ahyeuh Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I need to install a CB on my legacy for work this summer. Were am I able to get power for the radio from? I haven't had much luck searching, and i don't want to tear my dash apart just yet.. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahyeuh Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 And i forgot to mention, i drive an 01. If that makes any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Ham radio operator here for 29 years so familiar with mobile two-way installation. If this is a regular CB radio, it needs about 3Amps when transmitting, and a lot less when receiving or idle. The cigarette lighter socket should be good for about 15A so my suggestion is to put a lighter plug on the CB and do it this way. Note that this is a switched outlet so the CB will turn off when you turn off the car. Pros and cons to this of course. I find the bigger challenge is where to position the radio. If this is a temporary installation, you can mount the CB to a wooden cutting board and loop the passenger seat belt through the hole in it. Often you can position the radio/board on the floor in the passenger footwell and still get at it fine. For the antenna, you can use a magnetic mount and fish the cable through the least-used door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckYourLights Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I'd like some feedback here as well. I have a 2015. I have a Uniden 980 SSB I took out of the car I replaced with my Legacy, and I have a Uniden Pro 520 XL installed in my weekend car. EDIT. Seen your post after my post came up. That's my issue no idea where to put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Yes, finding a place is a challenge. With remote-head radios its a lot easier, but most every CB, especially good ones with SSB, are larger than a DIN radio. You can generally mount them sideways on the centre console (passenger side) and leave enough room to open glove box and not be too annoying to front seat passengers. If you are good at bending metal, you can fabricate a mount that will bolt to the seat bolts of the passenger seat and hold the radio in the best position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahyeuh Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 So there is no simple way to wire it too a power source besides the cigarette lighter socket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Why not wire it direct to the battery. 10-4 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahyeuh Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Why not wire it direct to the battery. 10-4 ? Yeah most likely will end up doing that, since there aren't any power sources i could wire into under the dash I am understanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If you decide on the battery hook up, use 6 or 8 gauge power wires in order to eliminate loss on your power demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahyeuh Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 So a buddy of mine is suggesting I tap into a fuse for power. That's how he had did it on his Jeep. What's the general opinion of doing that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I used a wire tap to add an entire auxiliary fuse panel for adding gauges, etc. Only downside would be that it requires Key ON for the addition power needs to come on. http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4800893&postcount=12 GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 There's pros and cons to all of these methods but I've used them all and they worked satisfactorily. If you can wire directly to the battery with 12AWG or bigger wire, that's the best. But like I said, the CB is only drawing about 3A so its not as critical as a high-power amateur transceiver (about 16A) or auxiliary stereo power amplifier (20-50A). You can get cheater fuse plugs to tap into that allow the use of the same fuse. Simply choose a circuit and go with it. Power seats are often a good choice as they are high current and see hardly any use. Many CBers run external power amplifiers (50W-250W) which draw much more current. For these, attachment directly to the vehicle battery is a necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormac1993 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 How you hook it up is completely based on what you need it for. Some people use a toggle switch (other than the radio's on/off) so that they can kill power easily. I personally use mine when the car's off, so I wired it to the battery directly with both negative and positive wires fused. As for mounting spots, I found out that a Uniden Pro520xl fits perfectly in the second DIN space under my stereo. I took a dremel to the cubby piece that was in there and didn't have to use any mounting hardware; it's just pressure fit into place. Makes it easy to remove when I'm messing with dash pieces. If you were savvy enough, you could make a mounting bracket and a simple faceplate out of abs plastic. This is all assuming that you have a single din radio and the '01 had space for a double din... If you go that route, get an external speaker. Just a heads up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaiTai Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 this is worth a watch. Also if your CB has PA capabilities spend another $15 so you can blues brothers the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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