Thanks to all those who offered their comments.
Apparently there are a lot of manufacturers of high current switching power
supplies. While most seem to be made for the computer/communications
market, one application I just discovered is the RV (Recreational Vehicle)
market. I am sure there are other markets/applications I have not
discovered...
There are a number of mfg's who make 50-70 amp units. The number of mfg's
who support 100 amps or more is somewhat limited, but they are available.
There are many mfg's in the USA, as well as in the Far East. The Far East
mfg's I contacted did not have distributors in the USA. For used power
supplies, there are a number of power supplies available at surplus
electronic stores, Ebay, or at ham radio flea markets.
Many people suggested paralleling a number of smaller amperage units
together to get a higher rating. A number of mfg's actually support this
and give appropriate specs - all mfg's state that if you parallel multiple
units, each power supply must be exactly the same model. Unfortunately
using multiple power supplies increases the weight, which is a critical
consideration for my particular application (DXpedition use).
Many people noted that most switching power supplies are likely to put out a
lot of RF noise, as they are not designed to be used around sensitive
receivers. One manufacturer of 12v mobile amplifiers mentioned that many
people have tried to use the Astron switchers with their amp, but have had a
lot of problems with EMI/RFI and did not recommend them for their amplifier.
(personally, I have used the 25 & 30 amp Astron switchers for my
transceivers, and never had a problem).
For DXpeditioners where each pound is critical, most of the 100 amp units
weigh in at 10-18 lbs.
Not much else to add, but below is a list of hyperlinks to various mfg's or
retailers of high amperage switching supplies. I am sure there are many
others, but these are the ones suggested by those who wrote in.
73, Kenny K2KW
http://www.mastertech-inc.com/
http://cascadeaudio.com/prod/powersupp.html
http://www.analyticsystems.com/
http://www.iotaengineering.com/
http://www.magnetek.com
www.vicr.com
http://www.etapower.com/products/
http://www.astec.com
http://www.newmartelecom.com/telecomrectifiermodules/rectifmodule2.html
http://www.lambdapower.com
http://www.toddengineering.com/conversi.htm
www.48vdc.com
http://www.smpstech.com
http://www.powersupplies.net/
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