Which power source for CB

Applejack

Explorer
I'm going to be putting my Cobra 75 WX ST in my Taco today and was just wondering if there was one power source to tap into that is better than another? Somewhere I read/heard that if you tapped into certain ones it could cause your VSC/ABS systems to go all haywire. Any truth to this?
 

JJackson

Explorer
I currently use a 12V plug but think I might go direct to the battery itself. Do you need an inline fuse or anything?
 

KG6BWS

Explorer
go straight to the battery, i agree, it helps with some of the engine noise. and yes you do need inline fuses. i suggest one on each, pos and neg. i had a neg wire on a cb short out one time and cause all kinds of little problems. ever since, i started putting fuses on both wires.
 

proto

Adventurer
The battery, as others have suggested, is an OK source but not necessarily the best. Really, just go for what ever source is easiest to connect to. A CB radio won't draw more than an amp or two, which is fairly light in car terms. Many times, your car's fuse block will have an extra position specifically for adding extra items like this. Using that is quick and easy (and safe). Or, if there's a cigarette lighter near by, you can tap off of that circuit.

Finding a good ground for the radio might actually take more effort. If you ground to the body, make sure you scrape off any paint and screw down tight so you get solid contact. And make sure that what you ground to is actually metal, and is itself well grounded to the battery through the body or frame.

It's worth it to take a quick tour of your vehicle to check that all the ground straps are in good shape. Cleaning up ground connections -- or even adding one or two -- will let your radio work it's best, giving it higher voltage, lower noise, good counterpoise for your antenna to work off of. And, it might fix some other problems, like weak lights, poor ignition, oddball computer problems, etc.

Actually, the battery is not as clean a power source as one might think. It doesn't really filter noise well and, because of the chemistry (think of thousands of tiny bubble constantly popping) it can actually introduce some noise. If you have noise in your radios, it's often an indication of a problem somewhere else in the electrical system: poor connections, poor shielding, a diode in the alternator going bad, etc. You can pick up a power filter for a quickie fix, if you can't find the problem right away. Good luck!
 
What about getting power from an aftermarket fuse block?

I've added a BlueSea fuse block in my engine bay and was planning to run power for my Cobra 75 WXST from that. Is this better than the battery in the sense that it is one "step" removed from interference the battery may cause?

I would just tap into my cigarette lighter, but I've already got a maglight and a VHF radio charging off that circuit, do you think it's still okay to use it for the CB? It would take me 5 seconds to tap into the cigarette lighter, but would it be worth the extra time and effort to extend the CB power wires into the engine bay and hit the fuse block?

As far as grounding, would you ground to the frame under the console or tap into the ground for the cigarette lighter?

I'm a wiring and electrical novice, but I'm learning a lot through these various projects and appreciate any and all input.
 

Fulltimer

Observer
Stick to using the battery. You don't want to tap into "dirty" electricity caused by another electrical device: turn signals, fans etc. I used to work for a company that made filters to clean electricity and believe me there is a lot of signals (dirt) in most lines. The battery does not introduce noise.

Terry
 

CanuckMariner/Nomad

Love having fun 😊 in the 🌞 by the ⛵ and the ⏳
go straight to the battery, i agree, it helps with some of the engine noise. and yes you do need inline fuses. i suggest one on each, pos and neg. i had a neg wire on a cb short out one time and cause all kinds of little problems. ever since, i started putting fuses on both wires.

Only one is required and built in on the positive side.
 

CanuckMariner/Nomad

Love having fun 😊 in the 🌞 by the ⛵ and the ⏳
Having installed the exact CB, I can tell you the best is to get a ground directly form the battery or a fuse block to the battery. Positive is no problem where you get it as it is usually from or indirectly from the battery. Getting a good negative is primary.

Also do not coil any wires, positive, ground or antenna as they cause RF gain and engine noise. Only a positive fuse is require and comes with the unit.
 

KG6BWS

Explorer
Only one is required and built in on the positive side.

i know thats all thats technically required, but i use both anyways. like i said, one of my cb's shorted out on the negative side. it blew the fuse on the positive and melted the negative wire.

for the 50cents it cost for another fuse holder would you really rather burn your truck to the ground???
 

Applejack

Explorer
While I would really like to tap into a location such as the cigarette lighter, I can't get back there so I guess it's the battery for me. I spent 2 hours in my truck last night taking dash panels apart, and trying to remove the center console enough to get at it, and failed. It was two hours of extreme positions that would make a yoga instructor sweat. It was all for nothing. Dang! those Toyota engineers did not want these trucks to come apart.
 

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