[TowerTalk] Real waterproof connectors for rotators (was: source of 6/8 pin connectors?)

[Rick Karlquist]

AA6DX - Mark wrote:
> Awwwww come on .. those connectors are cheaper than the ubiquitous 4 pin
> trailer pigtails ??.. and available "anywhere" ?.. methinks not.   Good

No, the 8 pin version, which is about $8 a pair.  The dt connectors are
about that price.  I never said they were available everywhere.  I said
they were available from dcpwr.com.  And the 8 pin trailer connectors
are definitely not available everywhere.

I never recommended them for DC power purposes.  I recommended them for
rotators.  I use Anderson Powerpoles for all DC power.  dcpwr.com has
one of the most complete lines of Powerpole parts; a lot of
stuff I haven't seen anywhere else.  They even sell waterproofing
boots for Powerpoles in case you want to use them outdoors.

Rick N6RK



> Grief Reef probably even has them good ol'  4 pins in their bins, in their
> marine outfitting store!  Of course, to be PC .. we have to have the
> "proper" fittings, n'est-ce pas?   And .. the ARRL (me be lifer) chose
> other
> ways to go for DC connectors for the AREC, etc....   wrongo, in my
> guestimation.   The 4 wire pigtails are THE way to go .. and, if you keep
> the leads short when you parallel them, they work swell with a 100 watt HF
> rig .. or VHF .. or ...
> I have made a few journeys in my life to other lands .. not so easy to
> find
> German or American connectors, etc...  on Christmas Island (the one where
> you go to Hawaii from the USofA and turn left) we used Budweiser six-pak
> plastic holders, all bunched up to make an insulator for loops and dipoles
> .. worky worky .. but there were sure NO Deutschipd connectors there, but
> plenty of trailer type hook-me-ups!
> HEY .. y'all have a good Turkey Day ..
> Totally way off topic ... we (Ted, AL7RF / T32AL , and I .. AA6DX / T32AM)
> had a perfectly scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner at the Captain Cook
> ?hotel?
> .. `twas fried tuna .. hmmmmm .. remember, Turkey Day is a US holiday!  We
> were there for CQWWDX CW - HIHI--
>
> Mark Nelson  -  AA6DX
>
> mailto: AA6DX at ARRL.NET
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Lux" <jimlux at earthlink.net>
> To: "Richard (Rick) Karlquist" <richard at karlquist.com>; "Jim McDonald"
> <jim at n7us.net>; <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 10:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Real waterproof connectors for rotators (was:
> source of 6/8 pin connectors?)
>
>
> At 09:20 PM 11/21/2006, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
>>A much better solution than either CJ or trailer
>>connector pigtails is at this URL:
>>
>>http://www.deutschipd.com/Products/DT_Series/dt_series.html
>>
>>Real waterproof connectors that mount right on the end
>>of the rotor cable w/o splices.  AND THEY'RE CHEAPER
>>than trailer connector pigtails.  Now you have absolutely
>>NO reason to use trailer connectors.
>
>
> The trailer pigtails are pretty inexpensive ($1.99 for a male/female
> set with 8" wires from JC Whitney, for instance)..
>
> I do admit those Deutsch connectors look very nice, especially how
> the sealing works. And, I suspect they make chassis mount versions,
> which would be quite handy.
>
>
> But, isn't someone supposed to pipe up with a curmudgeonly comment
> along the lines of:
>
> You should use only Western Union style splices, soldered with a
> copper heated on a wood fire, just like they did for the
> transcontinental railroad, insulated with bitumen and gutta
> percha.  This newfangled stuff with polymers and thermoplastics,
> etc.etc.etc.
>
> And why would you want a rotator anyway.  Just put up a few more
> rhombics and add a few positions to your antenna switch. Or, if you
> must, rotate the tower using a rope and pulley arrangement.
>
> Jim,W6RMK
>
>
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