Good Morning
I will be installing a new radio in my 04 Silverado SWB 4x4 W/T soon and instead of running to the battery where I have to turn the radio off I want it to be wired up to the ignition when the key is off the radio is off and vice versa.
Anyone got any recommendations on where to go with that and what to use.
I've had some difficulty with battery problems leaving the radio on and 2 days later come out and find the truck is deader than a doornail.
Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
04 Silverado
Moderator: Queue Moderator
First of all, nice truck.
It would probably be best to find a wire under the dash that is a 12v source when the truck is turned on.
You could wire it to the switched 12v thats behind the stock radio.
What I would do is get out the ol multimeter and find a 12v source when the truck is on, and either trace it back to a distribution block, or make a splice in it for your new power wire.
It would probably be best to find a wire under the dash that is a 12v source when the truck is turned on.
You could wire it to the switched 12v thats behind the stock radio.
What I would do is get out the ol multimeter and find a 12v source when the truck is on, and either trace it back to a distribution block, or make a splice in it for your new power wire.
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racerman1cars
- Posts: 602
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:55 pm
05 Chevy install
I have an 05 Silverado ext cab Z71 and some one told me that there is a hot wire under the back seat that I could use to power my radios [ uhf X 9000] & a vhf Spectra has any body else heard this? I raised the back seat and could not find a B+ lead! Thanks
Steve Humphreys
KG4JNQ
KG4JNQ
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Racing_CHUBS
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 5:55 pm
I myself find it easier finding a swicthed +12v at the fuse panel with the ignition on, then going with tapping into the ingition harness in the steering column. Imho, you might find a spade connector on the fuse panel and its a 10 minute job, or you could tap into the harness and then something gets messed up [seeing as how its a 04 it might be possible with a newer vehicle] and spend hours trying to fix it.
I'd go with the fuse panel!
I'd go with the fuse panel!
Here is what i do on the newer vehicles so i don't have to worry about futzing anything up.
Find the ignition switched power for the car stereo, usually a 10amp fuse in most vehicles. Grab the owners manual and it will tell you which fuse it is. Get a test light and check to see that the fuse in question has power only with the ignition switch on.
Then add a fused lead with a fuse tap, come off the feed side of the fuse. To determine this pull the fuse and use your test light to find which side of the fuse slot has power when the ignition switch is on, this is the feed side.
Then use your new fused lead to switch a relay. Now since your going to be using a Yaesu 8800 (nice rig by the way) that doesn't have a second ignition sense lead you have to pass the entire radios power, so get a 30amp relay, most auto parts stores sell the nice Bosch accessory lighting relay's, and run the power cable from the Yaesu to the relay mounting location. I like to hide them up under the dash near the fuse panel, but wherever works for you. Take the ground from the Yaesu and find a good frame connection for it. Then the positive to the output of the relay, just cut the positive to the length needed to go to the relay and save the rest of the length to put on the input side of the relay and out to the battery. Make sure you have a fuse at the battery of course.
Then the fused lead you tapped off the stereo fuse goes to the relay coil, and the other side of the coil goes to ground, you can use the same grounding location you used for the radio. And there you go, ignition switched power for your Yaesu. If you were using a commercial rig, Motorola for example with an ignition sense lead then you would just put the ignition sense lead to the relay and the relay could be a lower current rating since most of them are only fused for around 3amps.
The relay serves to turn on/off power entirely to the radio in your case, which is not a problem since the Yaesu gear like many amateur rigs has a backup battery inside that saves the user settings when power is removed. And it also keeps the radio running on power directly from the battery instead of hacking into some ignition switched source. Which brings up the other reason for using a relay, it isolates the radio from the ignition switched power which will usually allow alternator noise to become a problem.
The reason i use the stereo circuit is that the radio will come on when the switch is on, but off while cranking the engine, and then back on once the engine is running, protecting the radio from any spikes, just like the factory intended with the stereo. Also, you can use the radio when the ignition switch is put into the accessory position.
The biggest issue with installing Amateur rigs, like Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, is that they include a full length zip cord for power and put a fuse in both the negative and positive lead. If you connect the negative side to a frame ground then eliminate the fuse in it. The reason for that fuse is that most of these radios come with install instructions that suggest putting both the positive and negative to the battery, the fuse in the negative lead then protects the radio in the case of a failure with the vehicles ground connection to the battery. That is if the radio is mounted to a grounded surface, because the vehicles electronics would try to pull through the radios negative lead to the battery and its grounded mount.
I usually just recommend chopping the factory fuse off on the negative lead and going direct to frame ground instead of battery. But there is times that it makes sense to go to the battery for ground instead, such as when your further trying to eliminate noise.
Find the ignition switched power for the car stereo, usually a 10amp fuse in most vehicles. Grab the owners manual and it will tell you which fuse it is. Get a test light and check to see that the fuse in question has power only with the ignition switch on.
