Looking for power supply recommendations

George N1GB

I am looking for recommendations for a power supply for my (soon to be) Flex 6400.

N2TU

George,
I use Astron 35A...or the Samlex 1235M...either works fine.

73

Lou N2TU

Rick - W5FCX

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L5QU616/

TekPower TP50SW 50 Amp 13.8V Analog DC Power Supply

Using with my 6700.

Best,
Rick

George N1GB

Thanks, Lou
Are they quiet?  I have an Astron RS-50A, but it vibrates and creates an audible hum in the shack.

N0AZZ

Since my Samlex crapped out I went to a Astron SS 35M.

Tim - W4TME

I have an Astron RS-35M that is going on 20 years old and only gets turned off when there is an electrical storm or I am going to be away from my QTH for several days or more.  Other than having to tighten down the internal screws to ensure there were good grounds, I never have to service the p/s.  There are no moving parts to fail except for the meters.

George N1GB

Thanks for the link, Rick

George N1GB

Thanks, Lou
Are they quiet?  I have an Astron RS-50A, but it vibrates and creates an audible hum in the shack.

Tim - W4TME

George, open the RS-50 case and tighten every **** you can get to.  That quieted mine down.

George N1GB

Thanks, Tim
I will give that a try.

Greg K8CGS

Do you see any issues using an Alinco 30A DM-330FX. I have never used it to power a radio only accessories since my rig has a built in power supply.

Dan -- KC4GO

I prefer analog supplies to switching just removes another source of noise. Current supply Trip-lite PR-60 set to 14.0 volts.  A bit of over **** but can run all my 12 v devices with no problem.  Flex 6000 radio

David Salomon

I use an Alinco DM-330MV and a Tek-Power TP30SWII.  I have one set to 13.8v and one to 12v (I have some devices that require a stable 12v supply).  They are both switching, but I haven't had any issues with noise from either one.  They also both have the ability to shift the switching frequency so if noise is encountered, it can be moved elsewhere in the spectrum.  The things I like most about the switching supplies are the small footprint and low heat output.  Both have been running 24x7 for over 5 years with no issues.  I do run them through a filtering UPS.  If anything in the shack is going to let the magic smoke due to lightning, it will be the UPS before the power supplies (at least that's what I'm telling myself .

73 - David, AG4F

KC2QMA_John

I would have to say that overall the best 12vdc power supply value is an Astron liner supply, The 35M or 50M would be the best choice for the shack.

Although there are some very good Switching supply available none are as quiet across the HF/VHF/UHF spectrum as a Liner Power Supply.

A few reasons to choose an Astron is that they have been in business for over 40 years and have great customer service and very simple clean design, Easy to service and most important No RF Hash!

And when you just spent thousand of dollars on a state of the art SDR the last thing you want is a power supply detracting from the radios performance.

N2TU

The Astrons are like rocks! Stable, no maintenance (other than tightening the transformer nuts), and they last for ages. (I have them in my will!)....The Samlex is small, quiet and no RF hash that I am aware of. We have used the Samlex's on Palmyra, Wake and now they are on their way to Bouvet. 

73

Lou N2TU

Ernest - W4EG

ASTRON POWER SUPPLY.
They just keep on ticking and the Company has a great reputation.

Paul - K6HR

Hands down..Astron RS70A

Ned K1NJ

  RS-35M in use here at least 20 years.  Solid, reliable product.

                       Ned,  K1NJ

KC2QMA_John

If you are just running a flexradio (100W HF) then the 35 amp supply is fine, however if you run a bunch of accessories or just like the idea of extra headroom then the 50 or 70 amp might be a better choice.

George N1GB

Thanks, John
GB

KC2QMA_John

Sometimes the HUM from the transformer can indicate the filter caps are starting to get a little leaky. Other times it's just the lamination's in the transformer getting a little loose.

