[CQ-Contest] 12V 30A Switching Power supply recommendation?

[john at kk9a.com]

When I need a light weight power supply, I use a 30 amp Powerwerks SS-30DV.
This has worked well for me however the Rig Expert Shackmaster Power 600
looks very nice and it has a higher amperage rating.  It appears to be easy
to adjust the voltage too.  I had not seen this model before.  

I agree on watching resistance voltage drop.  Besides more TX output, higher
voltage should also give you a cleaner signal.  I use a heavier gauge wire
than Elecraft supplied to minimize voltage drop when transmitting.

John KK9A


Michael Walker va3mw wrote:

Several of us have been using the Shack Master for a few months now.  If
there is noise, it is below my noise floor.  Very classy power supply and
we had a few of the early units.

Most HF radios today run at 13.8V +/- 15%.  You really want to be on the
plus side of 13.8V, so I run it at 15V for my FLEX-6600.

For those that may not be aware of this, you want to make sure you have
really good, low impedance connections on your power cables.  Power Poles
are notorious for having some resistance but causing a huge voltage drop
(it only takes 1 ohm) and then your drive power drops.  Icom's fuse holders
are just as bad.

The simple test is to put the radio in FM at 100% power and measure of the
DC power at the back of the radio.  It should only drop a few percent at
full power.

And, as usual, a lot of other excellent advice here.

Mike va3mw