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Reviews For: PowerWerx SS-30DV

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : PowerWerx SS-30DV
Reviews: 45MSRP: 129.95 (119.95 street price)
Description:
13.85 VDC, 25 amp continous, 30 amp surge power supply. 2 Anderson Powerpole connectors (front) and 1/4 inch binding posts (rear). Fan cooled.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.powerwerx.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00453.7
KY5G Rating: 2016-07-20
Really, really noisy! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I absolutely want to like this power supply. And I HOPE I can figure out a way to "fix" the problem.

This power supply (at least my particular unit) puts out a varying magnitude spike on the bands from 160 meters through 10 meters.

The spikes occur every 34 kHz (indicating a 17 kHz square wave switcher).

The magnitude of the spikes varies over the different bands, but invariably adjacent spikes alternate in magnitude. For example, this morning on 80 meters:

S8 - S9+5 - S8 - S9+5, etc.

On 10 meters:

About S3 - S5 - S3 - S5, etc.

I have documented this with pictures from my panadapter for anyone who wants to see them.

Hooked my K3s up to a 12 A-Hr LiFePO battery and re-checked. ALL spikes faded almost into the noise floor. MOST of the spikes completely disappeared.

Oh, SS-30DV still ON. Switched off... POOF!

All of the noted spikes are gone!

Nice little compact package, and as I said, I WANT to like it. But I simply cannot use this directly on my radio anymore.
K6CRC Rating: 2015-11-24
Good and reliable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Compact and appears to be well made. Convenient powerpoles on front. Quiet fan. No problem after several years of constant on.
KK8ZZ Rating: 2015-11-24
Never a problem Time Owned: more than 12 months.
YMMV .... but I've had two of these little buggers for 3 years... no RFI, no problems. Recently bought the updated version with the LED readout, still the same. No problems. They just sit there and work, day after day.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KK8ZZ on 2011-06-19

Quiet, clean power, small, and BIG ADVANTAGE two PowerPole connectors on the front panel! Very attractive PS, works great with my FT-950 these days... KK8ZZ
N3XF Rating: 2015-09-23
Works well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered mine from Elecraft to use with my K3. I was somewhat concerned about hash, but after a month of use, I have found none from 80 through 432. It runs effortlessly with the K3 and also with an IC9100. I have always used Astron linear supplies, but this takes up much less space and loafs along at 14.1 volts and 18 amps. My tower is about 50 feet from the shack so that helps.
K6SBA Rating: 2015-04-10
Needs Work Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I really wanted to like this supply. It is very compact and lightweight. The PowerPoles are a real plus. It seemed like the ideal supply for portable/travel use.
However, my particular unit, generated RFI up and down the spectrum from 80 through 10 meters. When I first used the supply at my home station (with antennas 100 ft. from the supply)I did not notice the problem. As soon as I used the supply in situations where the antennas were 25-30 ft. always, the noise made the supply unusable. When I substituted my Samlec 1235M, the problem went away. On the other hand, some users have noise problems with the Samlec, so the problems on any of these switching supplies may vary from unit to unit.
I do not see any signs of output filtering in the construction of the SS-30DV. If the RFI could addressed it would be a great supply.
73 de K6SBA
David in Santa Barbara, CA
KB6HRT Rating: 2015-04-10
Needs HELP! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Brought a PW SS-30DV power supplys a month ago for a project I was working on, The only radios I can use it on is my UHF / VHF stuff, hash is that bad, there must not be any filtering, not something I will use for HF or low signal work!.............kb6hrt
W9AC Rating: 2015-04-10
RFI Generator Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The vendor needs to address the RFI/EMC issues with this supply and offer a solution for units already sold and in use.

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Earlier 3-star review posted by W9AC on 2011-10-25

Pros:

- Solid, compact design;
- Uses 1/4-inch banana and PowerPole jacks;
- Supply allows for internally-adjustable output V;
- IEC AC Power Connector;
- RFI-free above 160m;
- Low cost;

Cons:

- IEC power entry connector does not use a common-mode filter like Astron SS series;
- Generates RFI in 160m band;
- Banana output jack not standard 0.75" spacing;
- Fan could be quieter under current demand.

Overall, an acceptable power supply for portable operations. 160m ops may want to look at other supplies.

In fairness to the SS-30DV, few switch-mode supples tried here are clean on 160m. Even when meeting FCC and CE compliance, switch-mode supplies should be subject to stricter EMC testing.
WB4FSR Rating: 2014-05-09
Handy But Noisy Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this unit for portable work due to its small size. It comes set for 14.1vdc output but it's easy to go inside and adjust it back to 13.8vdc if you wish. The unit has been dependable, it runs fairly cool and I haven't been bothered by fan noise.

The only complaint I have is the RFI it generates. It puts out multiple signals that run up and down the bands, 10m-160m. Two other guys in our local club have these units and suffer the same issue. Our effort to mitigate the noise has been unsuccessful thus far.

But for portable (temporary) use or for VHF/UHF FM work this is a gem of a little power supply.
KJ4NWZ Rating: 2013-10-17
Great Little SPS Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great little SPS. I've had mine almost 2 years and it's still going strong. I forgot to change the input voltage when i first got it and I couldn't figure out the hum everybody heard on my station. I took it to an old, eagle-eyed Elmer who quickly spotted the problem and flipped the switch. Problem solved! I highly recommed it.
AG6QR Rating: 2013-10-13
Small, works well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
On my unit, the voltage from the factory was set at about 14.7V. Officially, that's not adjustable, but if you're willing to void the warranty and open the supply, there's a little pot that can be tweaked -- it's the only easily accessible pot near the center of the supply, up high, on a daughterboard.

I set mine to 13.82V. When I key up my 75W transmitter, it drops to 13.78V, which seems to be reasonable regulation.

It has a variable speed cooling fan, which, in my experience, nearly always runs at low speed, even with only a receiver operating. Heavy high-power transmitting may bring the fan speed up. At low speed, the fan is audible, but not noisy.

I like the small size, high current, and the powerpoles on the front.