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| Reviews Summary for Astron RS-50M |
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Reviews: 19
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $240.00
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Description: Power Supply. 13.8v nominal with volt/amp meters.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://
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KH6TA
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 6, 2011 19:05
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I Love It, especially the lighted meters.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Aloha!
I've had Astron metered supplies for many years in 2-way radio service, cellular service and ham radio, and have never been disapointed with a one.
Have 2 new ones now, an RS-50M and a VS-70M with lighted meters, and I couldn't be more pleased.
Now that I'm retiring soon, these 2 Astron supplies may well outlast me. I also have an "old" RS-35M that is maybe 8 years old and still works as new, even after many field days and portable ops.
Do yourself a favor, if you need a new supply, always buy one size more than you think you need, and always make it an Astron!
Tommy KH6TA
Na'alehu, Hawaii
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K4EKG
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 4, 2011 21:29
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Built like a tank.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Where to start? First of all this thing is heavy and feels solid as a rock. I have only had it for about a month but so far so good. It has no problem supplying my HF rig and several accessories. I wanted the extra amperage as I don't like running power supplies on the edge of their limits. It gets a little warm after it's been on a while but that is expected. I like the lighted meters that Astron has started putting in them. One very minor drawback is that there is no option to turn the meter lights on and off independent from the power supply and Astron says that the bulbs cant be replaced. There is a mod to replace the bulbs or convert them to LED's floating around on the internet that looks pretty simple so it shouldn't be too difficult to fix when the bulbs eventually blow.
FYI: It is normal for the meter lights to dim or flicker when drawing current from the power supply as the lights are wired before the voltage regulation. It is also normal for the Volt meter to take a little while to read the actual voltage of the power supply as it needs some time to warm up before it is most accurate. Fred at Astron verified this when I called him.
In all, this is an excellent power supply. I got mine on sale at Gigaparts with free shipping for just a little over $200. Well worth it for a quality product.
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KE5KDT
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 15, 2010 11:39
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Very Good Power Supply
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had this unit since new in 2006. I leave it on all the time. Recently it fell offline while using my TS-480HX (40 amps). I could cycle the power and it would come back but quickly fall off again. I called Astron service and FRED was great. I didn't want to mail it because it weighs a lot. Fred slowly talked me through troubleshooting the unit. I finally found that a screw (one of two) that secures the main power leads inside on the small PC board was slightly loose but just enough that it would lightly arc and loose contact and only leave one half the power supply functioning. A quick cleaning and resecuring of the leads/screw put it back in action. I'd give it a 5 if that had not happened and feel it must have been a fluke; never the less, it was or did come loose and cause me to have a power failure during a qso. Kudos to Astron service and I do feel it is a robust supply and would buy one again in a flash.
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K8KAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 5, 2009 11:34
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Good Stuff
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I was in charge of purchasing for an electronics group and bought 5 or 6 of the RS 50's for the lab. The boys in the lab gave me hell for not getting HP or some other TOP brand. 13 years later all of the RS 50's were still going strong and never a trouble, almost everyone of the HP and other big buck supplies had been repaired or replaced. The switching type 30 and 50 amp were repaired monthly, can't say enuff about the Astron's. Top's for the money.
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W3DBB
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 5, 2009 09:47
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Can't Beat It With A Crowbar
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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And that's exactly what inadvertently happened. I accidentally touched a ground-rod connected piece of 3/4" braid to the outside case of one of the power transistors on my RS-50M, creating a miniature arc-welder in the process and blowing out one of the stud rectifiers. The affected transistor was electrically unharmed but since I partially melted it's TO-5 case I replaced it for cosmetic and reliability reasons. A new stud rectifier and it was back to life and has performed flawlessly for years now. I also purchased a RS-35M I've been kinder to but that one has the dreaded lamination noise emanating from the power transformer. The RS-50M's power transformer is dead quiet and I would buy another one if needed based on my experience. Because of the noise I have with my RS-35M I would not buy another of that particular model.
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VE7IG
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 19, 2009 06:55
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Great continuous service.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I replaced a RS35S with one of these about a year and a half ago. The RS35S had failed after about 8 years of continuous repeater duty, perhaps due to a power surge. This unit just soldiers on! A great power supply like the rest of the Astrons I have used.
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N0JL
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 11, 2009 12:07
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No problems.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I see reviews discounting this supply when they opened it and did some soldering and tightening of bolts. I do that as a matter of course with new equipment. The only thing is recent years that did not need something is my HF transceiver. Once in service, I have had no problems for years and years.
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K5ADF
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 8, 2009 20:38
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Solid performance
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have a RS-50M connected to my UHF/VHF rigs (IC821H, ID800, IC207 and peripherals and never had a problem in the 10 years I have owned it. I have a West Mountain PWRGate attached to a gelcell battery for backup in case of power outage.
I have a RS-70M that I use to power my HF station (IC756Pro) and peripherals. I have had it for ten years aolso without any problems. I had a TS690S before the ICOM.
These two power supplies are rock solid and operate continually as I seldom turn them off. I am very satisfied.
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KJ4EOZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 8, 2009 16:39
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More then I will ever need
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just got a new RS-50m I have my 706 MKIIG and my Autotuner and my FT-8800R and my FT-7800R all hooked to it . And I never use 1/2 its power .
Best of all its made in the good old USA .
Astron is the best of the best .
73s KJ4EOZ
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VE3RAW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 14, 2008 09:04
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Rock Solid
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have two Astron RS-50M Power Supply’s as well as a 20M, and am looking at a 70M. These supplies never fail, and simply keep on running.
Output is solid, with no flucuations at all.
They are built to take the punishment of day to day use. Output is clean and silent. What else could you ask.
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