Hey Tom,

Have you considered another hobby?  I hear that basket weaving is very 
relaxing.

on your power supply - loose wire issue:  Only you can decide if you 
have reached the limit of your troubleshooting/technical skills.  Since 
you can get  a sighted ham to  look at it and you have a spare supply, 
that might be a good idea.

When in uncharted waters, it's better to stop tinkering 5 seconds too 
soon, rather than 5 seconds too late.

Good luck, Steve KW3A


On 3/7/2011 9:29 PM, tom behler wrote:
>      Oh wow, Lou!
>
> At least I don't feel alone, although my current problem with my Astron RS35
> admittedly was of my own making.
>
> One thing about this list is that it helps to know that I'm in good company,
> and have an arena for sharing what often appear to be common problems.
>
> Let us know if you can get the ailing supply fixed.
>
> Interestingly, I was talking with my wife at dinner tonight, and suggested
> that it's always good to have an extra power supply or two around, in case
> one suddenly fails.
>
> May just have to go looking for at least another used Astron at the upcoming
> local swap in about 6 or 7 weeks.
>
> 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lou Kolb"<[log in to unmask]>
> To:<[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 8:58 PM
> Subject: another astron power supply story
>
>
> As long as we're discussing power supply issues, i've just had an experience
> I never expected.  My RM-35 from Astron failed and, oddly, the problem
> seemed to be in the switch.  You'd think it would be somewhere farther along
> in the circuit.  I was on cw and started to hear an odd sound every time the
> transmitter in the k3 keyed.  Like an arcing but different in that it wasn't
> a snappy sound.  At first, I thought it was the rig but then the transformer
> in the supply started to jump occasionally, as it does when you first turn
> the supply on.  When I started to smell smoke right after that, I hastily
> signed and reached up to turn off the supply but the switch wouldn't throw.
> it moved a bit but was actually fused in place.  Later, when I came back
> down to the shack it had cooled down and was very firmly fused in place.  I
> had another, older Astron on the shelf so I hooked it up and was back on the
> air the next night.  I haven't taken the cover off of the stricken supply
> yet but it oughta be interesting.  It's not a complicated device so I expect
> to be able to fix it.  Anyone else have a similar experience?  Lou  WA3MIX
>