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Reviews For: Astron SS-30/M

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : Astron SS-30/M
Reviews: 98MSRP: 120 to $160
Description:
30 Amp Switching Power Supply (SS-30M with meters) (SS-30 no meters)
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.astroncorp.com/switching-desktop
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00984
N5XJT Rating: 2022-06-19
Gotta Give It Credit Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Pros: No hash, reliable, compact size and fan is
very quiet.
Cons: Meters are incredibly inaccurate, meter lights failed early on. Rear panel connectors are terrible. For this price Astron could at least provide decent connectors.
In my shack for about 5 yrs., trouble free. In the attic powering a repeater for our club shack 24/7 for around 7 yrs., trouble free. May have some cons but gotta say it is darn sure reliable.
VE7REN Rating: 2021-09-04
good,but not the best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
update july 4th 2021 from oct 2020

i use this supply to power my shack,and even it being the respected astron brand...i also own 2 - samlex 1235 supplies, that i have compared and use in another station . i have done many A/B tests,and the samlex is the winner for quiter clean power! Astron could do a better job with the fan quality on ALL their switching supplies. overall i like it and will keep it. the LED lighting on the meters is superb! and the build quality is good also. i would buy again if the deal was right
N2UNL Rating: 2020-10-03
Perfect desktop supply Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use this with my Flex radio and is very stable and no signs of any noise on the scope. I don't pull a lot of amps as I drive my Icom amp with about 35W. Back lights are very good and no problems with the binding post as some has stated. Would purchase again.
WC2F Rating: 2020-07-13
Great power supply Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Bought this power supply to go alone my icom ic-7300 they worked great together.
ZS5J Rating: 2019-09-29
Keeps on ticking Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought two of these SS-30M power supplies new, more than 10 - 15 years ago. I still have both of them. If I were reviewing the DC connectors on the back, I would give them 0/5. However, the review is for the entire power supply, which is excellent.

I have been using multiple different Flex and Icom SDR rigs with these supplies for all of the time that I have owned them, with the ability of seeing the HF spectrum - these power supplies are RF quiet, no noise or birdies anywhere in the HF spectrum that I could see on my spectrum scope.
Regarding the DC connectors, I have never used them....at all. On purchasing my two SS-30M supplies, I immediately fitted dual power pole chassis mount connectors to both supplies, as all my DC equipment runs off of power poles. There is plenty of space on the rear right of the supplies to fit these connectors.

I would buy more of these supplies in a heartbeat. What really matters to me about a Switch mode supply is whether it is absolutely RF quiet and stable - which it is. If Astron could fit power poles to these supplies, it would be perfect. An adjustable voltage control on the front would also be nice.
N4KVE Rating: 2019-09-28
Great power supply. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this supply since they first came out. Since mine was an early model, it did come with the threaded studs like their heavier supplies that people seem to want. But a few years after mine was made, they went to the current style that nobody seems to like. I called Astron to ask about the reason for the change, & was told the 2 12 volt hot studs were too easy to short out if they touched metal. I also have newer ones with the current connectors, & have never had a problem, & they were purchased used. I don't use them for HF radios, so I can't comment about any noise that switchers may cause. I have a 30 pound Astron for that.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by N4KVE on 2012-08-05

I too have one of these units, but mine has the meters. Great PS, but I only use it for VHF/UHF radios. For HF I use the heavy RS35M, which I purchased long before Astron sold switchers. Mine is an early unit, so it came with the threaded posts & nuts on the back of the radio, which makes attaching any cable easy. However to get UL approval, Astron had to change to the small hole/small screw/plastic cover system so an accidental short couldn't happen like it can with the exposed threaded post style. Astron will gladly sell a post kit to revert back to the older non UL approved style. And yes, I did install a 100 ohm 1/2 watt resistor across the heat sensor to allow the fan to run all the time, but slower to dampen the fan noise. These units are great, & should you not like the small screw/small hole attaching system which UL requires, Astron will sell the old style/non approved kit. GARY N4KVE
WB4M Rating: 2019-09-28
Zero quality terminals Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Not really a fan of switchers but bought this for portable use. Nice big bright meters, lightweight and virtually silent operation that will run a 100 watt rig with no effort. I don't know why in the world Astron would ruin this supply with those "set screw" terminals. I had same experience as N2CYY and VE2WFB. The negative terminal screw was impossible to turn or was stripped out to begin with, so the negative post rendered the supply useless. I took both terminals off and wired in 45 amp Anderson powerpoles. Looks a little odd now but it works just fine. Astron should have a least used binding posts, banana plugs; anything but those screw terminals. If you are thinking about this supply, better be ready to replace those terminals or just find a supply with better type of terminals. Apparently this is a common issue with this model.
K1FPV Rating: 2019-09-27
I own 3 of them Working fine! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own 3 of them, and all three I've had for several years and they have given me no trouble with much success! Only 1 supply had a minor meter reading error which was corrected in a couple minutes.

I also bought an SS-50M also with no issues! They all are accurate and reliable!

Bill,
K1FPV
N2CYY Rating: 2019-09-27
Where is Q/C? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I don't actually know if the ps actually even works ... both positive & negative terminals are jammed/stripped (?) .. it is IMPOSSIBLE to turn either set screw. Very disappointed. This ps is for our EOC. Will have to return it to the distributor the town bought it from.
VE2WFB Rating: 2019-09-27
Good power supply but poor screw terminals Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this power supply a year ago with an Icom IC-7300. It seems to work perfectly except for the screw terminals. The screw often jams and if you apply minimal pressure, the head strip... I'll replace them with binding terminal posts.