On Feb 11, 5:15*pm, Gregg wrote:
On Feb 11, 12:15*am, bpnjensen wrote:





On Feb 10, 8:55*pm, wrote:

On Feb 10, 10:56*pm, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:

On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
* * *I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

* * May be where I got the idea.

* * It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. *I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

* *In boating...they call it *'2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

* *No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

* *If you're figuring 7 amps, within a year, you'll be looking for 2
more amps.

* *Think future growth.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

* * * * * * * * * * Absolutely! I always expect to have a safe
operating environment, and a bigger power supply is a must, not an
overkill. In industrial installations, which run around the clock,
p.s. are mandatory to be much heftier than what seems necessary to
handle the usual load, so nothing terrible could possibly occur in the
worth case scenario. At home I played with 12V gell cells for awhile,
and was planning to acquire a deep discharge cycle battery from Sears,
eventually. *By the way Pyramid's p.s.current rating cannot be
trusted.The 7 amp claim to supply a constant *current is just not
possible at all. Their ratings (and of many,many other brands) are
based upon intermittent(!) use only. Actually, building a decent
medium size (10 -15 Amp) regulated linear p.s. is not that difficult
and parts are widely available from discarded electronics.
P.S. * Switching p.s. should be avoided by all means,if possible. Just
look how much RF the new florescent bulbs are causing lately.

Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. *One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). *All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. *This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. *I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee. *Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.
You guys and some research *have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)

Bruce- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Ha! This is a good thread. FWIW - I have two Pyramids.

Gregg, How do you like them? Any reports one way or the other?

On Feb 11, 5:02*pm, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 11, 6:59 am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
Hi, folks - If you please, I am looking for recommendations for a PS
that will provide the usual 12 or 13.8v, about 5 - 7 amps be plenty.
Love to get rid of the myriad 500 ma wall-warts. *I'd rather not have
it be too expensive, but it would be nice if it didn't send spikes,
blow up or cause hash or electrical hum. *Any thoughts? *There is a
plethora of manufacturers and models, reviews are all over the place,
I have no idea which ones are OK. *Pyramid makes a 5-amp job that
would be great, if it's any good. *I also see Radio Shack PSs at about
twice that current. *Would a switching PS be better?
Thanks in advance ~
Bruce Jensen
I use an Astron switch mode supply. *It makes no noise. *It makes no
heat. *Linear supplies waste electricity.

No hash or other electrical noise artifacts?

None that I've noticed. *These are specifically sold for Amateur Radio.
* From what I've heard the Astrons and the MFJs are both electrically quiet.

Thanks - interesting. I'll look into those too.

On 2/11/10 19:15 , Gregg wrote:
On Feb 11, 12:15 am, wrote:
On Feb 10, 8:55 pm, wrote:





On Feb 10, 10:56 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:

On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

May be where I got the idea.

It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

In boating...they call it '2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

If you're figuring 7 amps, within a year, you'll be looking for 2
more amps.

Think future growth.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Absolutely! I always expect to have a safe
operating environment, and a bigger power supply is a must, not an
overkill. In industrial installations, which run around the clock,
p.s. are mandatory to be much heftier than what seems necessary to
handle the usual load, so nothing terrible could possibly occur in the
worth case scenario. At home I played with 12V gell cells for awhile,
and was planning to acquire a deep discharge cycle battery from Sears,
eventually. By the way Pyramid's p.s.current rating cannot be
trusted.The 7 amp claim to supply a constant current is just not
possible at all. Their ratings (and of many,many other brands) are
based upon intermittent(!) use only. Actually, building a decent
medium size (10 -15 Amp) regulated linear p.s. is not that difficult
and parts are widely available from discarded electronics.
P.S. Switching p.s. should be avoided by all means,if possible. Just
look how much RF the new florescent bulbs are causing lately.

Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee. Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.
You guys and some research have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)

Bruce- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Ha! This is a good thread.


Oh, well, then it will have to stop, at once.


FWIW - I have two Pyramids.


Which models?

bpnjensen wrote:


None that I've noticed. These are specifically sold for Amateur Radio.
From what I've heard the Astrons and the MFJs are both electrically quiet.

Thanks - interesting. I'll look into those too.

Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

On Feb 12, 5:16*am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:

None that I've noticed. *These are specifically sold for Amateur Radio.
* *From what I've heard the Astrons and the MFJs are both electrically quiet.

Thanks - interesting. *I'll look into those too.

Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.

On 2/12/10 10:13 , bpnjensen wrote:

Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.


I did some research into the Pyramid supplies. As I said earlier,
they were not built for continuous service. Apparently, at any load.
Shame, too. With modification, they can be a pretty decent supply.

Apparently Pyramid has been taking design tips for ICOM.

On Feb 12, 8:29*am, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:
On 2/12/10 10:13 , bpnjensen wrote:



Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! *But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.

* *I did some research into the Pyramid supplies. As I said earlier,
they were not built for continuous service. Apparently, at any load.
Shame, too. With modification, they can be a pretty decent supply.

* *Apparently Pyramid has been taking design tips for ICOM.

* *

My Icom R75 has been working flawlessly for many years :-)

Bob Dobbs wrote:

bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 12, 5:16 am, dave wrote:


Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.

Only a couple complaints w/Astrons:
1 - They seem to run hot (to the touch) in the summer,
but an external fan alleviates that just fine.
2 - The internal light in the illuminated power switch is very touchy,
sometimes failing to even come on after awhile.

Otherwise Astrons are long lived hard working units,
generally regarded as well worth their initial cost.
That's why they are so commonly found in repeater vaults.

If I recall correctly that's exactly where my RS-50M went, into a repeater
vault.

I used to use it when I was running 170 watts or so on 2 meters.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

On Feb 12, 8:16*am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:

None that I've noticed. *These are specifically sold for Amateur Radio.
* *From what I've heard the Astrons and the MFJs are both electrically quiet.

Thanks - interesting. *I'll look into those too.

Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

I would not use them unless it is supporting casually used gear, like
small car stereos.

bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 12, 8:29 am, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/12/10 10:13 , bpnjensen wrote:



Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.

I did some research into the Pyramid supplies. As I said earlier,
they were not built for continuous service. Apparently, at any load.
Shame, too. With modification, they can be a pretty decent supply.

Apparently Pyramid has been taking design tips for ICOM.



My Icom R75 has been working flawlessly for many years :-)

Mine runs constantly. I had it "restored" at ICOM USA a couple years
back. They replaced something in the first mixer I think, (involved
taking shielded circuitry apart-very messy). Today the radio serves as
my 24/7 30 meter autospotter.

www.pskreporter.info