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write your own review of the MFJ-4245MV.
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AJ0Z
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 17, 2012 20:46
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Fan is Quiet
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just received this unit today. So far after several hours running my HF station the fan is totally silent at 3 ft away from unit in my operating position. If I put my head right near the unit I can here the fan run. and the run lamp is lit. I'll follow up after using it for a while
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W7MAG
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 8, 2012 22:13
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LOUD but works.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Works fine for me as a power supply.
In a remote radio.
Located in a garage.
If I had to sit next to this thing in my quiet shack, well,... I wouldn't.
Pros:
Supplies power as I need it.
Fairly cheap.
Nice meters.
Been reliable for many years.
Cons:
Really loud fans. Almost hair dryer-ish..
(Sounds like an RB-211 spooling up.)
Would I recommend to a friend?
As a remote base supply? Sure.
As a primary Shack supply?
Unless located in another room, no.
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KD8QDL
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 24, 2011 17:59
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Excellent Power Supply
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have had nothing but good luck with my MFJ-4245MV. The fans are simply not very loud at all. The unit I am using has the fan speed directly controlled by the voltage control knob. Therefore it is silent at low voltages and virtually silent at higher voltages. Fan noise is not an issue at all as I am powering a Yaesu-FT 900 and a Yaesu FT-1900, both at 13.8 volts. This unit has more than enough power to run my equipment, and I am happy with what I consider to be a non issue concerning fan noise. Others may disagree, but the new unit I have is effective, efficient, and more than quiet enough for my money. I would buy another without reservation.
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KD5UTC
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Rating: 0/5
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Jul 30, 2010 14:44
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MFJ CRAP
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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i have tried twice to post review of this power supply on mfj site they will not post it .well here you can get the truth about there junk .The first one i purchased from them it burned up my 2m Rig volt went threw roof and they wouldnt replace my rig then they sent me my second one after i had to pay shipping both ways the second one ....the second one wont even hold current for a little 100w 2m amp it keeps throwing over current protection alert ..What is up with that BUY BEWARE OF MFJ POWER SUPPLY!!!!!
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W9SAS
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 3, 2010 14:56
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Got earplugs?
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought one of these supplies (used) to use with battery chargers for electric R/C model boats. I was aware of the loud fan reports but didn't care since I was using it mostly outdoors. Recently I swapped some gear around and now I'm using it to power my HF rig. The power supply is fine, except that the fan noise is unbearable. Perhaps the fans in my unit were worn when I got it, but with the power supply in a closet six feet away and the door closed, fan noise is still getting into my TX audio.
I considered simply slowing down the fans with a dropping resistor, but decided against it. The schematic on the MFJ website shows a single fan but my unit has two, so MFJ must have encountered enough failures to add a second fan at some point. When they did, I'm sure they went with the cheapest fans possible. When I disassembled my unit, I found the outward-blowing fan was rated 34 cfm @ 35 dBa, while the internal fan was 16 cfm @ 32 dBa! That's pretty noisy, even for generic computer case fans.
My solution was to order two Silenx 80mm 32 cfm @ 14 dBa fans from Newegg.com, and I'll install those when they show up. They were 14 USD each, so this was not a cheap fix. Hopefully they'll provide enough ventilation while curing the noise problem- for awhile. But fans don't last forever, and they get noisier as they wear out. We'll see how long they last. At least I'll have quiet audio in the meantime.
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K6QT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 26, 2010 23:08
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Wonderful power supply (so far)
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Wonderful power supply so far. I've only owned it two days, however. One thing I don't like about MFJ is that although they warranty their products, they make you pay s/h TO AND FROM their site, which can get very expensive. I'm looking at this with a bad amp right now (they want me to send it out and a check for $12 to send it back). So keep this in mind when buying. The box says "you are being protected by MFJ's famous limited year warranty". Maybe more "infamous" than "warranty". I should also perhaps mention that this amp had another problem earlier, which I reported to the company (when switching between UHF and VHF or vice versa, sometimes a radio will lock up the relay, requiring a hard restart of the machinery), and I got a polite e-mail basically telling me to get lost. So now I have two problems with the same amp and I have to send it and pay for them to send it back, and I know a ham with the same problem as I do who had to on TOP OF THAT, pay them the $40 for repairing it that they deemed necessary, not covered by the "famous" warranty. Don't mean to dwell on another product, but I do want to let you know how they (MFJ) operate in real life when a problem develops with one of their machines.
