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Reviews For: Astron SS-25/M

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : Astron SS-25/M
Reviews: 24MSRP: 131.60
Description:
25 Amp Switching Power Supply
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00243.8
ZS6BK Rating: 2021-04-18
Hope it stays good! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Dug the SS-25 out of my 'stash'. Last used about 6 years ago in a remote location. No meters version, bought in USA circa 2000.

Plugged in and connected, works well. Powering an IC-7300, IC-2200H, IC-703. But, not all at once! Fan does come on, but not annoying, at least to me.

Reason for doing this was to try and eliminate the 'always on' fan noise from the much larger 30A switch mode supply with all extras which I have had in use for some years.

Only negative (so far) are the connectors on the back of the PSU. A bit of a 'spaghetti' junction! Should be able to address this issue. The relative quiet compared to previous PSU is welcome! Hope it lasts......
W0AZ Rating: 2020-08-07
Great, compact power supply Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have one of these dedicated to powering my IC-7300.

As many have noted, the connectors are not particularly robust, but that has not proven to be a problem in terms of my use.

This is my first metered power supply (I also have a couple of linear supplies: an Astron RS-12 and an RS-20). It has been interesting to see how much power a modern 100W radio actually draws (at full power, CW, the Icom draws 16 amps).

Other than the connectors, the power supply has been flawless with zero detectable hash.
K4ZNC Rating: 2020-03-21
20 years and counting Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this switching power supply for more than 20 years to power a variety of Ten Tec and Icom 100 watt rados. This unit has been on 24/7 and has provided uninterrupted service. Fan can be a bit noisy, but would buy again based on reliability.
N8VZ Rating: 2018-12-16
Good PS, horrible connectors Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got this power supply to power a few accessories in my ham shack not easily reached by my main PS. It works FB, and it produces no RF hash that I can detect. It's quiet. However, I had to conduct some "ham surgery" on my workbench and remove the horrible screw-in connectors on the back and replace them with Anderson PowerPoles. The screw-in connectors are cheaply made, and it's very easy to strip the head of the soft metal screw. I wish Astron would make a PS with PPs, like much of the competition now does. Get with it Astron!
N7AY Rating: 2017-05-07
Solid Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my SS-25 (no meters) for 2 years. Works flawlessly. I use it to run a TS-590sg and a TM-V71A. I'm very happy with it. It even got hit by an healthy arch during a lightening storm and its' protection circuitry saved it.
NW2M Rating: 2017-04-22
Noise-free, Problem-free! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owned over 12+ months. Used on Yaesu FT-857d mobile and Yaesu FTdx3000. Fully adjustable voltage pot recessed on the side. 12-14 volt adjustment with ease (mine is set to 13.8V). I own calibrated Flute meters and can attest to good meter accuracy. If they ever need adjustment, there are two pots under the cover to independently adjust the voltage and current scales. Full manuals and schematics are available on the web. I have no issues with switching power supply noise on any band and no fan noise. No ferrites needed. The terminals on the rear easily take 10AWG wire to my Power-Pole DC connector pigtail. The overall size is similar to my FT-857d and YT-100 auto tuner. Makes for a great equipment "stack" or side-by-side layout. Scratch-free rubber feet on the bottom. Well vented. Variable speed fan cooled. Standard 3-prong AC power cord. The only thing missing is a grounding terminal with a wingnut. 73, Al
KI7EST Rating: 2016-06-28
Broken meter Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought one of these to drive a Kenwood D710. Right out of the box neither the amp or volt meter worked. Lights came on but no movement.

Wrote Astron at their official email, no response. Not very confidence building, I'll probably go with a different manufacturer in the future.

Power supply seems to seems to work for now, multimeter shows a voltage as expected and handles up to 13A draw.
KK9H Rating: 2015-05-01
Nice, reliable power supply Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned this power supply for over 5 years and use it with my Elecraft K3. Since this is a switching power supply it is quite light and easy to take along when I use my K3 away from home. Over the years I have looked for signs of any interference that might have come from the SS-25, but to date I have found none. The fan rarely comes on and is fairly quiet when it does. This has been a good, reliable power supply and I have no reservation about recommending it for use with HF radios.
KD5OM Rating: 2013-10-09
Hash on 40m Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I actually don't owned this PS. It's on loan because the piece of crap-o-la MFJ supply lost it's filter caps. The only complaint I have is the RF hash on 40m abt 7.260~7.270. The noise moves around. I added a couple of ferrite core chokes to the output leads and that took care of abt half of the noise. You'd thunk a fine company like Astron would spend another 2 bits to add a little filtering. But, it is a switching PS and show me a switching PS that has no hash.
KI6JPE Rating: 2011-04-10
Small & Light / some noise from the fan on HF Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have this power supply in my shack. Being an apartment-dwelling ham I have limited space to construct my shack, so all the radio gear is on my desk in close proxmimity.

First the plusses, mainly because I've used another power supply manufacturer before (tripplite) and been very dissatisfied with rf hash from it etc. I've always, almost exclusively (save for the one other brand previously mentioned), gone with Astron.

It's small - doesn't take up much space and in my shack that's critical. Powers my gear very well. I've never felt the case become overly warm. Great performer.

Cons:

Fan noise part A. The fan on the back is so noisy that I'm probably going to retrofit it with a quieter fan, if I can find one. I'm not concerned about voiding warranty.

Fan noise part B. While some say the PS doesn't throw off any RF noise on HF - this is true while it's sitting there without the fan running, however when the fan is on (as it periodically cycles) I have heard noise on 80M that I've determined is coming from the fan itself. Looking to see if I can shield it.

If I can't resolve the noise issues (A & B) I will be replacing it with a non-switching Astron 30 or 35 amp PS and then selling the SS-25M - lightly used.