Allen, yup, me either.  Quite the visual though, a transformer falling apart. That being said though, I've seen plenty fry over the years although never in an Astron.  When it came time to buy a second supply I needed something compact and light for a grab and go setup.  In fact as I think about it I did have a smaller Astron but light weight was not part of its DNA, so I picked up the switching unit. Snug and quite I've packed the grab and go pack to at least one or two Field Days.

g

I have a RS-35M that's quiet as it was the day I bought it, but I needed another supply and understand that over time the (analog) power transformer can sometimes begin it's l-o-n-g journey to death by coming apart at the seams... As described above.  If the cost of replacing the beasty xformer outweighs the wallet, consider a good switching supply.  A while back I bought one of these and it's been great:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-Amp-12-Volt-13-8V-Regulated-Radio-Power-Supply-12V-/370416560359?pt=US_Radio_Comm_Device_Power_Supplies&hash=item563e8c28e7

At the time it was rated high on eHam (not sure what it was called then) and since there's been a steady increase in good quality switching supplies, you can find good quiet units easily today.

Personally I think the analog supplies are the best and having the dual meters is icing on the cake but if it costs too much to replace the main part inside, maybe look at a good switching unit.

imho,
Glen - KE7FD

Is the length of ladder critical or required length?

Several years ago I put up an 80m loop that allowed me to work on every band from 80-10, a most excellent antenna.  Then I changed something coupled with a delay in testing and one thing lead to another then here I am years later and the loop basically stinks.  I know the right way to build a loop (Don Keith's, N4KC, basic design is where I need to get back to).  One thing I don't know is how close to a metal mast do I have to stay away from before I have to keep everything?  In the past I think I used one but in an ideal world non-metalic seems the way to go, yet I know there's lots of guys who hang their loops from towers so I think I might be overthinking this aspect of the thing.

So, I'm going back to 277 feet of wire, 450 ohm ladder to a 1:1 current balun right before I go through my copper pipe to the radio (coax feed method).

Glen - KE7FD

You might want to carry a pair of disposable wading boots too.  A couple of years ago, the sewer line erupted in the flea market area causing no small exodus caused by the "waters", a kind of a parting of the sea of people, if you follow my drift.  There's a large concession stand inside but if you carry a small back pack or book bag as some guys do, you can carry some frozen water bottles that will serve you very well as the day wears on.  Carry your wallet in your front pocket.  I've seen some guys even carry a small collapsable (tri-pod) seat though there's usually plenty of seating to rest weary bones and feet in the main auditorium.  Bring a small camera to take pictures of some of the stranger sights which folks back home would not otherwise believe; tales of lore from Hamvention!

I knew I had a picture somewhere, and just came across it...
http://ke7fd.com/pix/mobile-mount.jpg

The platform is affixed so it won't move; there are no airbags near this install and everything is easily within view and reach, without having to take the eyes off the road.  What's more, the main units were mounted in a case that could be pulled out of the Jeep in a couple of minutes.

Glen - KE7FD

I think we should all be more objective asking ourselves of any mobile installation: Does placing a radio display outside our field of view (when we take our eyes off the road) induce risk while driving? We all know we can't always just glance at the screen but often have to "look" at the screen to assimilate the information. This takes our attention and awareness away from the road and could put us, anyone in our vehicle and others on the road around us at risk if we're staring totally away from the traffic ahead of us. In my previous '04 Grand Cherokee I had both a TS-480SAT & TM-D700A head located at dash level which allowed me to never take my eyes off the road. The knobs were easily within reach and by tactile touch I could tell enough of what I was doing to not have to look at the radios. (What's more, I never had a theft break-in nor any attempted break-ins, in case someone thinks keeping the gear “down low” is a better deterrent to crime. I also carry ham radio insurance; about what most people spend on soda pop in a month covers replacement cost of my gear. My current '12 Journey has a cubby hole that allows me to remote locate an FT-7900 head (I don't run mobile HF anymore/yet). Even this cubby hole is lower than what I would like and had before. I force myself to not look at it unless I'm stopped.

I grew up in Arizona, where my father worked two jobs, one of which was the photographer for the Pinal County Sheriff's office which at times required him to photograph the aftermath of often fatal accidents. I recall on just a few occasions of being present when we would happen upon an accident that had just taken place. Though I was quite young some of those memories have stayed with me. Worse yet, I recall coming across some of the black and white photographs and slides in files he kept of his years at that job. “Disturbing” is the best single word to describe the scenes of carnage recorded by his camera; not by choice but as part of his job. If those photographs were to be compiled and published today, I would hope the images would make any viewer a safer driver. I recall one such photograph, one that he never included in his official report for fear that the victims family might be so traumatized if they saw how their loved one had died.

