Its uncanny how your videos tend to track exactly with my own personal radio trajectory. Its sort of like you are reading my mind. :) (manpacks, HF, DMR etc). BTW, one thing I've found handy is to make a few variable length power extension cables using the Anderson power pole connectors. Having them laying around is handier than I would have thought. That way you can keep the 12V power connectors on devices short, while having the ability to add length as the situation demands. Keeps things neat and tidy. Thanks again.
There must be something in the air. It looks like we're both on a mission to get our comms preps in order ASAP. Thanks for sharing that tip. I'll make a few different lengths starting with 6", 18" and 36". Thanks for the support. More DMR coming.
Nice, clean install! I find it easier doing custom install work, without my gun on my hip. Just so I can move around, and Not bang the hell out of myself, the gun, or everything else, in tight spaces! But, you do you, my friend! You do you...
Nice upgrade to your RV. The Battle Born LiFePO4 upgrade is nice as well. I agree 100% with investing in good tools as well as using the correct tool for the job. The nice thing about your PowerPole crimper is that you can purchase different die sets for RF connectors, molex pins, etc.
Good to see you digging in and realizing how bad the infrastructure is going to most 12v "cigarette" plugs. Before you know it you're gonna have 12-10 gauge wiring going to every corner of that rig. Thanks for showing off the way you did it and for the content. I hope you're well out there. I just got js8call loaded on my dual boot chromebook and I look forward to seeing if I can reach out from Hawaii. I'll keep in touch as that project goes. 🤙🏽 PS- your wife is totally right. Good tools make for easier everything. 👍🏽
The Anytone D578 tri-band is of interest...especially considering use as a cross-band repeater. I was not aware it was capable of that. I would love to know more about that after you it set up. Thank you
Thank you for sharing that. I'm doing something very similar on my sailboat. I don't have cabinetry at the navigation station, so I'm working on adding enclosures. And A.P.P.'s are now my standard electrical connection.
I love how convenient anderson connectors are. It was something I wish I knew about prior to me getting into ham in 2021. Replaced many connectors like my back up panels with them.
They certainly are convenient. Investing in a good crimper and learning how to make your own power cables is my #1 tip when entering amateur radio. Also, based on my experience, stick with Powerpoles from Powerwerx. Avoid the crap on Amazon. I made that mistake early. I can't say that I have made the same investment in building coax cables, but that is in the plan for 2024. Cheers to another Anderson Powerpole fan.
I’ve started deploying Powerpoles EVERYWHERE! Even put them on my vehicles including the tractor and backhoe batteries so I can quickly attach a charger to keep the batteries up in the winter when they may not be used very frequently. Even made a short in-line system with an ammeter to check current flow on my solar system or just determining the current draw by some radio. With Powerpoles on each end, I just insert it into the system. I still have some lighter style 12v receptacles, but using Powerpoles more and more!!
I've done the same. I have anderson powerpoles on everything possible. I routed a 10g wire from the battery to the passenger compartment of all my vehicles. I need to replace the 40Am fuses that came with the fuse adapters because you never want to trust those cheap chinese fuses, but I digress. I have some splitters for the odd case where I need to run more than one device at a time. I also have adapters for just about every situation you can imagine. I also realized that with these I have other advantages. For instance, if I need to disconnect the battery in my vehicle to work on it, I can just connect my lion battery to the powerpole inside the cab, then go disconnect the battery and insulate the positive well and I'm ready to roll. I need to do a few additional things like take some leftover cable and make a nice extension with powerpoles so I can power something at a small but helpful distance. Enough to be helpful, not long enough to drop the voltage too much. Powerpoles are an excellent connector.
Just a word of caution. 10AWG might seem like large wire, but it will only carry 30A continuously for 6ft and 15A for 12ft with a 0.5V drop assuming you are running both positive and negative and not grounding to chassis. I bring this up because people will install rigrunners or other powerpole blocks rated for 30A or more at the end of long runs and not realize they really need larger wire like 8AWG or 6AWG to keep the power losses and voltage drop low and the wire safe.
