I have a 1990 Bronco with an auto tranny so when I install my CB tomorrow where do I keep my power supply from? Better yet how do I get power to the CB? DO I find a fuse source, tap into the back of the cig. lighter? What do I do? Also where have you all mouonted your CB's?

 

I had some problems with rf interference when I had the power running to the fuse box. I followed a moderators advice and ran some coax directly to the battery. Check my gallery to see where I placed mine.

-Matt

 

That's a good source and easy to get to, and it is close to where most people mount their cb's. I tapped into that lead to hard wire a triple DC outlet.

 

MatthewC is on the right track. Going to the battery will help eliminate RF interference from other electrical components. Also you should keep in mind how much you will be transmitting. This will create heat in your unit, causing extra draw, leading to wires heating up, and fuses blowing. In the Amateur Radio groups you hear of problems with stray RF from the radio causing problems with the ECM on the truck. I have had no such problems, but I may just have been lucky!

 

Straight off the battery is usually best, as n3vyk noted; however, you can still get interference. I went straight from the battery on a Ranger, and got bad interference from the windshield wiper motor, when it was on. Actually, I have had that happen on a couple of trucks. Windshield wiper motors like to interfere on cb's, I do not know why. The interference goes in waves, with the motion of the wipers.

The cigarette lighter power should be clean. I have not had any problems with it. I think it may be filtered because people plug other stuff into it. I think Bronco's are clean in and of themselves though; I just ran two amps off of the battery and it is totally quiet. I did not have to use any aftermarket or extra filters. I have "zero" noise this way.

 

why would you run coax to the battery?

 

What coax? Just the power supply line (hot lead).

 

i was refering to matthewc"s post

 

OK, sorry!

 

How would you run the power lead to the battery? The lead is not long enough. Am I missing something?

 

Do yourself a favor and run a decent gauge fused wire directly to the battery from a small fused power distribution panel. I mounted mine behind the glove box on the outside of the heater core cover. It's easy to get to (just take the glove box out to work on it) and then you have a really nice always on power source for powering additional lighter outlets, etc... If you want a switched outlet, just use the same power source, but put a relay in, hooked up to the stock radio fuse circuit.

 

get some butt connectors and some wire the same size and make the power wire longer -- feed it through firewall and out to battery and hook it to the terminals

 

OK, electrical stuff scares me a bit as I don't want to blow anything in the Bronc so I am going to need a bit more clarification on this. It sounds like a good idea but, can I get those things from a radioshack? I know what a fused wire is because the CB comes with one connected to it, however, what is a small fused power dstribution panel? Is that already in the vehicle or do I mount it myself? Where do I get one of those?

Sorry for the ignorance, but I know very little about wiring, but also am very willing to learn.

 

Sorry... Any good autoparts store should be able to help you out. What you want to do is to get some good 10 Gauge wire (red is usually a good color to remind you it's power) and an assortment of connectors. Buy an inline fuse holder rated for 20Amps. Ask for a fuse distribution block. It's basically just a small panel, 4" or so square that holds fuses. You will connect your power to one side and any accessories to the other side using 10A or 15A fuses as appropriate. It will be in the electrical accessory section.

Crimp a ring terminal to the wire to attach to the battery. Tie it off at the battery but only connect it at the end. Crimp in the fuse holder so it will be easily accessible in the engine comparment along the passenger side. Run the wire into the passenger compartment somehow. Not sure what the firewall looks like on the 90, but you can either route around the A piller and then down into the wire group going to the door and into the truck that way or maybe find a spot you can drill through the firewall. Run the wire up behind the glove box. Remove the glove box, usually by squeezing the sides in and it will clear the stops and then pull straight out. Mount the distribution panel there somewhere with some short screws. Be careful! Your heater core is behind the box there and you don't want to drill into it. It's a good 1/4" behind the panel, but again, use the shortest screw you think will hold. You only need like 1/8" to grab. Crimp another connector to the end of the red wire and attach to the common end of the fuse panel. Now run the red wire from your CB to the fused lead on the other side of the fuse panel. Some panels have a spot for a common ground point as well. If yours has a strip connecting to nothing this is it. Attach a black wire to a good piece of metal on the body. There is usually a metal bolt attaching the dash to the body right under the ashtray if I recall. Then hook the other black wire up to the common distribution or just attach another terminal end to it and attach to the metal frame. The benefit of this is you now have a point to attach more 12V accessories for always on operation. Good for adding more lighter sockets to run phone chargers, etc...

 

i mounted my cb in my '91 right to the bottom of the ashtray. and i wired it to the empty space in the fuse block, and to a ground on the firewall. i have not noticed and major RFI, except when i use the winsheild wipers, whith the squelch too low