Correct. On 2M it draws about 8 Amps on Transmit...less on 70cm. HF
and 6M will draw 20 Amps or so. One thing you can do...power it from a
car battery in the ham shack. Take the battery out to the garage and
charge it every couple days (depending on how much you use the radio for
TX)...that would get you by until you upgrade to a bigger power supply.
Or...go into the setup menu and set the RF Power adjustment to
something like 50 (about half power) when you're on HF or 6M.

Scott
N0EDV

Steve wrote:

I'm a new ham, looking to buy a transceiver that I'll use as a base
station. I want something that won't break the bank, but that will
give me room in which to "grow" as I upgrade my license. I have my eye
on the Yaesu FT-857D right now and it's gotten some good reviews on
the web.

I notice that the FT-857D's current consumption is a maximum of 22
amps, but I'm guessing that this is when transmitting with maximum
power on HF, correct? For operating on VHF and UHF, would my Astron 20
amp power supply suffice? I can always upgrade power supplies later,
if necessary, when I upgrade my license, but I'd like to think that,
if I buy the FT-857D now, I won't also have to buy another power
supply right away.

Thanks,

Steve


--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die
Building RV-4 (Super Slow Build Version)