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Reviews For: Alinco DM-330MVT

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : Alinco DM-330MVT
Reviews: 161MSRP: 219.95 Street $169.95
Description:
Specifications: Input voltage: AC120VAC(MVT) / 220VAC(MVZ) Output voltage : 5 to 15VDC variable Output voltage variation: less than 2% Protection: short-circuit, Automatic current limiting over 32A, over-temperature Output current: 32A(max), 30A(continuous) Ripple: less than 15mVp-p at rated load Fuse: 8A Meter: single volt/current meter, back-lit Size: 175(w) x 67(h) x 165(d) mm Weight: approx. 2 Kg
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.alinco.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151614.4
AA6A Rating: 2009-10-07
5 years and still going!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a follow-up to my September 14, 2004 post. At that time my call was K6RSG.

Five years plus and the unit is still running w/o any problems. It has been powering a 200W TS-480HX for the past several years and running digimodes at nearly full kick. No audible nor electrical noise, and it doesn't run hot.

I just purchased another identical unit to use in the shack in conjunction with the pre-existing unit. This will also serve if needed for a Grab and Go unit.

Highly recommended!!

Very 73,

Rob - AA6A
(prev. AK9G, prev. K6RSG)
KC6RHE Rating: 2009-10-06
Great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this unit to replace a very old PS, I bought a used IC-756PROIII and the PS I had was not enough to power the radio. I quick drive to Hamcity and this was recommeded. Work great and I have no noise issues. runs cool and is small. freed up some space.
KJ4DU Rating: 2009-09-01
Nice Packaging Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use this mostly to power my Icom 706, have owned the supply for several years. Cool running, convenient, rugged package with nice metering.

This supply produced a lot of QRN noise on 160, 80, and 60 meters. I was always adjusting the control to try to move the interference. I finally discovered that simply grounding the case of the supply to the common earth ground used by the rest of my equipment dramatically reduced the noise. Use a 3/8" or 1/2" braid for this. There is a grounding screw on the rear of the case.

Also the unit has failed twice. Both times the problem was the same, Q10 and D9 were shorted. Q10 is a 2SA1020 PNP transistor and D9 is a small-signal diode. The symptom: unit is completely dead, no panel lights, fuse is not blown. This seems to happen at turn-on, both times mine was working fine when turned off, when I turned it on next time it was dead. If you have one of these with that symptom, its worth checking those parts.
KK5EDD Rating: 2009-06-06
Top Drawer! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've only had this about 90 days but it performs flawlessly. Does it have a fan? I haven't heard it come on. It does everything I want it to.
K9MHZ Rating: 2009-05-31
Nice item. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
"Use-ta-be...." when someone mentioned "Alinco," that was all it took to get some real groans, similar to anything related to Radio Shack. Lately though, they've been putting out some pretty good gear, and costing quite a bit less than the big three manufacturers. They've been the only company who has supported 220 MHz, and only recently has Yaesu seen the light....and Icom could care less.

OK, the power supply.....I can't speak for the strange "problems" that the two reviews below have experienced, but I can report that this power supply has been great to own, and the quality is definitely there. I'm not so sure that I'd use it in an ultra low-noise application, as is the case with any other switching power supply.....but this one works very nicely for its intended purpose, and delivers the power cleanly and it's very stable.

