Better powersupply for the amateur radio setup / 2015-09-20

I got annoyed with the PC powersupply I used for the amateur radio setup, output power was dropping below reasonable values at any load. The PC power supply was supposed to be able to give me 40 Ampere at 12 Volts but I saw the 12 volts drop easily to below 10 Volts at a load of less than 10 Ampere. So, time for a better power supply. I kept an eye on any nice secondhand offers and found an Alan K205 powersupply for sale which would give me 13.8 Volts at a sustained maximum of 20 Ampere (22 Ampere peak). I made a reasonable offer which was accepted immediately and went to pick it up.

It's an old-fashioned transformer and regulator powersupply (not a switching mode powersupply), it's big and it weighs a lot. And it works like I want it, with voltage never dropping below 13 Volts even under heavy load.

Radio with new Alan K205 power supply

This also makes the Yaesu FT-857 radio work better: under 12.5 volt it will lower the output power. I notice it now runs the output fan for longer periods after transmitting.