I bought an Astron 20A in 1987. Sold it to a friend a year or so ago.
Zero complaints. I have an Astron 35A. Zero complaints.
These days a good switching supply should be smallest, lightest and most
cost-effective.
A power supply should give zero problems for decades.
I have decades-old Collins tube stuff that works fine and has never failed.
Companies that are allowed to advertise in QST, as has already been
mentioned, should be considered reputable.
Old line laboratory outfits like Kepco produce rock-solid products.
You get EXACTLY what you pay for.
73
H.
NQ5H

"PatW" wrote in message
m...
I have been using a Pyramid Gold PS-21K for 8 years now. In that time
it has blown the bridge rectifiers twice and just 3 months ago it went
belly up aggain. Turned out that 3 of the 4 pass transistors were
fused.
This was cheaper to buy but in the long run looks to be more expensive
for me.

I just bought a pyramid 40 amp power supply ... so far it works
good....Brian Las Vegas, NV

(Captain Crane) wrote in message ...
Im thinking about buying a Pyramid PS 46KX 35 amp power supply... How
good is this power supply. What would you recommend for a 35 amp 12v
power supply ???

Well, a lot of people reccomend Astron, but their equipment is no
better nor worse than others.

As far as a commercial built supply, I'd reccomend the GE Mastr II
Power supply -- weighs a small ton, but is built to go through world
war three and back. They're available for around $50 at hamfests or
via E-bay. Just be ready for the shipping cost, as they are around
60-70 lbs.

Motorola made a high current supply for their Micors, etc. which is
similar in weight and quality.

The things I'd look for in a NEW power supply would be --

Switching mode versus linear pass transistors. This minimizes heat
dissapation and makes for a far lighter power supply.

SCR voltage overprotection, which blows the fuse if the voltage goes
over 16v.

Adjustable current limiting or foldback. 30+ Amps can cause a lot of
damage real quick if a major short happens in your gear that a fuse
may not protect in time.

Remote voltage sensing. By using another pair of wires connected to
your power plug at the radio, the regulator compensates for the
voltage drop in the primary leads. Very handy if you have power leads
in excess of 3-4 feet.

Gary Hildebrand WA7KKP
St. Joseph, MO