You'll enjoy this item.
F6EFM Rating: 2009-04-29
Great look but problems Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Look great , but .... warm up ....and problem : many quick change in output voltage putting panic into transceivers .
Problem is into jack for remote control at N.C. contact.
No need this jack ...
DG3YCC Rating: 2008-12-30
Expensive repair Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Only used it when on holidays so maximum using time in the last years might be ten weeks all in all. Yesterday the fan started getting unbearable loud! Disasembled the power supply to look for any cable or other object that might be in the way but no. Alinco charges 22 Euro for an new fan plus S&H. Thats abt. 30 USD for a china made fan! I think about buying a computer chip fan about the same size (5 USD) and modifying the power (Alincos fan needs 24 V). 30 USD for this fan is a joke! BTW: Ampere meter never showed the right current but I didn't need the meter.
KC2PJL Rating: 2008-11-26
Excellent Power Supply Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking to upgrade my home station power supply from the MFJ-4125 25A switching power supply to something that was just a bit quieter. I use a RIGrunner 4008 with an Icom 756, 2 Yaesu 7800's, and 5 scanners connected to it. The MFJ unit was fine, even on HF, in regard to switching noise. The issue was with the fan noise the MFJ made It was SO noisy. It was very hard to sit here and listen to the scanners or to try to make QSO's on either VHF/UHF/HF with all that fan noise going on.

I read a recent magazine review of the Alinco DM-330MV and was impressed by what I saw. It's a very good looking unit. I was also impressed by what I read in the magazine and then here on eHam. I bought one 7 days ago and all I can say is WOW! What a great power supply! I haven't yet had to tune out any noise with the 'Noise Offset' feature when on HF but it's nice to know I can if I need to. I also haven't used the 'Preset Power' function yet since I rely on the center-detented 13.8 volt setting. But, again, it's nice knowing that that feature is there. The combination back-lit volt/amp meter is nice. I thought I'd prefer a separate volt and amp meter but the one meter is just fine for me. I normally leave it on the Volts setting when monitoring with the scanners and switch it to the Amps setting when transmitting with either the 7800's or the 756.

Then there is the convenience of hook-ups. The MFJ has the high-power binding posts on the front of the unit and one set of spring-loaded low-power terminals on the back. I'd much prefer the binding posts on the back of the unit out of the way, and the spring-loaded terminals on the front where they are accessible for testing and temporary hook-ups. The Alinco is perfectly set up in that regard. I also like the fact that Alinco included a 2nd set of spring terminals and a cigarette lighter socket as well. It just makes the power supply that much more useful for testing and temporary hook-up use.

This unit not only runs exceedingly quiet, it runs very cool. My normal mode of operation is with 2 scanners and 1 of the 7800's on. If I'm going to do HF I shut down everything but the 756. I've had it on for 10-12 hours at a time operating like this and while it has gotten warm it has never gotten anywhere near what I would consider hot. It is also VERY quiet! Trust me, the fan does work....you'll just never hear it!

Appearance-wise the Alinco is very well laid out. All the controls are clearly labeled and have a solid feel to them.

I never thought I'd rave so much about something as basic as a power supply but this unit has really increased my enjoyment of being in my shack, and that's all that counts!
KC8ZEV Rating: 2008-09-30
The REAL "A" in power supplies!!!!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I am old school when it comes to power supplies.......linear or nothing. Let's face it, linear supplies are somewhat cumbersome and heavy.
Needing a lightweight unit, I started to look at switching supplies.......AHHHHH!!! Noisy, noise and more noise......or so I thought. Been taught by my elmer that switching supplies and HF work don't go together. And for the most part, he was right. However, upon some exhaustive research, I came accross this unit. Quiet!!!!!Quiet!!!!! Absolutely no noise on HF.

Lightweight, plenty of connections for whatever you need to power.

The cooling fan is so quiet, I had to put my ear literally on the unit to hear it.
Meter lights up, voltage is fully adjustable.

If switching noise is detected, there is a feature to move the perceived noise off of the frequency being worked. Nifty feature in my book.

Its clearly the best switching supply out there.

Hit the road Samlex and Astron, Alinco is here!!!!

73
KC8ZEV
N3TNQ Rating: 2008-09-25
Perfect for my use Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Mine arrived 2 weeks ago. Needed a new PS for the new FT-450. I wanted something smaller, but preferably with more power than my SEC (still hooked up to my TS-440). Has fit the bill perfectly so far. The fan in mine is so quiet, I had to look to see if it was running. I have had no noise issues from it either. I wish I had purchased one of these long ago.