My Samlex 1223 power supply decided to take a dump on me this morning. It didn't go completely bye-bye; it will warm up to 13.8v - but reluctantly and takes its time getting there.
So, I went looking for a new power supply.
At first, I considered the Tripp-lite 40 amp supply for $210 at a local electronics supply house. But Ham Radio Outlet was only a block away from there, so I went there to see what they had to offer. The other option is to buy online, and then wait for it to be delivered. Wasn't going to do that either, skip will be in tomorrow - I thought. Buying a power supply online would also mean paying a hefty shipping charge, as most supplies are fairly heavy. So, I put on my shoes and jumped in my car and took a short drive and shopped. It was worth it.
Ham Radio Outlet had a Diamond GZV-4000 40 amp supply for $165. Yeah, they had Antron supplies too; but for $50+ for an equivalent amperage supply. Ugh. The Diamond GZV-4000 will do that 40 amps at 100% duty cycle, which impressed me. One can adjust the voltage from 5v to 15v. It has a backlit power meter that can be switched from reading volts to amperage draw. Nice! It also has a built-in front-firing speaker; there is a jack on the back for it. There is a cigarette lighter plug and a spring loaded terminals to access power from the front of the supply as well. There is an overload protection indicator LED on the front.
Having the front access to power makes it easy for me to work on radios without having to fiddle-screw behind the supply and disconnect anything. Power directly into my work area right from the front of the supply; this works for me. Using a power pole on the back distributes power to my Icom HF rig, the 2m/440 radio, my MFJ antenna tuner, and my OmegaForce. I can turn all of them on and not have to concern myself of overtaxing the supply - even if keying up any two radios at the same time...
For $165, I consider this power supply is a real steal - and I bought one. I wanted to get a supply that had more amperage available that I would ever use at one time. Which for me is about 25 amps. At that rate, I cannot over-tax it and will run cool with room to spare. It is a quality item, as most of the Diamond products are usually decently made. The supply is actually capable of 42 amps/peak; so think about this supply before spending more on a Pyramid or Tripp-lite supply and spend more money than you really have to...
Diamond® Antenna ~ GZV4000 Switching Mode DC Power Supply
Special Features:
• Size: 8.25" x 13" x 4.5"
• Weight: 9 lbs.
• 40 Amp Continuous Rating, 100% Duty Cycle
• Variable Voltage Control 5-15 VDC
• Voltage Control Knob has center detent at 13.5 VDC
• Overload & short-circuit protection with Current Foldback at approximately 42 Amp
• Over Temperature Protection; variable speed fan automatically controlled for quiet operation
• Meter Selector allows monitoring of voltage & current
• Access to front panel DC terminals and cigarette lighter jack; standard 40A terminals on rear panel
• Built-in 8W speaker
• Circuitry yields high RFI protection from external sources
• AC line filter for EMI protection
• Standard 3-wire heavy duty line cord
• Power Indicator & Overload Indicator
• Accepts 120 VAC ± 20% 50-60 cps (Not compatible with 220V)
• Ripple & Noise less than 8 mV r.m.s.
• 1 Year Limited Warranty
So, I went looking for a new power supply.
At first, I considered the Tripp-lite 40 amp supply for $210 at a local electronics supply house. But Ham Radio Outlet was only a block away from there, so I went there to see what they had to offer. The other option is to buy online, and then wait for it to be delivered. Wasn't going to do that either, skip will be in tomorrow - I thought. Buying a power supply online would also mean paying a hefty shipping charge, as most supplies are fairly heavy. So, I put on my shoes and jumped in my car and took a short drive and shopped. It was worth it.
Ham Radio Outlet had a Diamond GZV-4000 40 amp supply for $165. Yeah, they had Antron supplies too; but for $50+ for an equivalent amperage supply. Ugh. The Diamond GZV-4000 will do that 40 amps at 100% duty cycle, which impressed me. One can adjust the voltage from 5v to 15v. It has a backlit power meter that can be switched from reading volts to amperage draw. Nice! It also has a built-in front-firing speaker; there is a jack on the back for it. There is a cigarette lighter plug and a spring loaded terminals to access power from the front of the supply as well. There is an overload protection indicator LED on the front.
Having the front access to power makes it easy for me to work on radios without having to fiddle-screw behind the supply and disconnect anything. Power directly into my work area right from the front of the supply; this works for me. Using a power pole on the back distributes power to my Icom HF rig, the 2m/440 radio, my MFJ antenna tuner, and my OmegaForce. I can turn all of them on and not have to concern myself of overtaxing the supply - even if keying up any two radios at the same time...
For $165, I consider this power supply is a real steal - and I bought one. I wanted to get a supply that had more amperage available that I would ever use at one time. Which for me is about 25 amps. At that rate, I cannot over-tax it and will run cool with room to spare. It is a quality item, as most of the Diamond products are usually decently made. The supply is actually capable of 42 amps/peak; so think about this supply before spending more on a Pyramid or Tripp-lite supply and spend more money than you really have to...
Diamond® Antenna ~ GZV4000 Switching Mode DC Power Supply
Special Features:
• Size: 8.25" x 13" x 4.5"
• Weight: 9 lbs.
• 40 Amp Continuous Rating, 100% Duty Cycle
• Variable Voltage Control 5-15 VDC
• Voltage Control Knob has center detent at 13.5 VDC
• Overload & short-circuit protection with Current Foldback at approximately 42 Amp
• Over Temperature Protection; variable speed fan automatically controlled for quiet operation
• Meter Selector allows monitoring of voltage & current
• Access to front panel DC terminals and cigarette lighter jack; standard 40A terminals on rear panel
• Built-in 8W speaker
• Circuitry yields high RFI protection from external sources
• AC line filter for EMI protection
• Standard 3-wire heavy duty line cord
• Power Indicator & Overload Indicator
• Accepts 120 VAC ± 20% 50-60 cps (Not compatible with 220V)
• Ripple & Noise less than 8 mV r.m.s.
• 1 Year Limited Warranty