That is why I question the thought process that goes into some the mobile radio installations exhibited by many hams. At times the level of craftsmanship is excellent with great care and attention to detail being evident. Yet even these are a death trap if they require the driver to take his eyes off the road. This isn't a challenge to the notion of “My rights as a ham” as I'm sure some will rush to say, but what is common sense. Would any of us who are fathers or grandfathers want our children or grand children to drive under the same circumstances that we do, with dangerous distractions? It might not be the same thing as texting but if our attention, or our field of view is compromised, it can be just as deadly.  Police cruisers are chock full of all sorts of equipment but the key items are kept at eye or dash level allowing the officer to keep his/her eyes on the road. Other gear that is kept closer to the floor is typically operated only when stopped or during critical pursuits, something that is NEVER part of the Amateur menu, and we certainly are not trained as they are.

I would hope to see better thought out mobile solutions than what most Amateurs resort to. If we cause an accident while operating a radio, how will that play out on the news? WE will become the poster children for why operating any electronic device should be banned while driving, forget teenagers with their cell phones.

IMHO,

Glen - KE7FD

These are are all great responces but at this point, ask yourself this question: How close to a purist do you want to be?  For example, I use an 80m loop (273 feet diameter) aka "cloud warmer" for HF and a purist would tell you that using such an NVIS antenna will not work for DX.  Yet, I routinely operate into Europe, Cuba, the Pacific, etc using the loop all at or well below 100 watts of my basic radio with no amp.  How?  Again with the naysayer purists shouting it won't work in the background, the antenna is NOT set up in an ideal by-the-book setting.  There are trees all around it, on the northwest side of a hill, varied elevations, kinks, bends and well you get the picture.  My point is, that once you depart from the "book" and set your antenna, whatever you use, near some other object at a different elevation, angle, materials, you name it, a lot of the expectations go out the window.  This can work for or against you

I first built my loop using copperweld which worked great for many years.  Then I noticed its performance began to fail and found there were spots where the copper had worn off in places leaving only the steel wire as a conductor.  I replaced the entire 273 feet with a highly recommended stranded antenna grade insulated wire, expecting the same performance.  NOT!  It does not tune anywhere as good as the old wire did and after a couple of seasons of this, I'm ready to go back to the copperweld even with its tendency to want to recoil back into a lump.  My point here: consider your materials.

Last point:  Since it's only a 2 meter antenna, it'll be small so you can built, test, revisit the performance many times without much effort.  So build something, then if it stinks, revamp and try again.  Have fun in the process and you might be surprised how building something that doesn't quite match the book works better that something that does mirror a book design.

Don't get bogged down in other peoples details; that's for you to discover.

Glen - KE7FD

Thanks guys, it's been fun walking down memory lane.  I have a Heil element upgraded D104 that I've used with my '857 but with a different plug.  I could build an adapter but think it might be nice to get the up/down function for the '950 going.

I'm wondering: Do old mics loose any elasticity in their elements over time making newer mics better performers? 

Glen

I've read that the Yaesu MD-100A8X desk mic is a fine mic overall but when matched to the FT-950, it lacks punch,  relying heavily on the radio's equalizer to do the heavy lifting.  It seems that the MD-100A8X may in fact NOT be a good match for th radio after all.  So speaking to those '950 users out there, what mic do you find works well with your '950 and does that mic require that you need the equalizer in the radio to make up for a lot of the mic's shortcomings?

Glen - KE7FD

Thx, Dieter, that helps.  Once I get a pair of cables built, I'll be putting this and the '480 on the market as neither will fit nicely into the new vehicle.  I know it's out of character for some not to pick a car/truck/SUV around the radio but this time I choose to pick a vehicle around cost/functionality, all other constraints being secondary.

Glen - KE7FD

So Cliff, are you saying the cable is only 4 wires (2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5) with the end pins empty?  Someone siad it was fully loaded but didn't know the pinouts.  I guess I could just use a CAT5 cable then, right?

Glen

The SUV that my gear is was normally in was totaled; fortunately, none of the gear was in it at the time.  That being said though, I do not have the control head cable for the 480: the cable that goes between the radio and the head. Does anyone have the pin-to-pin connection for the RJ12 (6 pins) at each end?  I have a crimping tool, cables and the connectors.

Glen - KE7FD

The SUV that my gear is was normally in was totaled; fortunately, none of the gear was in it at the time.  That being said though, I do not have the control head cable for the 'D700: the cable that goes between the radio and the head.  I see that the jack on the head is an RJ11 (4 pins) but the jack on the radio is an RJ12 (6 pins).  Does anyone have the pin-to-pin connection for this?  I have a crimping tool, cables and the connectors.

Glen - KE7FD

I know tis is similar to a question I posted a while back but due to a recent event (my mobile being totaled, not by me, however...), I'm thinking of putting a stand alone APRS radio (already have) in my [new] vehicle while using a dual band radio for normal use.  Why? Have you seen what APRS enabled (TNC) mobiles are going for? YIKES!  So, an over the counter dual band radio makes more sense and the APRS unit can just sit off in the corner of the trunk doing its thing.  Here's what I need to know:

Is there an over the counter narrow bandpass filter for 144.39MHz to put on the APRS unit OR is there a filter to attenuate everything below say 144.5 MHz that can be put on the feed line of the dual band to keep it from being desensed by the APRS radio at 144.39MHz?  I know filters can be built but homebrewed amateur gear tends to be rather clunky and I need to see if there's a compact prefabbed unit.

Glen - KE7FD