Then add a fused lead with a fuse tap, come off the feed side of the fuse. To determine this pull the fuse and use your test light to find which side of the fuse slot has power when the ignition switch is on, this is the feed side.
Then use your new fused lead to switch a relay. Now since your going to be using a Yaesu 8800 (nice rig by the way) that doesn't have a second ignition sense lead you have to pass the entire radios power, so get a 30amp relay, most auto parts stores sell the nice Bosch accessory lighting relay's, and run the power cable from the Yaesu to the relay mounting location. I like to hide them up under the dash near the fuse panel, but wherever works for you. Take the ground from the Yaesu and find a good frame connection for it. Then the positive to the output of the relay, just cut the positive to the length needed to go to the relay and save the rest of the length to put on the input side of the relay and out to the battery. Make sure you have a fuse at the battery of course.
Then the fused lead you tapped off the stereo fuse goes to the relay coil, and the other side of the coil goes to ground, you can use the same grounding location you used for the radio. And there you go, ignition switched power for your Yaesu. If you were using a commercial rig, Motorola for example with an ignition sense lead then you would just put the ignition sense lead to the relay and the relay could be a lower current rating since most of them are only fused for around 3amps.
The relay serves to turn on/off power entirely to the radio in your case, which is not a problem since the Yaesu gear like many amateur rigs has a backup battery inside that saves the user settings when power is removed. And it also keeps the radio running on power directly from the battery instead of hacking into some ignition switched source. Which brings up the other reason for using a relay, it isolates the radio from the ignition switched power which will usually allow alternator noise to become a problem.
The reason i use the stereo circuit is that the radio will come on when the switch is on, but off while cranking the engine, and then back on once the engine is running, protecting the radio from any spikes, just like the factory intended with the stereo. Also, you can use the radio when the ignition switch is put into the accessory position.
The biggest issue with installing Amateur rigs, like Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, is that they include a full length zip cord for power and put a fuse in both the negative and positive lead. If you connect the negative side to a frame ground then eliminate the fuse in it. The reason for that fuse is that most of these radios come with install instructions that suggest putting both the positive and negative to the battery, the fuse in the negative lead then protects the radio in the case of a failure with the vehicles ground connection to the battery. That is if the radio is mounted to a grounded surface, because the vehicles electronics would try to pull through the radios negative lead to the battery and its grounded mount.
I usually just recommend chopping the factory fuse off on the negative lead and going direct to frame ground instead of battery. But there is times that it makes sense to go to the battery for ground instead, such as when your further trying to eliminate noise.
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"I Reject Your Reality And Substitute My Own!" - Adam Savage
I concur wholeheartedly. The accessory harness fuse panel should NEVER be the primary source of voltage for a transceiver. Ham radios are notorious for being susceptible to noise compared to the high priced spread, and if the radio manufacturer thought it was OK, that method would have appeared in the radio's installation instructions.
Vehicle accessory harnesses are full of all the electronic noises generated by the vehicle's electrical system, not to mention the fact that there is a measurable voltage loss on the harness compared to the positive battery terminal. The battery is the best filter capacitor available anywhere with the exception of an auxiliary battery which will provide additional filtering if you connect the radio to it. Use the fuse panel source only as a switching voltage to actuate a relay. And to reiterate, lose the NEG side fuse if you connect that lead to anything but the battery directly.
Vehicle accessory harnesses are full of all the electronic noises generated by the vehicle's electrical system, not to mention the fact that there is a measurable voltage loss on the harness compared to the positive battery terminal. The battery is the best filter capacitor available anywhere with the exception of an auxiliary battery which will provide additional filtering if you connect the radio to it. Use the fuse panel source only as a switching voltage to actuate a relay. And to reiterate, lose the NEG side fuse if you connect that lead to anything but the battery directly.
curmudgeon.....and I like it.
So the battery is still then best place to draw power for radios on new vehicles?
I have a 06 Silverado 4X4 and I am in the beginning stages of my radio install. (Yes I am going to punch a hole in the roof for a nmo mount
) I was planning on connecting right to the battery both positive and negative. I don't like messing around with iginition wiring and such as I am afraid I am going to screw up some sensor or something.
I have a 06 Silverado 4X4 and I am in the beginning stages of my radio install. (Yes I am going to punch a hole in the roof for a nmo mount
) I was planning on connecting right to the battery both positive and negative. I don't like messing around with iginition wiring and such as I am afraid I am going to screw up some sensor or something.
Thanks Apco. Should I take out the fuse in the negative lead? And also for the life of me I can not see where the bleep the wires come in through the fire wall.apco25 wrote:Ground to a solid frame connection point. No need to go to the battery negative terminal.
You won't have a problem taping a circuit for ignition control. All you need it to do is power a relay to switch your higher current wires.
Sorry to hijack the thread but I really didn't see the need to start a new one.
