going to make, apart from a gun. I chose the Pinewood version as I had received good reports about its reliability etc. I wouldn,t hesitate to recommend them to anyone. However, its fair to say that a lot of good, cheaper models are now available. You pay your money and take your choice. Important thing to remember,check to make sure the (cheap) price includes a very good rechargeable battery and recharger, if it doesn,t , then that it quite a cost you have to add on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 14, 2002 Report Share Posted September 14, 2002 Cheers, Got the link to N+S. Cranfield, I have not used my pinewood in anger yet. They claim a 12V/7AH battery will last upto 10 hours! What is your experience of battery life on the pinewood? I must admit, it was one point I considered important when I chose the pinewood as a replacement for my old rotor as much of my shooting involves a hike so less batts is a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted September 14, 2002 Report Share Posted September 14, 2002 Tony, Dream on about those battery times!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 15, 2002 Report Share Posted September 15, 2002 Tony, I can confirm that the Pinewood battery is awesome!!! 10 hours, is probably a conservative estimate. I had been "topping up" the battery and decided to completely discharge it (the right thing to do), before completely recharging it. I put the device in the vice in my cellar (no arms fitted) and turned it on. It took 76 hours to completely empty. Note: I had no "loading" on the motor, but that is incredible, but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 15, 2002 Report Share Posted September 15, 2002 Cranfield, Thanks for the info, sounds impressive. Do you have a standard 7Ah battery or higher capacity? I didn't buy the battery from pinewood as I had three from my old rotor. Now what can I do with my spare batts? Sounds like they are begging to be attached to a pecker! Now where did I put that credit card.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 15, 2002 Report Share Posted September 15, 2002 My battery came with the rotary device. Its a "Yuasa 12V, 7Ah, valve regulated, sealed lead-acid type,rechargeable battery". I have mentioned elsewhere on the Forum, that its important to check if, or what, battery comes with your rotary device when buying one. I have heard stories of some of the really cheap rotary devices coming with very poor batteries, some lasting only 2/3 hours. I saw some Peckers at the Game Fair today. Quite impressive, but a massive difference in the prices and I couldn,t see why. The cheaper ones looked and seemed to work, as good as the expensive ones. Perhaps you are paying for the marketing and advertising of some of them. The N&S ones looked good (and cheap), I don,t use crow decoys, but their crow pecker could change my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted September 16, 2002 Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 the 12v/7ah battery i use on my pine wood ran 6 hrs on satuday , 4 on sunday morning and 5 on sunday afternoon and it was running 2 peckers with a 25 yds of extension cable and it still has enough to run agin this week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 16, 2002 Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 All three of my batts are Yuasa 12V/7Ah. On an average day I would use two of these on the Vale. Looks like I made a wise move switching to the pinewood although the size and weight are still the most impressive feature. One thing that I am still a little anxious about is the stability of the pinewood. I have the MK II model with a corkscrew arrangement on the end of the single spike to allow you to screw it into the ground using the t-bar that is provided in the kit. It appears to be OK in firm ground but I imagine it may work loose in the winter when used in soft wet clay rich soil which makes up most of the land I shoot. This would be more likely if birds of different wieghts were used. The Vale had a 5 prong spike that wasn't going anywhere once you managed to get it in the ground. As a precaution I asked pinewood to fit the tripod arrangement that was standard on the previous model. They were very good and fitted it without extra charge. We will wait and see. With regards to the peckers, I know what you mean about the varying prices for what appeared to be the same or very similar product. It saw them for as little as £40 at the CLA but much more at stands that have dedicated marketing for peckers. No names mentioned It would be nice if the manufacturers of the peckers could produce a model with a second motor/servo that swivelled the base so that the pecker appeared to peck and rotate from side to side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 16, 2002 Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 Tony, I asked Pinewood why they changed from the tripod style, to the new single screw in point. They said that customers had asked for this for increased stability. I have the Mk 1 with the three legs, plus centre spike and I have never had any problems with stability in any ground. There are stories of guy ropes being needed with some other brands I dare not mention. Its good to read that I am not the only one with a bionic battery. I was starting to hear the X files music every time I