Hello all. I have a coworker that wants to be able to listen to our frequency when he is not at work on a personally purchased radio installed in his personal vehicle. He said he does not plan on ever transmitting on it (part of our rules from our director). He wanted to know if he could plug the radio into his cigarette lighter, since the specifications only say it draws 3.2amps when receiving audio.
-
To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:
Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.
If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.
To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.
The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.
For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).
This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.
XTL 2500 vehicle setup
- Thread starter jnasium21
- Start date
- Status
A cigarette lighter plug should power the radio just fine, even on transmit.
12dbsinad
Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 2,007
If it's a 100W radio set to full power the cig lighter is not going to be very happy.
N4KVE
Member
If your friend is a salesman flying to different locations, & renting cars all the time, I’d say, yeah the liter plug, & a magnetic antenna. But if this is going to be permanently in the same vehicle, go to the battery. Many liter sockets in newer cars aren’t for lighting cigarettes. They’re for powering your phone, or other low power devices. I used a liter plug for a while during a lazy period, but while at a red light, car in gear, A/C running the radio would get stuck in transmit. Finally I connected it to the battery, & it never happened again. And that was a liter socket.
It's only a 45W model, and he said he never plans on transmitting.
12dbsinad
Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 2,007
Would be fine for RX. I would never recommend a cig lighter for TX even a low power model set at full power. They get hot (spring contact) fast drawing that kind of current and some 12v outlets are only fused at 10amps.
That's what I was telling him. He had no intensions of transmitting anyway, he wanted to be able to listen to work on his way in (he travels in from a distance where portables aren't suitable) so he knows what to expect for the day. I appreciate your response. Do you have a specific cigarette lighter XTL2500 power cable that you would recommend?
12dbsinad
Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 2,007
If he has a power cord, he can just purchase a 12V male outlet and install/splice it in. If he needs a power cord, I'd just find a cheap one on Ebay personally. Motorola does make a OEM one, HKN6548A.
Awesome. Thanks so much for your help!
Just a note about cig. plugs:
I have a ten-year-old Honda Pilot. When I first got the car, I sat a Motorola CDM on the seat next to me to monitor, until I got the radio permanently and properly installed.
One day, I accidentally hit the mic button, expecting a blown fuse. It didn't happen. I found out (from a sticker on the cig. receptacle) that the cig. receptacle was rated at 120 Watts. The car has three of these 120W receptacles.
I would imagine that newer SUVs (at least) have higher-rated cig. plugs also.
I have a ten-year-old Honda Pilot. When I first got the car, I sat a Motorola CDM on the seat next to me to monitor, until I got the radio permanently and properly installed.
One day, I accidentally hit the mic button, expecting a blown fuse. It didn't happen. I found out (from a sticker on the cig. receptacle) that the cig. receptacle was rated at 120 Watts. The car has three of these 120W receptacles.
I would imagine that newer SUVs (at least) have higher-rated cig. plugs also.
My recommendation is to read the XTL installation manual from Motorola, it has very detailed sections about how to install the radio properly in terms of electrical & antenna connections. If someone wishes to install the radio themselves, it only makes sense to look at the installation manual. There is no reason not to....
clbsquared
Member
That’s a max of 10 amps. It may be ok for a short TX. Definitely not something I would use for continuous daily use.
All three of the plugs are rated at 15 Amps.
Besides, what else would one be transmitting other than a "short TX"? And just what is meant by "continuous daily use"?: a stuck mic button? I'm certainly not reading a newspaper article over the radio.
In any event, it was a month or so before I got the radio permanently mounted, and there were no adverse situations from using the radio as I usually do.
Besides, what else would one be transmitting other than a "short TX"? And just what is meant by "continuous daily use"?: a stuck mic button? I'm certainly not reading a newspaper article over the radio.
In any event, it was a month or so before I got the radio permanently mounted, and there were no adverse situations from using the radio as I usually do.
clbsquared
Member
Meaning, when Motorola designed the XTL series, they didn’t design it for the casual user. It was designed for public safety / commercial use. And it was designed to be properly powered so it could handle continuous daily use.
For the hobby user who just wants to listen, a cig plug would be ok. I never said it wouldn’t.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Program the radio for receive only. That solves these issues. User can't accidentally transmit and won't blow the fuse.
But he may need the ability to transmit if an emergency should arise. You know, just in case.
But he may need the ability to transmit if an emergency should arise. You know, just in case.
I just drill a hole on the back of my yaesus and put a switch in to switch the diode in and out of line just like the extra channels mods of the 70s!
/s
- Status
