Rants – Ham Radio Adventures with N1SPW

In my previous Post – I went on a rant about PowerPoles (PP). It’s true, I do not use them anymore. What am I using instead? The connector that is used in the radio controlled aircraft universe – the XT60.

Electric RC aircraft gobble up huge amounts of current. Andthe con-nection between the motors and the power source must be reliable.

Similar to the universal use of Power Poles in Ham radio, XT60’s are THE connector used in RC models.

There are 3 reasons for this:

1. They can handle huge amounts of current
  Although they are rated for 30 amps. These connectors can easily handle twice that amount. In fact, I have seen YouTube videos that show these connectors can handle well over 100 amps for 10 seconds or more.
2. They are highly resistant to vibration
  This may not be an important requirement for Hams, but it is good to know these connectors are not going to come loose.
3. They are more resistant to weather.
  Nobody is going to claim the XT60’s are waterproof. But they have more protection against the elements than a fully exposed PP.

Continue reading “Introducing the XT-60”

A “Golden Rule” of Ham radio operations is the premise that all electrical connections are made with PowerPole (PP) connectors. This makes all our equipment so-called “interoperable”.

It is considered blaphemous to question their use in the Ham culture. Well, I gotta tell ya’ll, I have ditched the use of PP’s.

Just to be clear. I have no beef with PowerWerx, the leading retailer in the PP universe. I have ordered lots of stuff from them over the years. Their customer service, packaging, shipping, and product quality is first class. They are a great company.

There are 6 reasons I no longer use them:

1. You must be properly trained on how to wire them up.
2. Getting consistent, and robust connections is challenging.
3. They are not weather-resistant.
4. They get loose/sloppy after lots of use.
5. The market is overrun with cheap Chinese knock-offs that are horrible.
6. They are way too expensive.

Continue reading “I Ditched PowerPole Connectors”