CB wiring thoughts

[Yogi123]

TIme to install a CB. I'm installing a udien bearcat, nothing fancy just something to have. I am leaning toward running it straight to the battery. Other ideas thoughts or lessons learned would be great. I think that will be the easiest, but that doesn't make it the best.

 

[gr8dain]

I ran mine to the fuse box and used the radio circuit so it would turn off when the key is off. I tend to kill the battery so I would definitely leave the cb on and kill it.

 

[tarry99]

TIme to install a CB. I'm installing a udien bearcat, nothing fancy just something to have. I am leaning toward running it straight to the battery. Other ideas thoughts or lessons learned would be great. I think that will be the easiest, but that doesn't make it the best.

CB radios like a clean power line & good ground.........Fuse where ever you pickup your 12 volts............and coming off a key switch is OK .....But always install an Ignition noise filter....

MSD Noise Filters 8830

 

[elwood blues]

Please don't run power straight from the battery, it's my opinion that it's a very unsafe practice. I understand that wiring things to the battery is the easy way, it's even suggested by aftermarket parts makers, the kits they supply are pre-terminated to wire straight to the battery. I just believe that that wiring things to directly to the battery is asking for trouble, either from a fire or from excessive drain on your battery.

Run it through a fuse block, or a fusible link, with a dedicated chassis ground. I used the cigar/cigarette lighter power that was already wired under the dash from the under dash fuse block.

Again, that's my 2¢...

 

[jp360cj]

Wiring the CB to the battery is no less dangerous than wiring to a fuse block. (In fact, it can be more dangerous to run higher amperage loads through a fuse block if not wired and sized correctly).

That said, I have my CB wired through a fuse/relay block in the engine bay. It's actually a power distribution center from a 90s F150 and everything I add (except for the winch) goes through it. I do have some electrical/ignition noise so I have to turn my squelch up and RF gain down. But I had the same noise when wired straight to the battery. It's not terrible and is easily tuned out, but doing so theoretically limits my range.

Seems to hit or miss on wiring to a cig lighter type socket or inside fuse panel. Most I have seen didn't have any issues (at least no worse than mine wired to the battery), but I have also seen some pick up so much noise they are unusable

 

[Lumpy Grits]

The battery acts as a continuous and level power source.
In fact-MSD tells you to attach their ign systems directly to the battery.
X2 on a filter, and run a dedicated GND from the radio chassis to the firewall.

LG

 

[elwood blues]

The battery acts as a continuous and level power source.
In fact-MSD tells you to attach their ign systems directly to the battery.
X2 on a filter, and run a dedicated GND from the radio chassis to the firewall.

LG

So do the made in China "off-road" lights you buy at Wal-Mart... if it was a good idea to wire everything to the battery why do auto manufacturers use fuse blocks?

 

[jp360cj]

So do the made in China "off-road" lights you buy at Wal-Mart... if it was a good idea to wire everything to the battery why do auto manufacturers use fuse blocks?

Manufacturing costs.

Ok, so no, it's not practical to wire every circuit directly to the battery. But from a purely electrical standpoint, that would in fact be the best way. Less failure points (i.e. connections) and in general, a better connection. In practice though, it gets annoying and cumbersome. I had a lot of accessories wired in, and the factory wiring is minimal at best, so much of it went straight to the battery. I eventually mimicked a more modern setup with a power distribution box under the hood. a single large battery cable connects it to the battery and all my added on circuit are fused and fed out. In a similar mindset, I also added a bus bar for grounding all of my additional circuits. Honestly, it's a probably the "best" compromise. I now have only 3 wires on the positive side of the batter (main + to starter solenoid, PDC, and winch).

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Sounds pretty much like what I did also.
LG

 

[Yogi123]

So in the end I did end up getting some additional 14G wire and running the CB to the battery. Once I pulled the all out of the package there was a very clearly worded warning label on the wires that said run this to the battery terminals. I ended up running the wires under the driver side carpet/seat and had the coax coming through the center console. The inline fuse sits under a hollow part of the front of the center console. All in all I am pleased with the way the install turned out. Very clean for the most part. Here is the basic concept during the install.


https://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=22766&stc=1&d=1507600763

 

[Lumpy Grits]

No joy on the link.
You should confirm SWR match of the radio to antenna as soon as possible.
Do this with engine running in an open field.
LG