As others have said, the photo in the description is the wrong one. The actual power supply has posts for 40 A worth of equipment, a cigarette lighter with 7 A worth of equipiment, some quick-attach plugs on the back (2 sets) for, I believe, 5 A, a voltage dial to dial in the proper voltage for whatever you are running on your power supply (e.g., to crank it up to 13.8 V). Also two meters, one for voltage, one for current to apprise you of what's going on in the case of both.
I love the PS. Seems to work very well. I've got my Yaesu FT-857D hooked up to it and works fine. I do not find the fan to be excessively loud as some do. I will be willing to bet that it's not so much a matter of all our fans on every single MFJ-4245MV being different as that each of us has a different threshhold of noise we are willing to take. I simply position my supply, so as not to be near my mic and I don't even notice it purring away. Nor does anyone I'm talking to notice it and make mention.
I'm just so glad I don't have to connect my FT-857D to a battery that needs recharging any more. I know it's hit and miss with MFJ, but hopefully I've been lucky with the 4245MV. I hope and pray I have. I was so fortunate not to have to pay full price on this item. At AES, had I ordered it over the phone, I suppose I would have paid the listed price, which was more like $200. However, I did an Internet order and got it for $150. Very nice to have a 40A PS for only $150. Dual voltage also very nice, if I take it out of the country, and I do travel to Europe occasionally. Not a monster PS either. Very nice size.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this device. I hope it goes on for years and years, as MFJ does seem to do for some people. Hope I am one of the lucky ones.
Good luck on your search and I will keep apprised of any changes or problems that come my way. E-mail me with any questions, sre.1966@gmail.com.
73 de Shon, K6QT
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W8ASA
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 18, 2010 06:32
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Very Loud Fan
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Note: The picture on the review page is of the wrong power supply.
I've had mine about two years now, and have had no problems at all with the power supply itself. I've even used it for two Field Days running off portable generators on sunny, hot days. The voltage has been very steady, and I don't get any hash at all in any of my receivers.
My fan is LOUD! I think after this Field Day (next weekend), I will put a resistor in series with the fan to slow it down. The fan runs constantly so long as the power supply is turned on, even with no load applied. I thought it was only suppose to kick on when the power supply heated up. It could be that the thermostat sensor is bad.... better to run all the time than never, I suppose.
Other than the fan noise, which is significant and bothersome, I would give this a 5/5
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W8ASA
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 5, 2010 20:19
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Noisy Fan....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this DC supply for a couple of years now, and it has worked as it should with nary a problem. I cannot detect any hash from it. My only two complaints are:
1. The fan is extremely noisy, and runs all the time, even under no load! Why is that? A quiet fan would have given this a 5 out of 5 from me.
2. The front power post covers do not come all the way off, so you can't use a ring-type connector to hook up your rig, unless you cut it open to slip over the post. Not a huge problem, but an unnecessary one.
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N5HSM
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 15, 2010 05:58
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New unit, Great
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Had a very noisily unit, they replaced it. I'm 100% happy with this one
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KB3TNZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 10, 2010 01:34
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works great !!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought this power supply used on ebay at a reasonable price.Has worked perfectly everyday for me.Even when the bulb in my antenna tuner shorted and shut down the power supply,it came back on in 5 minutes,so the protection circuit did its job.As a ham on a with limited funds I can appreciate affordable equipment,new or used.With the amp meter I can verify I am transmitting ok.
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