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Reviews For: N8XJK 12Volt Boost Regulator

Category: Emergency/Portable Power: generators, solar, wind, thermal, etc

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Review Summary For : N8XJK 12Volt Boost Regulator
Reviews: 28MSRP: 155
Description:
This Boost Regulator was designed to supply a constant voltage to the radio or other equipment regardless of the battery voltage. The Boost Regulator is a switching power supply that regulates the output and boosts the voltage to your equipment. The increased voltage prevents distortion commonly seen on modern mobile radios. It also maintains transmit power and allows longer operation from a battery.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://stores.tgelectronics.org/Detail.bok?no=7
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00284.6
W1IVB Rating: 2007-11-11
GREAT PRODUCT AND EXCELLENT SUPPORT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The device does everything it is advertised to do. It is built like a tank with perfect soldering and what appears to be quality parts. The support is superb. I had reason to call Tim and he is more than cordial and supportive even when the problem was most probably due to my action. TG Electronics is an example of how a small vendor can compete with the large corporations successfully. Tim: Thank you for marketing this item which has solved a low battery problem here at my station.
VK2FPR Rating: 2007-11-08
Fantastic product and supplier.. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received my Super Booster only 5 days from the placement of my order... in Australia. Tim was very accommodating and responded very quickly to my e-mails answering all my queries in a very professional manner, overnight, because of the time difference between Aus and the US.

One of the questions was in regard to the fan noise of the 40A unit. I was pleasantly surprised that the fan wasn't as noisy as I expected and hardly even noticeable in RF switching mode when transmitting.

The case is very sturdy and the adjustment screws are easily accessible even if they are a bit stiff when new. (probably a good thing eh!)

Previously I used a 600W DC-AC inverter and a 20A switch mode power supply to do the same job but this is just so much neater, compact and robust in my 4x4.

I couldn't detect any interference or line noise attributable to the booster and it has in fact reduced some of my "engine" noise synonymous with an old Diesel.

I am very much looking forward to years of mobile and portable operation with this booster in series, allowing my voltage hungry FT-857D to pump out 100W EVERYWHERE I go.

Great product from a very professional supplier.. congratulations Tim and the team at TG Electronics.
KI4OFU Rating: 2007-10-26
must have for portable ops Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Even though it was a little hot at a smidgen over 14 volts when delivered, I still give this a rating of 5. What a fantastic piece of equipment! I have the original model, not the new or super models, and I just love it. It takes marginal voltage from a used-all-day battery and bumps it to a solid 13.8 volts, which means I can keep on rockin' the bands. One of my most worthwhile purchases.
KG7RS Rating: 2007-09-06
A Portable Op's Dream Come True Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Hi Folks,
I've had my N8XJK Booster for nearly a year and have used it on half a dozen outings, including ARRL Field Day 2007. It does exactly what the manufacturer says it does without fuss or bother. The booster utilizes a switching-mode power supply to add the difference between the supply voltage and desired output voltage with excellent efficiency. One great feature of this unit is the adjustable output voltage. My older IBM laptop requires at least 14VDC. I can set the booster for a 14.5VDC output and power both the transceiver and laptop from one battery while operating HF digital modes in the field. The regulation is excellent even under the relatively heavy load of a 100-watt HF transceiver and laptop PC. I've observed no more than a 0.3V drop in voltage at full current drain. Another significant feature is the T/R switching of this device. The transceiver runs in receive mode at normal battery voltage. When the unit senses RF through its built-in sample port, it instantaneously enables voltage boost to provide the higher voltage necessary to keep modern transceivers happy. Unkey, and the boost drops out returning to normal battery voltage. The die-cast aluminum housing provided with the booster is very heavy duty, capable of surviving the worst knocks and dings one can subject it to in the rigors of outdoor ops. The wrinkle-finish paint also appears to be very tough. The unit can be essentially made to order with your choice of input and output cable length. I chose short 1-foot cables with pre-installed Anderson PowerPole connectors. The unit is reasonably well assembled and quality components are used thoughout. I have experienced zero trouble with mine and would expect it to continue to perform well over the years based on the fairly high quality and robust construction.