@@major__kong Agreed. My radio draws 18 amps at 13.8v at full power so that leaves only 12 left for a second device which I don't expect to be a heavy draw. I keep my runs short but they are in the 6-8 foot range. I'd like to put a decent sized inverter in so I'm planning to run 4g and tap that for radio as well.
Unless you're doing digital modes, I'd consider radios an intermittent load, and then the wire will support more current because it has time to cool down between the big spikes.
Dewalt now has a usb-c charger/discharger it’s bi-directional. You can charge directly from a solar panel/car or your current solar/battery system without as much loss. Plus there’s adapters for the battery to be hooked up to a 13.8v buck converter so you could use your dewalt battery’s for your radios very versatile
I love the RigRunners. I have one in the shack and wish I had a second unit. For this build, I used what I had in terms of spare parts. I can always replace it later with one of the smaller RigRunners.
I used to use rigrunners, but I always ran into the problem of having to think about which slot had which fuse rating. They're great for semi-permanent load installations where you don't have to think about that too often. Instead, I use a powerpole block off of Amazon that mounts on a DIN rail. They're $23 instead of almost $50, and then I add a fuse to the load side of the plug. That way the fuse travels with the load and I don't have to think about which fuse rating on which slot. The supply to the block gets a 30A fuse because that's what it's rated for. But on a lot of my loads, I don't even fuse. Before y'all start yelling at me, do you add a fuse or circuit breaker in between your wall outlet and extension cord or lamp cord? I still fuse radios on both legs for reasons you can read about on the interwebs. If your wire is buried / permanently installed, fuse it. I'm talking about loads or extension cords that you plug in temporarily.
Good Job. I just got the Paradan charger that runs power poles and has a DC-DC converter. It charges the radio battery to 14.2 even when the input from the RV is low. Charges at 3 amps so it won't cause too much drop in the wire length from your house batteries. Has the lighter plug input, but I cut that off and install power poles so I can use it without or use it with.
The RV manufacturer didn't under size the wiring on the 12V power socket. It's adequate for the current it can supply for phone charging. They up sized the wiring to the power socket so you could use their wiring for your Anderson PowerPole installation for 100 watts of RF power! 😀
I like how you looked at it. Yes, they set me up for 100 watts of RF goodness. Well, I've seen people try to drive 20A on a vehicle's cigarette adapter.
Thanks for the video, I have converted all the 12 V sources to Power Pole in my expedition vehicles, and fully support your approach. However, please, forgive the following dumb question: what is the point of having a gun while installing electrical connectors? Is it that dangerous in the US?
We live in a good area. I have been conceal carrying every day for the last 8 years as you never know when you may need this tool to defend your life or your family's. When I'm on my property, I open carry for comfort. For the record, I actually had to use this CCW once when I was run off the road by three men about 4 years ago with an aggressive pit maneuver. I'm here to this day because of this tool. Know one will ever convince me not to carry daily.
Sir, I’m the noob when it comes to these types of radios. I have a GMRS license and I’m thinking about either buying or making my own man pack but I can’t find any frames for the radios that I might be able to afford which would be some of the MTX series. Do you have any suggestions?
Its uncanny how your videos tend to track exactly with my own personal radio trajectory. Its sort of like you are reading my mind. :) (manpacks, HF, DMR etc). BTW, one thing I've found handy is to make a few variable length power extension cables using the Anderson power pole connectors. Having them laying around is handier than I would have thought. That way you can keep the 12V power connectors on devices short, while having the ability to add length as the situation demands. Keeps things neat and tidy. Thanks again.
There must be something in the air. It looks like we're both on a mission to get our comms preps in order ASAP. Thanks for sharing that tip. I'll make a few different lengths starting with 6", 18" and 36". Thanks for the support. More DMR coming.
Making the extension cables is one of major benefits I like about andersons.
This one was inspirational and timely. I'm thinking of turning my car's center console into a battery powered 12v distribution.
