If you have a stationary CB radio, then you are going to need some way to power it. There are plenty of options for a 12-volt power supply for CB radio on the market. Some of them are good. Most leave a lot to be desired. Here, we want to introduce you to what we genuinely believe is the best one that money can buy; the Pyramid PS9KX.
We aren’t going to talk about the specification in too much depth here. This is because it is a 12-volt power supply. It pretty much does what it says on the tin. What we will talk about are the features that make the Pyramid PS9KX so great. This will help you to decide whether this is the right 12-volt power supply for you or not (it probably is!)
Built-in Cooling Fan
We are going to start off with this one. We know that it isn’t going to be the most important feature for many people, but you will be surprised at how handy it can come in.
We have all been in hot conditions. In fact, even when it is a bit chilly outside, it can still get really hot inside. While a 12-volt power supply will not generate that much in the way of heat, it can be quite sensitive to outside temperatures. The last thing you want is your power supply shutting down because it is too hot.
The built-in cooling fan helps to prevent this from happening. It is actually rare for a 12-volt power supply for a CB radio to have a fan built into it like this. Particularly of this power. Right away, this provides a ‘selling’ point for us, and it is actually one of the top reasons why we recommend this power supply over others on the market.
Tabletop Unit
Do note that this unit is not designed to be used inside a vehicle. It probably can be, but there is no real way in which you can hook up everything up and keep it in place. Not that it matters. You have plenty of power options inside of your vehicle already.
This product has been designed for those who want to power their CB radios within the comfort of their own home or place of business. It negates the need to have convoluted set-ups. You just plug this into a standard power supply and you should be ‘good to go’.
Some people may see the lack of ‘in-car’ design as being a negative, but we don’t. There are other options on the market if you want something easy that you can slip into your vehicle.
Converts AC Power to DC Power
We are positive that you already knew about this, but we are going to mention it anyway. This power supply will allow you to connect devices up to it in two different ways:
- Either via the terminals
- Powered by the cigarette lighter on the power supply
This means that nearly every one of your ‘in-car’ devices can be connected up to the Pyramid PS9KX. Obviously, on this page we are reviewing it as if you are connecting it up to a CB radio, but it can also be used to charge your cell phones and tablets, power radio scanners, and HAM radios. It is an incredibly versatile piece of kit. You just need to make sure that you have the right connectors handy.
The screw-type terminals found on the Pyramid PS9KX are especially handy. Very few power supplies have them, and the inclusion means that this bit of kit is going to be compatible with a lot more devices. Basically, if you have a CB radio that demands a 12-volt power supply, then PS9KX is probably going to be ‘just the ticket’.
Easy To Use
The Pyramid PS9KX is simple to use. Dead simple. Honestly, all you really need to do is plug it into your power supply and turn it on. As long as you have your devices hooked up to the PS9KX, then they should work right away. There are no knobs to twiddle about with or settings to tinker with. This is something that is really going to work right out of the box.
Built-in Safety Features
There are a couple of safety features built into the Pyramid PS9KX that ensures that it is safe to use. This not only applies to the operator of the CB radio power supply, but the gear that is hooked up to it too.
We have already talked a little bit about the cooling fan. However, you will be pleased to know that there is also short-circuit protection built into the power supply. This will automatically shut the device off if there is a short-circuit. This will help to protect that expensive CB radio that you have plugged into it.
We have seen a few reports of the fuse in the short-circuit system being a little bit over-sensitive. This wasn’t the case for us. It seemed to work fine. We can only imagine that the complaints are coming from people who are overloading the power supply. As long as you only demand the quoted voltage from the Pyramind PS9KX, then the safety features will work perfectly.
The Downsides
The manual is absolutely awful. Woefully awful.
Yes. The Pyramid PS9KX is designed to be ‘simple to use’, but it would have been handy to have more diagrams about how to connect everything up, particularly since you are playing with electronics here. Yes. There are plenty of guides online about how to use it properly and set it up, but would it really have killed Pyramid to add an extra page to their manual?
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Conclusion
If you want a quality 12-volt power supply for your CB radio, then you will struggle to find anything better than the Pyramid PS9K. At least at this price. It is fantastic, and as long as you treat it well, it should give you years and years of happy use.
