In the old days, I used an Astron linear supply to run my 12V radios. Soon after I got back on the air in 2003 after a long period of inactivity, I adopted the practice of using a small regulated supply (about 10A) to float-charge a big 12V deep-cycle battery (about 110AH) that I bought at Costco for about $70. The supply regulates to 13.8V, which never overcharges the battery, so it lasts a long time and serves as a poor man's UPS. The radio runs very well, and the battery will keep it running through a power failure of moderate length. I run several accessories, a VHF rig, and the dial lights for several antenna tuners from this rig, and it's big enough to keep up with heavy contest operation as long as I have AC power. Just last fall, I replaced the battery that I bought in 2006 when I moved to CA. This time it cost $75.
This sort of setup would work just fine with one of the el-crappo computer supplies that have been described here. If it's a switching supply, be prepared to do some suppression. The PSU I use is a 10A switcher that I bought for $10 at a Chicago hamfest around 2004. I added caps across the DC line and ferrite chokes on both the DC line and the AC cable. 73, Jim Brown K9YC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