 The latest Astron’s have a “Soft-Start” or a Thermistor in series with the primary of the transformer to eliminate In rush current, which is why sometimes with some of the older supplies they will make a loud thump sound when you turn the power on. Also all of the new supplies with meters will now come with LED back lighting so no more burnt out lamps to replace. So Astron continues to make their products better as time goes on.

Michael Coslo

I use an Alinco  and an Astron RS-35A Both work well. The Alinco is quiet. I did some testing video and posted it on Youtube. Here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8p5WUAriBo&t=4s 

I got the Astron inexpensively from a Ham who was getting out of the hobby. It is a heavy piece of iron. Works well, but if I had to choose, it would be the Alinco.

David Decoons, wo2x

I’ve got two Astron RM-50m supplies I am going to sell. Too big for where I am installing equipment. I have an Astron SS-30m switching supply that runs the radio and auto tuner. Quiet RF-wise. Fan noise is acceptable where it is mounted. I tried an MFJ-4245mv 45 amp supply someone suggested. Fan noise was very loud. Louder than the Power Genius XL amp. There are two fans inside that are 12 volt fans tied to the output of the supply. I run the output at 14.4 volts so the supply was screaming! A fix was a 51 Ohm 2 watt resistor in series with the red lead on each fan. Air flow still keeps it cool but barely audible. One ding against the amp is the binding posts for the 45 amp connection have caps that do not unscrew all the way. This makes it impossible to use ring lugs on the power cables. Dave wo2x

KC2QMA_John

I would rather start with a supply that doesn't generate noise to begin with, the fact that you have to rotate a knob to move the noise around seems a bit silly.

I figure it this way if I just spent between $3K-$7K on an SDR I can spend a few extra on a “Clean” power supply.

Also consider that the way a Flexradio works is it is capturing the entire HF band at one time and breaking that down into slices, so If any unwanted noise gets in to the radio it will reduced the overall receive performance.

The biggest advantages of a switch mode supply is that they are light weight and small size witch for some might be important especially if you have a portable setup..

Gordon, ve7on

 The only noise free supply is a battery.  It is a lot harder to filter the 60 cycle AC in a linear supply.  I have used switchers for years and am sold on them, as long as they are good ones.  I use Samlex and Astron.  I would not trust the cheap Chinese ones.

KY6LA_Howard

I use an Astron RM-50 for each of my 12VDC Buses. I have 3 and they have been in continuous use for almost 20 years. Switching supplies ALL generate RFI somewhere. The better ones allow you to tune the RFI frequency out of the ham bands. But it’s still RFI and will get into something or beat against something. Better just not to have it. I think of Switching Supplies as giant Wall Warts.

Clay N9IO

My Astron 35A been in service 25+ years. The vibration started on day one, a small paper wedge in a strategic spot cured it on day two quiet ever since. A couple years back I added a cheap Chinese 3 digit (blue) LED voltage readout outboard for my own peace of mind. I bought an Astron 30SS about 15 years back for a backup, have never needed it.

K5CG

I use a car battery and a powergate to charge it from a Samlex supply. You don't need a 30 Amp power supply unless you're consuming 30 Amps continuous. Let the storage battery supply the high current when needed (transmitting) and fill it back up at slower rate. Runtime current (charge) is at 5 Amps.

Wouldn't you want to be able to operate when there is a power outage?

While you're at it, choose a car battery that also fits your car, and now you have a backup battery you can use in case your car's dies.

KY6LA_Howard

I should add that my 3 different Astron RM-50 Each Feed a PowerGate PG-40S to charge big AGM batteries.  Then 12V DC Buses are on the battery side and the Astrons mainly acts as a charger for the batteries.  Virtually eliminates any noise from the power supply and provides clean power to all my 12V devices.

I might add I also have a 5VDC Bus that feeds off one of the 12V DC Buses.

Andrew VK5CV

I use a very similar 30A unit that works very well.
It is a switch mode PSU with an analogue meter.
To date I have not needed to use the noise offset.
Andrew VK5CV

David-N5PSM

I use a Samelex power supply ...I did a lot of research and found that Samelex switchers ate ! certified ! low noise.........Just my preference