Running CB and HAM external speaker outputs to car amplifier

[David Harris]

Hello all,

I am redoing the headliner in my '89 Range Rover and since the metal sunroof is sealed shut I'm thinking of using the space there to mount two car speakers into the ceiling. One of these will be for the CB and one for a HAM radio in the future. I was thinking of running a line from the external speaker outputs on the CB and HAM to separate channels on a car amplifier and then running these channels to the roof speakers for each, i.e. one channel for the CB and one for the HAM. Any reason this wouldn't work? The reason for the amp is to make them louder than the radios themselves can output. I know CB's and HAM's usually require 8 ohm speakers, but with this setup I could run standard 2 or 4 ohm speakers, no?

Thanks,

David

 

[Scoutn79]

As long as the car amp isn't running the stereo it would work fine.IMO you don't need it. I use an external speaker for my HAM and it is plenty loud. Biggest issue with the volume of the stock Ham/CB speaker is the speaker itself. If you are putting the speaker right above your head you aren't going to need it very loud. I can turn mine up loud enough to hear it around camp if I am waiting for someone to come in late.
I do not know but I would bet the ext. speaker output has more power supplied than the stock speaker.
Darrell

 

[pugslyyy]

+1

Run those external speakers directly and see how you like it. Make sure that you get external speakers powerful enough to handle the external speaker output - it will be amplified output not line output.

If you run the CB/Ham external speaker output into another amp, you run a real risk of overdriving the inputs.

 

[David Harris]

From what I've gathered the external output is only 15 Watts on the average CB or Ham. When I ran an external speaker in my CJ5 I could never hear it well.


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[pugslyyy]

15W would be a lot of audio. Checking my Cobra and Yaesu they are 4-5 Watt. I have non-amplified external speakers hooked up to them and can hear them fine though.

 

[David Harris]

15W would be a lot of audio. Checking my Cobra and Yaesu they are 4-5 Watt. I have non-amplified external speakers hooked up to them and can hear them fine though.

I'll try them without amplification first.

 

[4x4junkie]

Get good-quality "communications"-type speakers. With the 3-5 watts audio power most mobile two-way radios put out, you WILL go deaf with said speakers.

I have a speaker like this plugged into a little old Yaesu handheld (maybe a measly 300mW audio power output at best) and I can very easily hear it over the roar of my 2/3-bald mud terrains with the windows down.
http://www.amazon.com/Midland-21-40...846&sr=8-1&keywords=midland+extension+speaker

And most ham & CB gear should be able to handle 4-ohm speakers just fine. 2 ohms may be pushing it though.

 

[sargeek]

Look for "communication" speakers. General stereo speakers will sound like junk and will be difficult to hear.


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[DaveInDenver]

Definitely try a real 5" comm speaker. I like the Motorola standard issue speakers, the HSN4018 is the typical non-amplified 8 ohm speaker. Cut off the Molex and put on your own 1/8" phono plug. This speaker has come under other model numbers, HSN4021, HSN4030, HSN4031, but all I've personally used is the HSN4018. Should be like $10 give or take on eBay or at any ham swap. I wouldn't pay more than $15 for sure.

You can also find similar products from GE, Harris and Midland that are likely the same speaker inside. I have a GE that sounds the same and was $2 or something. In any case the reason they work better is they are designed to accentuate the human voice around 2KHz and really do cut through ambient noise well without being a bull horn.

If you want to increase the audio you can use the 4 ohm Motorola speakers, like the HSN4020, HSN4032 and HSN6001. This will increase the volume slightly (I can't really tell a difference but in theory). I wouldn't be too concerned with a decent radio audio amp driving it, although if you have to run it at high volume all the time I would consider an amplified speaker instead. The current increase using a 4 ohm speaker with an amplifier designed to drive 8 ohms might shorten its life over time if the design doesn't have enough heat sinking. One thing I have noticed using the 4 ohm versions is my Yaesu radios will tend to distort it with less volume.