Power supply help

[Huntingdeer24]

Hey I'm jason I'm looking for help is I can run my mobile ham unit in my house.the max watts on my rig is 45w.what kind of power supply do I need to buy? As in amps wise thanks

 

[k6cpo]

My radio draws 8A on 45 watts of transmit. I would suggest a power supply of at least 12A to give yourself a little wiggle room. However, I would suggest buying a larger capacity power supply in the beginning to allow room for expansion. I use this one from Alinco. I have a 2 meter/44 mobile, a 6 meter FM mobile and an Icom 751A connected to it. The Icom draws 12A at 100W on Sideband and 16A at 100W on AM. I could probably transmit with other two radios at the same time if I had to (although I don't have enough hands) but there's plenty of power to use all three on receive at the same time. It also powers my MFJ antenna tuner and a Timewave ANC-4 noise canceller. I can also use the cigarette lighter socket to charge my cell phone...

 

[mmckenna]

15 amps should run your radio just fine at full power.
Consider any future needs when you do purchase. Upping it to a 20 amp power supply wouldn't be a bad idea if you think you might ever need to power more than one radio.

 

[Huntingdeer24]

Ok next question I have a computer power supply,it just a 12v and when I hook it up to the radio and key up it kills the power supply and I have to reset the power supply.is their anything I can do that is not to technical to make it work?

 

[jim202]

Ok next question I have a computer power supply,it just a 12v and when I hook it up to the radio and key up it kills the power supply and I have to reset the power supply.is their anything I can do that is not to technical to make it work?

Find a larger power supply.

It might be a good idea for you to look up the specs on the radio and see just how much current it pulls in transmit. Then you know you need a supply that can produce more than that amount of 12 volt, be better if it was 13.5 volt current. Some radios don't like working on that low of a voltage.

 

[robertmac]

I'm surprised this wasn't covered in courses to become licensed. Buy the biggest power supply that you can afford. As McKenna stated, consider future needs. 40A will run most HF rigs up to 200 watts. Check eham.net for power supplies that people have used.

 

[mmckenna]

Also, look at the fuse size that came with your mobile radio. It's likely 15 amps or so. Consider purchasing a power supply larger than the radio fuse size. Ideally you want the fuse to pop before dragging down the power supply.

 

[mmckenna]

Ok next question I have a computer power supply,it just a 12v and when I hook it up to the radio and key up it kills the power supply and I have to reset the power supply.is their anything I can do that is not to technical to make it work?

Your radio is pulling more power on transmit than the computer power supply can supply. In response, it's shutting down. There is no easy way to fix that. Getting the proper size power supply is the right solution.

The computer power supply would work fine if all you wanted to do was receive.

 

[bharvey2]

Jason,

I would agree with what others have said. Find the maximum current draw of your radio and find a supply with at least 25-50% higher capacity. As an aside, I have several nice switching power supplies that I'm looking to part with. If you're interested, feel free to e-mail me at kk6doq@gmail.com.

bharvey2

 

[KW4HKY]

My radio draws 8A on 45 watts of transmit. I would suggest a power supply of at least 12A to give yourself a little wiggle room. However, I would suggest buying a larger capacity power supply in the beginning to allow room for expansion. I use this one from Alinco. I have a 2 meter/44 mobile, a 6 meter FM mobile and an Icom 751A connected to it. The Icom draws 12A at 100W on Sideband and 16A at 100W on AM. I could probably transmit with other two radios at the same time if I had to (although I don't have enough hands) but there's plenty of power to use all three on receive at the same time. It also powers my MFJ antenna tuner and a Timewave ANC-4 noise canceller. I can also use the cigarette lighter socket to charge my cell phone...

I tried the Alinco you linked on the advice of HRO. I love it so much I bought another. The cigarette adapter is perfect for charging phones etc. The low power plugs are perfect for running the lights on power meters and such.
No problems pulling HF rigs.

 

[k6cpo]

I tried the Alinco you linked on the advice of HRO. I love it so much I bought another. The cigarette adapter is perfect for charging phones etc. The low power plugs are perfect for running the lights on power meters and such.
No problems pulling HF rigs.

I helped a friend build his remote station and for providing such things as hauling (I have a truck and all he had at the time was a motorcycle) labor, and expertise, he actually took me to HRO and bought me the power supply, an antenna and coax for it.

 

[k3cfc]

Power supply

I'm surprised this wasn't covered in courses to become licensed. Buy the biggest power supply that you can afford. As McKenna stated, consider future needs. 40A will run most HF rigs up to 200 watts. Check eham.net for power supplies that people have used.

It is covered but this is what happens when you memorize the answers.