[ARC5] Power Supply Filter Question

[Robert Eleazer]

Back when I first started learning about boatanchors I read the usual ARRL material that described the classic way to build a power supply: a capacitor, an choke inductor, and a capacitor.  I soon found out how rare and expensive the required inductors were.  

I was amused last year when I rebuilt the AC power supply on a BC-348-N.  It was classic - literally right out of the Surplus Conversion Manual - using two fairly low valued high voltage caps and a pretty big inductor.  I used some new, bigger, caps when I rebuilt it but left the inductor in place.  Of course, it was also running the B+ way too high and I added some power resistors in both the AC input line and the B+ line.  Got the B+ from over 250VDC down to about 200 VDC.

Now, we have available high voltage caps that have much larger values that those 20 mfd cans we used to use and are a lot smaller as well.  But I wonder if adding some inductance to the power supply circuit would do some good?  Would winding some wire around a piece of steel or even around a nail provide better filtering than just some big caps?

Thanks,

Wayne