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| Reviews Summary for PWRgate PG40S |
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You can
write your own review of the PWRgate PG40S.
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N1KSN
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 2, 2006 07:20
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Works well
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I now have two of these units, one for a portable emergency VHF station (see http://www.wi-aresraces.org/emopportvhf.htm) and the other for a power module I plan on using for an emergency HF station. Since I use AGM batteries I adjusted the power supply output voltage upward and shorted the jumper inside each Powergate unit as per the instructions.
For the emergency VHF station I use an 18 AHr battery inside the station housing, with an external 33 AHr battery as a backup. An Astron SS-18 is the power supply. For the other setup I use a Group 24 80 AHr battery (brand name Werker from Batteries Plus) and an SEC 1223 power supply.
The battery voltage is monitored with either an analog Simpson meter or a slick tricolor LED circuit from Steve Weber KD1JV (slightly modified, see http://www.qsl.net/kd1jv/batmon.HTM).
I did a measurement and found that if the battery is connected to the PWRgate PG40S with no load there is still a small 0.5 mA drain from the battery. Since both of my setups are backups and I do not maintain a constant float charge, I now disconnect the battery when they are not in use and recharge the batteries every two weeks.
Pricy, but well-made and provides seamless transfer from power supply to battery. I agree with the previous reviewer's concerns about Powerpoles and heavy cables, but in my setups this has yet to become an issue.
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W9AC
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 27, 2006 06:07
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Excellent Product
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Overall, an excellent product. This version of the Powergate includes a stair-step charging platform and the ability to charge a wide variety of batteries, including AGM and gell types.
In my application, I use a 80 AH Optima Blue-Top AGM marine battery in conjunction with the Super Powergate, and an Astron RS-35 power supply to distribute 12VDC to a West Mountain 4012 RigRunner. The switching between the Optima battery and the Astron supply is absolutely "glitchless."
The only negative comment relates to the use of the Anderson PowerPole connectors. Although there are work-around approaches to cable management, the connector's design is defective from the beginning: the connector body really requires a quarter-turn or similar type of threaded barrel to lock to its mating surface.
The problems I am seeing have nothing associated with the manner in which the connector is soldered or crimped. The problem is that the connector easily unseats when it is stressed. And, when using heavy gage wire in these power supply applications, it takes little cable movement to unseat the connectors which creates a hazardous condition in high-current applications.
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K6MTT
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 26, 2006 18:02
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Excellent choice for UPS
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Can't really add anything here except to give it a great rating. Does what it says. I use it with a 75AH AGM battery, so I increased the Astron's voltage to 14.5v and changed the internal jumper (which was easy to get to - very nice mechanical design!). The switch from house power to battery power is flawless. All-in-all, a really nice alternative to a dedicated charger setup. A little pricey perhaps, but it's turnkey.
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K2GW
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 22, 2006 13:56
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Works as advertised
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The other reviews sum it up.
It also works great with your exisiting power supply to charge gel cells as well.
One minor suggestion to make it more versatile would be for the battery charge rate to be selectable by switches instead of using fuses as jumpers. I have different size gel cells so switching between 1 4 7 and 10 amp charging rates would be easier with switches.
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WA0TPN
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 14, 2005 15:08
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Nice backup system
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just assembled the following components to provide backup battery power for my HF/VHF/UHF (FT-897D) rig:
- Deka 8G31 98aH Gell cell battery ($140 locally)
- Group 27 plastic battery box ($11 locally)
- PWRgate ($120) - attached to battery box
- RigRunner 4010S ($120)- attached to battery box
Considering the price of a set of internal batteries and charger for the Yaesu FT-897D, the system described above provides much more utility to power accessories and much longer battery life for an additional investment of a few dollars.
The setup remains portible for emergency use, although at 65 pounds the backup system sacrifices convenience in favor of extended battery life and functionality.
With 1/2" of ice and snow forecasted for this evening, it is fun knowing that communications will continue without interruption and we can power a 12 volt light and scanner for a few days.
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W2SRH
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2005 12:39
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Excellent product!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Works just like the PWRgate PG40, but includes a staging charger. Selectable current ratings for the charging circuit (1, 4, 7 & 10A). Plugged in my battery, it dumped max current until a preset voltage (selectable for Gel or AGM), then changed to a preset voltage until 1/10th of the chosen current is reached, then switched to a float setting to keep it topped off. Just like the older model, will switch to the battery when the line voltage drops below the battery voltage, so turning off or disconnecting the power supply causes an instant switchover. I don't run a lot of current through mine, so the immense heat sink fins haven't warmed up yet.
Would definitely recommend to anyone - and the use of PowerPole connectors makes it simple to add into any existing system!
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