[Elecraft] bad choice: Anderson PowePole connectors

[David King]

No crimper/iron in the field?  I carry both all the time. 

And, our club had both available at field day and at every other event 
we do, also.

I also ordered enough APP's to carry spares...the minimum bag size is 10 
per bag....and IMHO they're cheap.

I live in a part of the world where the closest actual ham radio supply 
outlet is 400+ miles distance...we use mail order all the time..maybe 
that's why we have a stock pile of these type (Power Pole Connectors, 
etc.) things on hand?  And, we recently prevailed upon our local 
electronic's supply shop to start carrying APP's as a stock item. This 
same shop doesn't carry 2 meter whips or other HF specialty stuff...but 
they can order them for us and normally have them in two or three 
days....which is about what most mail order's take....

We also made up multiple power lines...with APP's on one end, and other 
type connectors on the other, so we can swap around as needed..and we 
carry those with us when away from the shack.  We also use them in the 
shack as needed.

Our 7-11's don't even carry electrical tape...let alone binding posts.  
Folks in Thailand are lucky!

And, if it's a realllll emergency in the field...I have no compunction 
about cutting the APP's off and twisting bare wires together as a 
temporary fix...of course, covering them with the electrical tape I have 
to carry with me as part of a travel kit.

David King
KE7EKA

Charles Harpole wrote:
> The Power Pole connectors on the K3 are a bad choice for this 
> application.... why? :
>
> 1, require either a special crimper or solder.... no crimper, no 
> luck.  No iron in the field, no luck.
>
> 2.  Break one of these puppies and if u live in 90% of the world where 
> these things are not available, no luck....
>
> 3. No plug, in the field, u are into a serious kludge up for 
> connecting power.
>
> The most flexible 20 amp connector ever devised to WORK ANYWHERE, with 
> banana pins, lugs, or bare wires, are BINDING POSTS.  These can work 
> when there is no iron, no crimper, no banana pins, no lugs, ... all u 
> need is a knife or even ur fingernail to strip the wire bare and screw 
> it on !!!   And screw it on with YOUR STANDARD FINGERS.    I can buy 
> binding posts at the Thailand 7-11.
>
> Of course, binding posts are not so attractive on the back of a rig, 
> so maybe use the other industry standard used on ALL OTHER RIGS IN THE 
> WORLD.... the Molex 6-pin.  This one is not available all over the 
> world, but sure is more available than the Anderson thingys.
>
> ARRL's idea to standardize on Anderson is similarily a mistake... and 
> their idea is especially applied to emergency comm... the very place 
> where weird fixtures are another disaster.
>
> But, one mistake does not make a bad rig, and please keep my order for 
> a K3 active!!!!!
>
> PS, Astron should listen to this message too, ... on of my Astrons has 
> stupid banana socket, but at least it will take a butch bare wire too 
> even tho u need a vy small flat blade screwdriver to attach  wires to 
> it.  What r they thinking???.
>
> 73
>
> Charles Harpole, HS0ZCW
> k4vud at hotmail.com
>
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