The 8180 installed in Car 1 at Dighton Fire every once in a while has a hum when it transmits. The Chief has told me that he notices it when his cruiser sits idle and when he goes to transmit dispatch advises him that he has a loud hum, I heard it the other day when he went to clear a call. I am almost positive that whom ever wired it wired it to a keyed outlet and not directly to the battery. Reason is is when he cleared the scene the other day he noticed his volt gauge was low and the hum cleared when the voltage was up? I looked at the specs and it requires 13.0 amps to transmit.
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8180 question
- Thread starter tommed67
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mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Might be alternator noise if it only happens when the engine is running.
Check and make sure the radio power is hooked up like this:
Positive - Direct to the battery positive terminal (or suitable distribution point)
Negative - to vehicle body, NOT to the negative battery terminal.
If it has ignition switch function, make sure that's connected somewhere logical.
I had a radio do this once in a GMC Canyon pickup. Powered directly off the battery, both positive and negative. Would get alternator whine on the TX audio. When I moved the negative radio power lead off the battery and to a ground point under the hood, the problem cleared up.
If it does it without the engine running, it's probably some other sort of noise source in the vehicle.
Check and make sure the radio power is hooked up like this:
Positive - Direct to the battery positive terminal (or suitable distribution point)
Negative - to vehicle body, NOT to the negative battery terminal.
If it has ignition switch function, make sure that's connected somewhere logical.
I had a radio do this once in a GMC Canyon pickup. Powered directly off the battery, both positive and negative. Would get alternator whine on the TX audio. When I moved the negative radio power lead off the battery and to a ground point under the hood, the problem cleared up.
If it does it without the engine running, it's probably some other sort of noise source in the vehicle.
DeoVindice
P25 Underground
Definitely alternator noise if it's correlated with battery voltage. As mmckenna said, moving the negative cable to a frame ground could help.
Might be a failing alternator.
N4KVE
Member
But what about all the police cars where the upfitter brings the radio wiring into the car? My 05 Impala 9C3 PPV had the radio wiring under the floor mats by the passenger’s feet. Rated at 30 amps, there were 2 separate sets of positive, negative, & ign hot wires specifically for radio equipment. Why look for holes in the firewall when the upfitter provides this wiring? And my current 2010 Crown Vic P7B has wiring also provided by the upfitter right behind the glove box that is also specifically for radio equipment. So why go looking for a way to get to the battery when the official factory upfitter provides the wiring in easy to find locations? Sure, if one wants to install a radio in a civvy car, your directions would apply, but when one has an official police package car, why not use the wiring that is provided for that exact purpose? Isn’t the car in the OP a police/fleet car?
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Absolutely, and exactly why I said "(or suitable distribution point)". But we don't know what model vehicle it is.
I've seen fire departments decide they can install their own equipment. Usually it's Bubba and Joe who've installed car stereos in a previous career. I've had to fix a lot of those well meaning installs, usually involving 20 feet of extra wiring jammed up under the dashboard and tapped into the cigarette lighter plug circuit.
N4KVE
Member
Now that’s just downright nasty.
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