| KE7FD |
Rating:      |
2023-01-28 | |
| I won't use anyting else |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| For decades it's been a crapshoot to use whatever connector I could find either from Radio Shack then on-line. The big problem then became just how do I build my own cables without special tools they required. Then one Field Day, somepone pointed out that ARES always used Power Poles with "Red on the Right '', flat side down and that a crimping tool from Harbor Freight would work. Since then everything that's radio related in my house is fitted with Power Poles, ARES style. Now whenever there's a group of us with our gear, we can just plug into the batteries, or power supplies. No sweat and everyone is on the same page. There are some good knock offs on Amazon and eBay but there's more junk than good. Stick with the real thing and you'll be fine. |
|
| K1VCT |
Rating:    |
2023-01-28 | |
| They have their place |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
No love nor hate for 'em. They are just one of many connectors, and have their place in the bag o' tricks in and out of the shack.
What I like:
The individual parts slide together, so you can make different configurations that will help prevent plugging the wrong equipment together.
The pins for male and female are the same
They seem to "lock" together fairly well when connections are made
They can pretty easily be made into "panel mount" connectors.
What I don't like:
They seem (for me) to wear out - but I use them in a way that requires multiple plug in/out in really dirty environments, so maybe its just the application.
A bit fiddly to get the pin onto the wire and into the shell of the connector - until you finally master it.
I have some battery powered industrial test gear that came with little barrel connectors that constantly failed. I converted to Anderson Power Poles and I've had only one "wear out". Of course its the one I use the most and recharge the most. Still, the fix was easy (new shell, same pin). My test equipment is used in field service mostly in excavations, so its pretty rough on equipment.
Some of my gear at the QTH has APPs as the power connectors, and in that service things get unplugged....maybe once every six months at the most - zero problems.
I've got one customer who we supplied a Henry UHF amplifier to for his distributed industrial controls, and it uses APPs on the power supply side of the power cable. Zero issues there as it was a "set it/forget it" installation. That one's been up and running for a decade or so.
So they have their use in the grand scheme of things. Like everything in this world, there are limits.
|
|
| N4KVE |
Rating:  |
2023-01-27 | |
| I hate these things. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I never had any equipment that used these connectors, but I never liked them. A while back I purchased two Nortel commercial power supplies that were made to power huge banks of modems. A few component changes, & they put out a clean 13.8 volts at 45 amps, but yet weigh 3 pounds. Because they’re meant to slide into a huge device, there’s no power studs to attach to a radio like on a consumer power supply, so the seller hardwired 12” of 8 gage wire ending with these connectors. When I bought them, I mentioned how much I hated these connectors, so he threw in a few connectors for the radio side. Couldn’t get them to work, so I paid somebody to make me a few 12” adaptors with the Anderson connectors on one end, & the Motorola radio connectors on the other. Since they’re at the base station, there’s no movement at all, & it works. Strictly for UHF/900 radios where the max draw would be 10 amps. Did I mention how much I hate Anderson Powerpoles? |
|
| G4VRR |
Rating:     |
2023-01-27 | |
| Good Enough For Ham Use. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
First, they don't (in my experience) come with any instructions, and I did not initially find such information particularly easy to source. Things may have changed by now, but that's a black mark for the company in my view, indeed to this day and because it's not something I do frequently, I have to refer to a previous one to get the red and black properly configured and then which way up the terminals are to be inserted. (This is an accident waiting to happen.) My first attempts at crimping using snipe-nosed pliers faltered at the push 'n' click stage, and no one should be really surprised at that.
Then, one day out of the blue, the Chinese acquired our 120 years old company and promptly closed it down. (Nice guys-you're welcome.) On my way out, I picked up an "out of calibration" (and headed for "disposal") crimping tool which has turned out to be unexpectedly fortuitous for PowerPoles.
In that aerospace company, it was verboten to solder onto stranded conductors, and I conclude that the same should apply to these connectors which are intended for both frequent disconnection and cable flexure- crimping is the only way to go. Once you have figured out a way to install these, then they are as good as any and better than many- it's all rather down to the effort you put into them, and that really shouldn't be the case but it is what it is. Anyone struggling with PowerPoles needs to stop, look and think about what they are trying to achieve. Cheque book hams should pay someone else to do it for them- I'd hate to see their various RF connector mash-ups ... Hands-on hams will research and roll their own in the time-honoured ham fashion, after all- these are simple things guys!
