Mike:

Right now, I have a Pyramid PS14KX supply that is rated 12 amps continuous, 
14 amps surge.  This is the power supply that I have dedicated to the TMV7A 
and my packet station.

So, I think I'm all set, since, as you say, there often is not a need to run 
a packet set-up on high power.

I appreciate the thought, though, and still may look for an extra used 
Astron 20-amp model, just to have on hand as a back-up if nothing else.

73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Duke, K5XU" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 4:29 PM
Subject: The TMV7A


> Tom,
>
> Shop around for a used Astron 20 amp supply. They are pretty plentiful
> now with so many people going to the switching models from MFJ and
> others. Of course, if you have my luck, they all disappear as soon as
> you start looking for one.
>
> I had a 12 amp Astron model, which said it was rated for 12 amps peak.
> It would not hold my TMV7A on high power. That supply was several
> years old, and may have had a problem I didn't know about, but any rig
> I tried which ran over 30 watts output would shut it down at full
> power.
>
> A 20 amp model will run both the radio and the TNC all day. That's
> what our radio club has been using on our digipeaters for years.
>
> Of course, you can also set the TMV7A to medium power if you aren't
> trying to set a new world record for distance between you and the
> local Digipeater. Even at medium power, however, I would give the
> packet station its own power supply.
>
> MFJ sells a 25 amp switching model that is about half the size, and a
> third the weight of the Astron 20 amp traditional unit. But, the MFJ
> switching models have a fan which runs continuously. You may not want
> that extra constant noise. Personally, I think they could quieten the
> fan considerably in their supplies, and still have enough air to keep
> everything cool.
>
>
>
>
> Mike Duke, K5XU
> American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs
>
>
>