used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted September 16, 2002 Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 if you sharpen the peg that the n&s pecker is on and leave some slack in the cable then it swings nicely in a breeze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NGhost Posted September 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2002 I found a very cheap rotor £65 at the midland fair. I have a few 12V 7 Ah bateries and looked at the loading. No birds on rotor .9A S+N foam pigions 1.1A Dead pigeons (ok a pair of shoes) 1.4 A I recon this must hold true for most of the wiper based rotors (nearly all but the pinewood). so the best I will get is about 4Hrs with pigeons and 6 ish with the S+N. As most experts recon you should never take a lead acid below 50% I will have to take 2 or three bateries with me. its a good job I can drive along the edges of most of the fields 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 17, 2002 Report Share Posted September 17, 2002 Tim, The N+S pecker must be a different design to the ones I have seen as the pecker you describe sounds as if it is suspended somehow. The only model that I am aware of has a standing pigeon mounted on a base. Its legs are hinged at the 'knee' joint and the movement is achieved by means of a small crank connected between the base and a motor inside the pigeon body. I know this is straying off topic but how effective are peckers when combined with rotors? I imagine the movement generated by a rotor would detract the pigeons attention from the pecker that has relatively little movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted September 17, 2002 Report Share Posted September 17, 2002 OK, confession time, I am not an Electrician, but how can the "stamina" of 12V 7AH batteries vary so much. Surely the makers of a rotary device can,t expect you to lug a Power Station around with you to fire up their products, for what could easily be an 8 hour session. Thats a product I wouldn,t buy. The N&S Pecker is not suspended, I am trying to remember the "engineering" of it, but it does stand on the ground. I imagine that Peckers provide the movement if you are not using your rotary device, or just add another dimension to the layout. I don,t subscribe to the theory that, the more decoys you set out the more pigeons will be attracted. I have had some of my best days with 4-6 decoys and no rotary device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted September 17, 2002 Report Share Posted September 17, 2002 the pecker has a round tube which pivots on a cam on a motor , a peg is pushed in the ground and the tube over the top and away it pecks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 Tim - I get the idea now Cranfield - I'm not a sparkie either but the way I see it is the stamina doesn't vary to much from one 12V/7Ah battery to another 12V/7Ah battery unless one is at fault or 'tired'. It all comes down to the current draw of the device attached to it. As most of the 'thirstier' rotors use 12V wiper motors, it makes me think how long my car battery would last if I left the car wipers running! And the car uses a BIG battery. I originally thought that the wiper motors may have more torque so use more power. The pinewood seems to have the same if not more torque than my old wiper model although I'm not sure if this is achieved by the gearbox or motor, either way, it doesn't account for the massive difference in running times between the two styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 I am a sparky an i havent got a clue either(unless i get a callout fee+double time and atleast 2 cups of tea).Alot depends on how you look after them,if you come home after using it for a few hours and chuck it in the garage until next time its not going to perform at its best,dont leave them flat for ages on end.Like most thing in life you get good and bad ones but not to any degree,are you using the appropriate charger?I dont know what the power consumption is on the roterys but they must vary from make to make,i supose strong winds may also play a part.I,ve got a 7ah battery which i use for lamping and thats what i will try mine out with when its finished,but i may get a larger one if it makes life easer.How much do you chaps pay for batterys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 I have three 12V/7Ah batts, two are Yuasa and one is from Screwfix which is a DIY type mail order catalogue. The scewfix batt cost me £14 and performs the same as the Yuasa type. I think Deben sell the Yuasa but I don't have a catalogue to hand. screwfix online - www.screwfix.com but beware browsing ,cos I always end up looking for a pack of screws and buying half the book! Loads of goodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 14 quid is pretty good funnily enough i've got a screwfix catalogue in frount of me know,i dont have any prices for larger batterys to hand but if i get a chance i'll phone a few suppliers tomorrow and get some prices i'll post tomorow eve and let you know the verdict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc Posted September 18, 2002 Report Share Posted September 18, 2002 Remember..... my earlier post regarding batteries. I've got dozens, free, from my friendly alarm engineer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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