Nice, clean install! I find it easier doing custom install work, without my gun on my hip. Just so I can move around, and Not bang the hell out of myself, the gun, or everything else, in tight spaces! But, you do you, my friend! You do you...
Always love your video's. Glad your starting to make them again.
Nice upgrade to your RV. The Battle Born LiFePO4 upgrade is nice as well. I agree 100% with investing in good tools as well as using the correct tool for the job. The nice thing about your PowerPole crimper is that you can purchase different die sets for RF connectors, molex pins, etc.
A lot of NEED that UV578 bag!
Wah wah wee wah. Ooh la la. King in da castle.
Good to see you digging in and realizing how bad the infrastructure is going to most 12v "cigarette" plugs. Before you know it you're gonna have 12-10 gauge wiring going to every corner of that rig. Thanks for showing off the way you did it and for the content. I hope you're well out there. I just got js8call loaded on my dual boot chromebook and I look forward to seeing if I can reach out from Hawaii. I'll keep in touch as that project goes. 🤙🏽
PS- your wife is totally right. Good tools make for easier everything. 👍🏽
The Anytone D578 tri-band is of interest...especially considering use as a cross-band repeater. I was not aware it was capable of that. I would love to know more about that after you it set up. Thank you
Thank you for sharing that. I'm doing something very similar on my sailboat. I don't have cabinetry at the navigation station, so I'm working on adding enclosures. And A.P.P.'s are now my standard electrical connection.
I love how convenient anderson connectors are. It was something I wish I knew about prior to me getting into ham in 2021. Replaced many connectors like my back up panels with them.
They certainly are convenient. Investing in a good crimper and learning how to make your own power cables is my #1 tip when entering amateur radio. Also, based on my experience, stick with Powerpoles from Powerwerx. Avoid the crap on Amazon. I made that mistake early. I can't say that I have made the same investment in building coax cables, but that is in the plan for 2024. Cheers to another Anderson Powerpole fan.
I’ve started deploying Powerpoles EVERYWHERE! Even put them on my vehicles including the tractor and backhoe batteries so I can quickly attach a charger to keep the batteries up in the winter when they may not be used very frequently. Even made a short in-line system with an ammeter to check current flow on my solar system or just determining the current draw by some radio. With Powerpoles on each end, I just insert it into the system. I still have some lighter style 12v receptacles, but using Powerpoles more and more!!
Standards are great. Put Powerpoles on everything! I always carry a female cigarette-to-Anderson Powerpole adapter. It will save your bacon.
I've done the same. I have anderson powerpoles on everything possible. I routed a 10g wire from the battery to the passenger compartment of all my vehicles. I need to replace the 40Am fuses that came with the fuse adapters because you never want to trust those cheap chinese fuses, but I digress. I have some splitters for the odd case where I need to run more than one device at a time. I also have adapters for just about every situation you can imagine. I also realized that with these I have other advantages. For instance, if I need to disconnect the battery in my vehicle to work on it, I can just connect my lion battery to the powerpole inside the cab, then go disconnect the battery and insulate the positive well and I'm ready to roll. I need to do a few additional things like take some leftover cable and make a nice extension with powerpoles so I can power something at a small but helpful distance. Enough to be helpful, not long enough to drop the voltage too much. Powerpoles are an excellent connector.
Just a word of caution. 10AWG might seem like large wire, but it will only carry 30A continuously for 6ft and 15A for 12ft with a 0.5V drop assuming you are running both positive and negative and not grounding to chassis. I bring this up because people will install rigrunners or other powerpole blocks rated for 30A or more at the end of long runs and not realize they really need larger wire like 8AWG or 6AWG to keep the power losses and voltage drop low and the wire safe.
@@major__kong Agreed. My radio draws 18 amps at 13.8v at full power so that leaves only 12 left for a second device which I don't expect to be a heavy draw. I keep my runs short but they are in the 6-8 foot range. I'd like to put a decent sized inverter in so I'm planning to run 4g and tap that for radio as well.
Unless you're doing digital modes, I'd consider radios an intermittent load, and then the wire will support more current because it has time to cool down between the big spikes.
