Every amateur radio station has 3 basic components: the power supply, the radio, and the antenna. Today, we will first introduce how to choose the right radio power supply for you.
Without a power supply, the radio station is a useless pile of metal and plastic, because the power supply provides power to the radio station and makes it work. If you plan to use a handheld radio, the vast majority of UHF VHF handsets use their own rechargeable batteries.
However, if you want to use a radio station in your room without a power supply, you have to buy a small DC power supply, usually with a voltage of 138V, the current is usually 3A. Now a small DC power supply** on the market is 100 500 yuan.
If you plan to use a large radio station with a higher output power in the future, you will need to purchase a large power supply. The vast majority of radio stations do not come with a power supply, so before you buy a power supply, you must read the radio station's user manual to understand the specifications of the power supply you need. A station with a maximum output power of 100W, when transmitting at full power, usually requires 138v/25a。
Don't consider buying a high-current power supply. The current required by the radio station is predetermined, not too large, not too small. In fact, we may never use high currents.
When purchasing a power supply, one potential problem must be aware of. This is why power supplies usually have two technical indicators: continuous current and intermittent current. Don't scratch your head just yet!We should pay attention to the continuous current, which indicates the total amount of current that the power supply can provide continuously.
Don't be misled by some false advertisements that claim to provide 30A power. Is the 30A mentioned here an intermittent current for a short period of time, or a continuous current for a long time?It's important to note that we need a continuous current, not an intermittent current.
It is also worth mentioning that when buying a power supply, we may find that there are two HAM-class power supplies.
The first is a linear power supply, which utilizes a high-volume transformer to convert the 220V AC voltage from the wall outlet to a lower voltage, and then to 138V DC voltage. Linear power supplies, especially high-current linear power supplies, are characterized by large size, large weight, and high cost.
The second is a switching power supply. The switching power supply is also capable of converting 220V AC to 138V DC voltage, but it does not use a large volume transformer, but uses other circuits, so compared with linear power supply, the switching power supply is small in size, small in weight, and lower**.
In fact, there are switching power supplies in desktop computers. In the field of amateur radio, switching power supplies are also gaining popularity. The disadvantage of switching power supplies is that some models generate interference signals, which we can even hear from the radio. If you decide to buy a switching power supply, be sure to choose one with the Low RFI (Low Radio Frequency Interference) logo.