[Elecraft] K3 - small power supply 110-240VAC

[Craig D. Smith]

I don't feel that you are being quite fair (or accurate) in regard to the
Gamma power supply.  It is indeed a unique design that trades off continuous
power rating vs. size and weight.  I have one, and think it is an excellent
tradeoff for its intended applications.

You definitely cannot run a 100 W transceiver in AM, FM or RTTY modes with
it - nor was that the intent.  

But for lower duty cycle modes, such as most of us use - CW and SSB - it is
excellent.  I'm not a SSB guy, but I can run my K3 with it on CW at 75W out
without the DC going below 13 V.  That makes it excellent for portable use.
I expect that it would deliver at least that much power on SSB.

<> *Gamma Research further hedges their rating by adding a footnote to their
<> spex that "Output power should be limited to 25 or 30 watts during
tune-up
<> or other prolonged key-down operation." At 13.8 VDC that means the supply
<> should not be expected to provide more than 2A continuous!
 
Not exactly.  Most transceivers are less than 50% efficient at these power
levels.  With 30 W output during tune, the input current can be up to 5A,
which is the continuous duty rating of the Gamma supply.

By the way, besides being small, the supply is quite reliable and
acoustically quiet.


          73   Craig  AC0DS