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Reviews For: Astron RS-50M

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : Astron RS-50M
Reviews: 31MSRP: 240.00
Description:
Power Supply. 13.8v nominal with volt/amp meters.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00314.6
VE7REN Rating: 2021-09-05
died after 8 days!i am not impressed thus far! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
update sep 5/ 2021- astron supplied a new board ,as well as a new chip for the existing board. problem solved with new chip,and board will be saved for spare parts. chinese components are the issue. i still rate this supply as needing help!

well,after running linears years ago,i thought it was time to go to a switcher supply,so in 2015,i made the big change . bought me some samlex 1235m and a astron ss-18,and ss-50 to run the shack,and the shop radios. all was good till covid hit,and i wanted another supply for my ever growing shack. no where could i find any stock on many of the higher amperage switchers,so i reluctantly went for the astron rs-50m that was in stock from one of the big chain stores. it arrived. i did the initial pigtail wiring and such to my powerbar. 11 amps draw,this supply ran REAL WARM! its rated for triple the draw,and i felt something may be wrong. i contacted astron,talked to fred,apparently he is the guru! we went over some things,etc. over a period of a few days i monitored the supply and all readings,things appeared ok,other than the heat developement. then,8 days later,the supply was turned on one evening after work,all appeared good,then a i applied more wattage to my radio for a local chew,the supply cut back and my powerbar started beeping! lower drive it could handle,but apply more rf power,the supply voltage meter would drop off. for a supply of this stature,and supposidly robust desighn,im highly dissapointed thus far,and wish i would have stayed with a switcher !now i have to take the supply apart,and me and a tech friend have to diagnose the issue,along with some talk to astron. i do not recomend this linear,and it will be my last. i have noticed NO noticable difference on cleanliness on the radio scope form linear to switch design!many of the parts in this supply are chinese brand,and the transformer runs very warm!
W4ABF Rating: 2021-09-05
Great PS - does the job Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I enjoy the simple design of this unit - properly sized heatsinks so no fans are required. I use it to power a Flex 6600M and a Yaesu FT 2980 with no problems detected. Voltage is consistent with running either radio and it has plenty of current to spare. It's a PS. It works all the time. What's not to like?
KF4HR Rating: 2021-03-21
Great power supplies Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've operated several VS-50M and VS-70M Astron linear power supplies for decades. Flawless operation for the most part, although after many years of use one of my Astron linear supplies did develop a minor problem, but Astron tech service took care of the issue quickly. Great folks.
KJ4EOZ Rating: 2015-05-25
great for years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I don't know why KN3E had a problem like he did . Been running my RS 50M for over 6 years with no problem . I have beat on it hard from time to time . I always buy over what I need . over kill everything last forever !! Just like my amp AL-811H I just run it at 500 watts .

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KJ4EOZ on 2009-02-08

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
N3HEE Rating: 2014-12-30
Good Supply - Repair Note Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have no real problem with this supply. Solid, quiet and reliable. Recently however it started getting hot under load and I started to smell something burning. I removed the top of the case and started checking the pass transistors. They were OK. I started checking connections and found a loose ground connection on the main filter capacitor. I tightened it up and the supply is running great again. This supply is also easy to work on.
N4NOO Rating: 2014-08-20
Very hard to beat! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had one for over 30 years. The only time it is off is when the power fails. Never turned off, never had a problem. Runs the whole shack and various outlets for experiments. You can not go wrong with this supply.
AD4BF Rating: 2013-09-26
Solid Power Supply Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is a solid power supply. No hash, no noise, just reliable. The 5 min on / 5 min off duty cycle isn't really a true 50% cycle but it hasn't presented any problems. This supply runs the whole shack, A 480HX, D710A, and a couple of random 2M and 1.25M sets. I would give it a 5 but the front voltage meter overstates the voltage. It shows 14.5vdc on the supply while my meter puts it at 13.9vdc
AA2HA Rating: 2013-06-01
Reliable Power Supply Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As I read through the reviews, it is apparent that some folks haven't read the actual specs for this, and other Astron supplies. The RS-50 is marketed as "37 Amps continuous, 50 Amps intermittent". However, it clearly states, in the paperwork, and on the rear sticker that these numbers are for "50% duty cycle". I know what you're thinking... how is continuous not continuous? Well, it is continuous at 50% duty cycle. I know what you are thinking now... But, 50% isn't continuous. No, it isn't, but an A-99 antenna isn't 9 dB gain either. (Obviously some creative marketing tools at work.) I suppose the A-99 has 9 dB gain compared to something (like a coat hanger).
When pressed for specifics, I was advised, by Astron, that 50% duty cycle is "5 minutes on, and 5 minutes off." When I inquired what the real-life, continuous current would be (such as in repeater operation) I was advised "probably more like 25 Amps."
Knowing this going in, I have my RS-50M running my repeater at just over 20 amps and it's served me well. I own two RS-35M supplies to run my 100 watt HF radios and VHF, UHF radios; they've been in service for well over 10 years without any issues.
I give a 5 rating for reliability, great tech support, and a well designed supply. But an overall 4 for marketing strategy that would have the casual user mislead. I'd like to see Astron list the real-life continuous current of their supplies so buyers could make a more informed choice for their particular application.
N7UQA Rating: 2013-03-17
Built to last Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been a big fan of Astron power supplies since 1990. I bought mine from the Portland Ham Radio Outlet along with a Kenwood TS-440SAT and MC-60A on 7/27/90. While I no longer have the radio or mic, I still have the power supply and it's been in continuous operation ever since. The neon pilot lamp in the power switch is the only thing that has stopped working.

If you are looking for a good power supply that will last for decades, you can't go wrong with Astron.
KR4BD Rating: 2013-02-07
Outstanding Value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my Astron 50-Amp, dual metered supply for nearly 20 years now. I've never had a problem with it or the two (older) 20-Amp Astron supplies I also own. This 50-Amp unit suppies power to my entire station (3 HF rigs [used one at a time, of course], VHF/UHF rigs and their amplifiers). It runs cool and quiet and there's no RF hash---anywhere. It's a very solid performer.