The Pyramid PS14KX Power Supply works great for powering Ham Rigs!

The Need

I needed a good bench DC (Direct Current) power supply to power my Yaesu FT-1900R 2 Meter FM Transceiver. The FT-1900R is really designed for mobile operation and requires a 12 Volt, 11 Amp power supply if you want to transmit at a full 55 Watts. I only use my FT-1900R in my Radio Shack and do not go mobile with it. Originally I was using one of those automotive Jump Start battery packs to run my FT-1900R, but when running at a full 55 Watts the Jump Start battery quickly lost charge after only a half hour on a rag-chew.

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A Permanent Fix

It was time to find something more permanent. I decided that I would need to purchase a DC bench power supply that could produce at least 12Volts, 12 Amps continuous, this would give me a little "wiggle room" of 1 Amp as the specs of my transceiver indicate the max current consumption was 11 amps. I looked at a couple of web sites that specialize in amateur radio equipment and they wanted an arm and a leg for a basic regulated power supply that would meet my specification. I then decided to look on Amazon to see what they had to offer.

Finding an Inexpensive Power Supply

The cheapest regulated power supplies on Amazon are made by a company called Pyramid. I was a little skeptical of their products as I remember in the 1980s when I was a teenager Pyramid was the company that made low cost stereo equipment of dubious quality. But I decided to take a chance as a Pyramid power supply was half the price of more well known electronic manufacturers.

Linear vs Switching Power Supply

My next decision was to decide between a linear regulated Pyramid PS14KX power supply, which uses a heavy transformer to convert the line current down to the proper voltage and amperage, or a regulated switching power supply like the Pyramid PSV300 which uses a much smaller and lighter transformer but high frequency to convert the line current to the proper Voltage and Amperage.

The problem with the regulated switching power supply is that it is prone to generating a lot of RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) that may interfere with radio's operation. I chose the Pyramid PS14KX linear power supply. I was very excited, my new Pyramid PS14KX power supply arrived two days after I placed the order as I am subscribed to Amazon Prime and get two day shipping by default.

Presentation

Upon opening the package, I was immediately impressed with the construction of the Pyramid PS14KX power supply, the cabinet was well constructed, it had a fair amount of weight and it did't look "cheap". 

Testing

The first thing I did was power up the supply with no load and measure the output voltage, it was 13.7 Volts. To test the regulation, I then placed a wire-wound resistor across the output terminals to provide a load that would pull about 5 Amps, the output voltage remained at a constant 13.7 Volts. The next test I did was to connect my Yaesu FT-1900R in receive mode for a half hour then I felt the power supply enclosure and measured the output voltage, still a constant 13.7 Volts and the enclosure was barely warm. Finally, I decided to go for broke and decided to partake in a rag-chew at a full 55 Watts with my FT-1900R connected to the Pyramid power supply. After a half hour rag-chew at full 55 Watts the cabinet of the Pyramid power supply was only slightly warm to the touch and the output was still a constant 13.7 Volts.

Pyramid PS14KX Power Supply on Amazon!

PS14KX Power Supply in my Ham Shack

Here is a picture of my Pyramid PS14KX, powering my Yaesu FT-1900R2 Meter FM Transceiver, in my Radio Shack. 

Conclusion

Since those initial tests, I have used the Pyramid PS14KX power supply to power my Yaesu FT-1900R transceiver on my weekly hourly rag-chews for several months and have not had any issues with it. I definitely recommend this DC power supply.

​Here is another Amateur Radio enthusiast that gives the Pyramid PS14KX a "thumbs up"!