On Feb 14, 7:15*am, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:
On 2/14/10 07:11 , Gregg wrote:





On Feb 12, 11:29 am, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/12/10 10:13 , bpnjensen wrote:

Pyramids are not especially popular with the Amateur Radio crowd:

http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/20

So I have noticed! *But the Astrons, in general, have a loyal
following.

* * I did some research into the Pyramid supplies. As I said earlier,
they were not built for continuous service. Apparently, at any load.
Shame, too. With modification, they can be a pretty decent supply.

* * Apparently Pyramid has been taking design tips for ICOM.

* *

Ah Ha then, maybe dear old former friend wasn't lying then about
modding them. He was always modding something when I was over at the
shop. *He sure wanted them back pretty bad. Tough. :-I

* *They're nice supplies. And as you pointed out, you DID work CB
off of one for a couple of years without issue. But that was
intermittent service, which is what most of these supplies are built
for.

* *Most any supply will work for most applications. It's continuous
draw that does them in. But that's not a surprise. ICOM's, like R71,
R7000, R7100 are renowned for running so damned hot that the back
panel can be too hot to touch. Even the factory recommends going in
periodically and touching up solder joints, checking components for
heat damage.

* *And ICOM"s not the only one. But that doesn't mean it's not poor
design.

* *Which CB rig were you running, and what type of antenna did you use?

Peter - Shouldn't a 5 amp output supply be fully adequate to support a
CB, even SSB, that would require a draw of maybe 2 amp at transmit?

It is true, the Icoms run hot - specifically with the R75, it is
likely the power brick, which supplies almost 50% more voltage to the
unit that it requires (near 18 volts). Another reason why I want the
external PS.

Bruce