There is one somewhat minor downside I have observed. There is indeed some switching mode noise easily heard on my HF transceiver. I first noticed the noise while operating Field Day on 40-meters. It is best described as the sound of a falling bomb (minus the final explosion)! Although we immediately knew the cause, the noise garnered some good laughs from our Field Day party for the rather realistic wartime sounds! Fortunately, it's not there all the time, but seemingly wanders onto the operating frequency, remaining for a minute or so, then wandering on. It typically appears every 4-5 minutes or so regardless of operating frequency. The amplitude was low, but certainly noticeable and somewhat annoying after the initial novelty wore off. It is far less noticeable on the higher frequency bands, as may be expected of switching mode noise. The good news is that it can be eliminated altogether if the T/R keying feature of the booster is used. The switching circuitry of the booster appears to be completely turned off until the rig is keyed to transmit. Folks, it always has amazed me that many HF ops experience no interference from switching-mode power supplies, while others swear they are completely unusable for HF work. Personally, I have noted noise from EVERY switching mode supply I've ever used, some more than others. Some I've found completely unusable for HF work, others have little or no discernable noise with the possible exception of 160-meters or the AM broadcast band. Given the tremendous benefit this battery booster provides for those of us who enjoy operating battery portable above QRP level, the little noise it does emit is perfectly acceptable. If the T/R keying feature is used, switching noise is a non-issue altogether.

This product was ordered by telephone after a brief conversation with Tim, who is the builder and distributor. Delivery was quick and without issues. Overall, a very noteworthy product that solves the substantial problem of low supply voltage that has plagued portable operators for a long time.

73, John, KG7RS
KQ4KK Rating: 2007-08-03
ROCK solid 14 VDC Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Built like a battleship part. Used it mobile, used it on Field Day. Holds any battery at 14+ VDC till it shuts down because of low battery cutoff. Got so used to it, when the alarm when off due to low battery, it surprised me. I have not run into any noise issues using on HF and VHF. When I do, I'll try the antenna sensing. It is nice that they will configure the length of the power cables with PowerPoles to your liking. This is one of those products, after you buy it, you think to yourself, I should have invented this, or I should have bought this years ago! You run off of any type of battery, you got to have one.
K9JM Rating: 2007-04-08
Chassis is like a tank Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I really liked the design concept when it appeared in QST. The QST article had many flaws in the schematic, including shorting the battery through the fuse! Most of the problems were fixed, except that the battery under voltage circuit will falsely trip way too often. This problem is easily fixed with the following modification: First Remove C21. Second: Add a capacitor (approx) 10uF >= 16V from pin 13 to pin 12 on U2, with the "+" end going to pin 13. You're done!
I have not noticed any RFI. I key the boost when transmit, making a "push to talk battery". No observed problems. The chassis provided by Tim is hefty and can easily take a few rounds from a 22 rifle.
K9FN Rating: 2007-04-03
Absolutely quiet!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I operate HF mobile exclusively, and I sometimes am just parked with the engine off... but without the engine running, my IC-7000 puts out only about 1/2 power... so I felt that a battery booster was essential. I tried another product that performed as advertised, but it generated so much noise, that many signals were totally masked... Then I tried the N8XJK booster, which not only allows me to run full power out while mobile when parked with the engine off... it is ABSOLUTELY QUIET... It is also built VERY well. I wish I knew about it months ago when I first started mobile operation.
VE3NFK Rating: 2007-01-21
Very happy Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.

Unit does a great job of boosting battery to 13.8 (or what you set from about 12-15V).. No discernible RF noise; and high efficiency. Compact unit. Quality components. I chose to build the kit version - I would only recommend this avenue to those who 'want' to build a kit - it is definitely not cost-effective! Kit with case is $115 and built is $130 and it takes a few hours to build with some tricky drilling and coil winding. That said, Tim was most helpful with the couple of problems I had - and I ended up with another circuit board to build a 2nd unit.
I checked out other reviews first; and had a poor experience with another vendor.
Very satisfied... 73 John VE3NFK