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Power Supply
- Thread starter KCIRREDZ
- Start date
You might get away with that if your just listening but a 5 amp will not work if your transmitting.
midlandusa.com
Turning Your MicroMobile Into GMRS Radio Home Base Station
Pricey radio base station equipment? Discover how to turn your MicroMobile into your own GMRS radio home base station in this blog from Midland Radio.
belvdr
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That's an interesting link. I ballparked a 40 watt should need around 3 amps (ish).You might get away with that if your just listening but a 5 amp will not work if your transmitting.
Turning Your MicroMobile Into GMRS Radio Home Base Station
Pricey radio base station equipment? Discover how to turn your MicroMobile into your own GMRS radio home base station in this blog from Midland Radio.
K5MPH
Member
40 watts out put I would do what Midland recommends.......
When you said in your opening post that the 12 VDC power supply was 5 amps, is the 5 amp rating continuous or intermittent? Also, what manufacturer made the amp and what is the model number? A cheap power supply may not be well regulated which further complicates the matter.
The 40 watt GMRS radio probably pulls about 3 to 4 amps at 13.8 VDC when transmitting. If the power supply can continuously supply 5 amps and be rock solid on 13.8 VDC at that load, you might be able to use it. You would be cutting it very close. If it were me, I would do two things:
1) Call Midland and get the maximum current draw while transmitting at 13.8 VDC. I could not find that value on the Midland website for that radio.
2) If the current draw is 3 to 4 amps, I would buy a good power supply that could provide at least 10 amps continuous at 13.8 VDC.
You really should not run the rig on a power supply that barely meets the continuous current draw requirement while transmitting. Let us know what Midland tells you.
Cheers! Dave K4EET
Not sure how tight the voltage thresholds are in the radio but, most likely the radio will become damaged.
Its a mobile radio which is usually installed in a vechile. In todays 12 volt vehicle's, battery is usually around 12.6 and will go up to 13.6 - 14.7 when running and anywhere between 550 to 1000 amps. The radio will take what it needs to function without doing electrical damage.
Your best bet is to get a 15 amp regulated power supply.
Midland states 13.8, 10 amp
midlandusa.com
Midland also says,
Midland offers it on their site.
midlandusa.com
Turning Your MicroMobile Into GMRS Radio Home Base Station
Pricey radio base station equipment? Discover how to turn your MicroMobile into your own GMRS radio home base station in this blog from Midland Radio.
Midland also says,
Midland offers it on their site.
DuraComm LPX-14 Power Supply
Convert your MicroMobile into a base station with the DURACOMM LPX-14 radio power supply, available from Midland Radio. This power supply is 7" wide.
midlandusa.com
belvdr
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For that price, you can get something for R&L with better specs.Midland states 13.8, 10 amp
Turning Your MicroMobile Into GMRS Radio Home Base Station
Pricey radio base station equipment? Discover how to turn your MicroMobile into your own GMRS radio home base station in this blog from Midland Radio.
Midland also says,
View attachment 151336
Crutchfield says LX 14 will run the radio.
Two things you should consider:
1) I always recommend an Astron brand power supply. I have the Astron RS-50M linear power supply that I bought back in 1982. It has been left “ON” from day 1 and powers my equipment needing 13.8 VDC without failure. That is approaching 42 years of continuous, rock solid performance!
2) Since good quality linear power supplies are fairly expensive, consider a power supply that can handle at least 3 times your current needs. That will allow for expansion of your electronic portfolio. A single larger capacity power supply will be cheaper than buying individual power supplies for your equipment.
Cheers! Dave K4EET
belvdr
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I'm not the OP. I've heard great things about Astron, but never had one. I had a JetStream that was on for 15 years without issue too. My biggest concern with anything these days are the cheap fans everyone seems to use.
Thanks for the comment. For some reason, I thought you were the OP in both of my posts. I guess I’m just getting too old with having multiple strokes this year is really getting me all confused. I’ll try to be more careful going forward. 😃
Cheers! Dave K4EET
belvdr
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Ah, no worries, and hope you're doing well.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
For a 40 watt radio, transmitting, you'd want something like a 15 amp power supply.
They are sold as "12 volts", but they usually run a 13.8. Won't hurt your radio, it'll work up to about 15 volts or a bit higher without issue.
More amperage is OK. Think of it like a gas tank on your car. You only need 2 gallons to get to work and home, but having a 20 gallon tank just gives you more capability. Other than the cost of filling that tank (or buying the larger power supply), there's not much of a drawback.
A larger power supply (more amps) can be a good investment if you plan on adding more or larger radios down the road.
Duracomm is a good brand.
Samlex is a great brand. Samlex is what Harris sends if you order their base conversion kits for their top tier radios.
I have an Astron 15 amp supply at home that runs a base radio. It's been running almost non-stop for 25 years.
There are cheaper options if your budget is restricted.
Most of my years, when electronic equipment calls for a general voltage (like12.5 volts) and a given current,
I have always added 30% to the current and see that voltage can adust up or down 10%
Your Midland at 40 watts would need minimum 15 amps. (no problems)
Mobile radios are suched designed, they can take a max of 18 volts without damage.
Below 11.5 volts, equipment becomes erratic.
13.5 to 13.8 volts is about ideal.
In my rule of thumb, I would get a supply able to produce13.6 volts with a 20 amp load.
You can get a supply that will deliver a lot more amps, but your radio only uses it 8/10 amps.
My supply is set for 13.4 volts and able to deliver 64 amps.
That will run ANY 12 volt mobile tranciever up to 250 watts without the supply shutting down.
It is running my Harris XG-100 at this moment.
Good part is cost under $40
I have always added 30% to the current and see that voltage can adust up or down 10%
Your Midland at 40 watts would need minimum 15 amps. (no problems)
Mobile radios are suched designed, they can take a max of 18 volts without damage.
Below 11.5 volts, equipment becomes erratic.
13.5 to 13.8 volts is about ideal.
In my rule of thumb, I would get a supply able to produce13.6 volts with a 20 amp load.
You can get a supply that will deliver a lot more amps, but your radio only uses it 8/10 amps.
My supply is set for 13.4 volts and able to deliver 64 amps.
That will run ANY 12 volt mobile tranciever up to 250 watts without the supply shutting down.
It is running my Harris XG-100 at this moment.
Good part is cost under $40
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Probably no damage but what will happen is the voltage will be pulled down below operating coltage.
Very hard on the supply.
Many 12v radios and devices are 13.8v nominal with a +/- 15% voltage range. ( 11.7 - 15.8 volts )
As for amps, ensure you have a source that can provide maximum draw…plus some room above that.
I use a 35 amp power supply that handles many devices simultaneously, but I only transmit on one at a time. That overhead of amps keeps all of the devices happy while I transmit.
Not enough amperage and proper voltage = very bad consequences
I believe there is a phrase for not adhering to a product manual….F-around and find out.
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Another thing to remember is most, if not all power supply manufacturers market their power supplies showing the max/peak amperage that they can handle. You want to look at what the constant draw is. Most power supplies marketed as 30 watts are only capable of 24-26 wats continuous.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
If you transmitted and the current draw exceeded the capacity of the power supply, the voltage will drop low enough that the radio will stop transmitting and shut off.
Not likely to hurt the radio or power supply, but not a good plan.
If the radio can be set to a lower transmit power level, like 5 watts, it should work just fine.
But, to use the full capability of the radio (40 watt output) you'll need a larger power supply.