FANTASTIC
Great job with the install and video.
Dewalt now has a usb-c charger/discharger it’s
bi-directional. You can charge directly from a solar panel/car or your current solar/battery system without as much loss. Plus there’s adapters for the battery to be hooked up to a 13.8v buck converter so you could use your dewalt battery’s for your radios very versatile
I've always used RigRunners in all my vehicle. Each output is fused individually, and it's a neat/clean install.
I love the RigRunners. I have one in the shack and wish I had a second unit. For this build, I used what I had in terms of spare parts. I can always replace it later with one of the smaller RigRunners.
I used to use rigrunners, but I always ran into the problem of having to think about which slot had which fuse rating. They're great for semi-permanent load installations where you don't have to think about that too often. Instead, I use a powerpole block off of Amazon that mounts on a DIN rail. They're $23 instead of almost $50, and then I add a fuse to the load side of the plug. That way the fuse travels with the load and I don't have to think about which fuse rating on which slot. The supply to the block gets a 30A fuse because that's what it's rated for. But on a lot of my loads, I don't even fuse. Before y'all start yelling at me, do you add a fuse or circuit breaker in between your wall outlet and extension cord or lamp cord? I still fuse radios on both legs for reasons you can read about on the interwebs. If your wire is buried / permanently installed, fuse it. I'm talking about loads or extension cords that you plug in temporarily.
Amazing! This is how to survive SHTF in comfort.
Good Job. I just got the Paradan charger that runs power poles and has a DC-DC converter. It charges the radio battery to 14.2 even when the input from the RV is low. Charges at 3 amps so it won't cause too much drop in the wire length from your house batteries. Has the lighter plug input, but I cut that off and install power poles so I can use it without or use it with.
Mighty fine job there, Gaston! Looks like you've been doing those PowerPoles your whole life! 🤠
Love the channel. Lots of inspiration
Glad you enjoy it!
Can't wait to see what you come up with for antenna installation.
Cant wait to see the vids for the 578. I have one n dont know where to start 73
Free electricity magnetic generator wow
Great job!
I prefer bananas (not socially lol!).
I like the ability to quickly connect bare wire if required.
I should add that banana posts have many other advantages like stacking and ease of metering.
The RV manufacturer didn't under size the wiring on the 12V power socket. It's adequate for the current it can supply for phone charging. They up sized the wiring to the power socket so you could use their wiring for your Anderson PowerPole installation for 100 watts of RF power! 😀
I like how you looked at it. Yes, they set me up for 100 watts of RF goodness. Well, I've seen people try to drive 20A on a vehicle's cigarette adapter.
Klein DMM. Also my choice. While not up to Fluke quality, a name brand well above the quality of China-R-Us.
I am about to buy a RV and would love to see your solution for getting the coax for your antenna inside.
Cable gland entry or enclosures.
What is the make and model of the wire strippers that you were using?
Thanks for your videos.
Thanks for the video, I have converted all the 12 V sources to Power Pole in my expedition vehicles, and fully support your approach. However, please, forgive the following dumb question: what is the point of having a gun while installing electrical connectors? Is it that dangerous in the US?
We live in a good area. I have been conceal carrying every day for the last 8 years as you never know when you may need this tool to defend your life or your family's. When I'm on my property, I open carry for comfort. For the record, I actually had to use this CCW once when I was run off the road by three men about 4 years ago with an aggressive pit maneuver. I'm here to this day because of this tool. Know one will ever convince me not to carry daily.
Didn’t wanna spring for the Bioenno 100AH’s? 😊
Heck no. The BattleBorn batteries have been rock solid. They've been zero maintenance and have survived 4 Arizona summers.
Sir, I’m the noob when it comes to these types of radios. I have a GMRS license and I’m thinking about either buying or making my own man pack but I can’t find any frames for the radios that I might be able to afford which would be some of the MTX series. Do you have any suggestions?
What? No radio in bed? 😂
No. Operating in the RV at the dining table is already a luxury. ;-)
Nothing impresses the ladies like calling CQ from the bedroom. Oh wait...