For the intended applications- of course I would (and do) buy these again, just put a little extra effort and cash into ensuring you buy original Anderson PowerPoles. Even my first unprofessional attempts are still working fine after about seven years.
Four stars not for the lack of provided documentation, rather that implicit in the universal physical size of the terminals, it's possible to get carried away with the universal aspect of these connectors and plug a high current device into a low current supply, and when (if) they are configured side by side in a block, it becomes possible to reverse polarise them. Hmmm ... |
|
| W6BP |
Rating:      |
2023-01-27 | |
| They're great, but there is a learning curve... |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Ten years ago I bought a transceiver with a Powerpole connector on the back. I soldered my first Powerpole connector cable and had terrible results. In particular, the retention force of the mated connectors was very low; whenever I moved the transceiver slightly, the power cable fell out.
Then I learned a few things. First, it's essential that the contacts you slide into the housings be oriented so that each contact is locked into place by the corresponding flat-metal spring in the housing. Second, when connecting the wire to each contact, the contact must not be bent, and if you're soldering, the solder joint must not prevent each contact from being fully inserted into the housing. Take a look at a cross-section of a Powerpole connector and both points will be obvious. And third, the 15, 30, and 45 amp contacts have identical contact blades, with successively larger cups on the other end to accommodate different wire sizes. Pick the blade with the cup that matches your wire size. All three blades fit into the same housing.
I also learned that, for me, at least, crimping produced far better results than soldering. I found the Powerwerx Tricrimp to be the easiest to use, as it has cups to hold the blade when you insert it into the tool. Quicksilver Radio also offers excellent crimpers. Side bonus: I had an excuse to buy new tools.
These days I put Powerpoles on every new power cable in the shack. |
|
| W6LBV |
Rating:      |
2023-01-25 | |
| It's a $1 connector solution, Sparky! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Power Poles are a $1 connector solution. Nothing more. If they are assembled correctly, according to published directions, they will work well. More than fifteen years of successful service in my base station involving multiple pairs and very little maintenance, attests to that.
If they are used for mobile stations, the halves should be wired together tightly and the package should be tied down to a support structure. Why wouldn’t you do that, anyway, for any mobile station?
If you instead insist on operating a “NASA-grade space qualified” station, then $50 Canon plugs/jacks might be what is needed.
When the race finally ends, Power Poles are still a $1 connector solution. And the First Law of Thermodynamics still applies: “You get just what you pay for (at best!).”
|
|
| W4EDN |
Rating:      |
2023-01-24 | |
| Love my power poles |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Great stuff, i solder the connectors on, use superglue with roll pin, the ARES standard position and if necessary a zip tie holding two wire pairs together. Use them in my 3 vehicles and shack for over 20 years. Only problem i have had is failing to snap the contact in the housing all the way and over time it pushed back creating an intermittent. They have larger contacts that permit 30 ga wire in the 30Amp housings.
Before i used Jones plugs, but now with the ARES standard my rigs an power supplies work with everything.
I keep 10 pair in stock for the next radio. |
|
| N4MJG |
Rating:      |
2023-01-24 | |
| great product |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
i brought ths tools and conncters too i need this tools to do my thing work great !
Jackie
N4MJG |
|
| K4GTE |
Rating:      |
2023-01-23 | |
| Great Connectors |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Never had a problem when using genuine Anderson PowerPoles. Assembling correctly using the proper crimpers is the key. |
|
| K3USS |
Rating:    |
2022-10-28 | |
| Now I'm worried |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I'm totally new to Powerpoles and other products sold by Powerwerks. I've adapted all my mobile stuff to PP's cuz I thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread.
After reading some of these NEG reviews I'm a little worried about this product. I have them at my truck battery, fused. In the cockpit on a PP power strip with 4 poles. I have the Powerwerks inline watt,amp, power meter which is built like a tank but not readable in daylight. I don't recomend this meter for anything during the day and the leads are too short. If I have any problems with this PP system I'll be the first to jump in here and let people know. In the mean time it seemed the best option for making connections. I've used only Powerpole brand crimpers, and connecting products, no Chinese crap. Running a Yaesu 891 at 100 watts so we shall see how they hold up. |
|