CDM 1250 External Speaker

[jfab]

My CDM1250 has really low volume and is difficult to hear at times, even when its turned all the way up. I'm thinking an external speaker may alleviate this issue.

I've read that a certain cable, mostly found on ebay, is required to make this work. I want to verify that this is the correct cable:

Cable 35 External Speaker Motorola CDM CDM1250 VHF UHF | eBay

I am assuming that this cable plugs into the port on the back of the radio, then the two wires connect to the speaker.

Thanks for any help and I apologize for the ignorance

 

[N4KVE]

I have purchased many cables from that seller. Speaker, programming, & custom cables that I designed, & he made. His quality is excellent, priced right, & always works. Much better than the stuff from China. When available, he uses OEM connecters. If you already have a Spectra speaker, he can attach the correct matching connecter on the cable he sells. Buy with confidence. GARY N4KVE

 

[jfab]

Awesome...Thanks for the response!

Also, I was planning on possibly putting this speaker up on the headliner, between the two sun visors. Is there a good way to go about doing this? I don't want to ruin the headliner, but i've seen the big moto speakers mounted in that spot before.

Thanks again!

 

[SteveC0625]

I have purchased many cables from that seller. Speaker, programming, & custom cables that I designed, & he made. His quality is excellent, priced right, & always works. Much better than the stuff from China. When available, he uses OEM connecters. If you already have a Spectra speaker, he can attach the correct matching connecter on the cable he sells. Buy with confidence. GARY N4KVE

+1. mre1032 is one upright gent!

Just be double certain not to ground either speaker lead as it will cause beaucoup trouble.

I did the same thing in my truck and it has greatly improved how well I hear the radio over the noisy diesel.

Some folks will pry off the front panel of the radio and disconnect the speaker when they install an external one. I personally don't see the need for that in a car.

Since mre1032 only charges one $4 shipping fee per order, no matter how much stuff you order at one time, you might consider getting his ignition control wire, too. He'll probably insert it in the right pin (#10) for you and then you can have the radio come on and off when you start the car. If you wire it right, it will also come on if you set the key to accessory. Fuse the ignition control line at 3 amps. The CDM can also be turned on and off even without ignition by pressing the center of the volume button. (That does presume that the main power cable is wired direct to the vehicle battery with appropriate fusing.)

 

[jfab]

+1. mre1032 is one upright gent!

Just be double certain not to ground either speaker lead as it will cause beaucoup trouble.

I did the same thing in my truck and it has greatly improved how well I hear the radio over the noisy diesel.

Some folks will pry off the front panel of the radio and disconnect the speaker when they install an external one. I personally don't see the need for that in a car.

Since mre1032 only charges one $4 shipping fee per order, no matter how much stuff you order at one time, you might consider getting his ignition control wire, too. He'll probably insert it in the right pin (#10) for you and then you can have the radio come on and off when you start the car. If you wire it right, it will also come on if you set the key to accessory. Fuse the ignition control line at 3 amps. The CDM can also be turned on and off even without ignition by pressing the center of the volume button. (That does presume that the main power cable is wired direct to the vehicle battery with appropriate fusing.)

Thanks for the great info!

Can you expand on the comment about grounding the speaker leads? I'm confused on what you mean by that...

I'm assuming I can google this, but can you explain how to wire the ignition sense cable? This is something I would like to set up. There have been several times when I have come out to my car in the morning and my radio was still on because I forgot to shut it off. Does batlabs or another dependable website have a diagram?

Thanks guys!

 

[SteveC0625]

Thanks for the great info!

Can you expand on the comment about grounding the speaker leads? I'm confused on what you mean by that...

I'm assuming I can google this, but can you explain how to wire the ignition sense cable? This is something I would like to set up. There have been several times when I have come out to my car in the morning and my radio was still on because I forgot to shut it off. Does batlabs or another dependable website have a diagram?

Thanks guys!

Do not connect either speaker wire to any ground in the vehicle or on the radio. Just connect the two wires from the accessory connector for the radio to the two speaker wires.

Just connect the ignition sense line to one of the fuses in your fuse panel that comes on with both ignition and accessory. There are fuse taps available for this that piggyback on the fuse. Install a 3 amp inline fuse on the ignition sense line at the piggyback end of the wire.

If the concept of grounding in a 12vdc vehicle electrical system is something you don't already understand, I suggest you spend some time over on the12volt.com learning about 12vdc systems and equipment. The site is geared a bit more to the audio install crowd, but all the principles and concepts apply fully and equally to mobile radio installs.

The same for tapping an ignition sense wire. It's really very simple and straightforward and the12volt.com can help you understand this better than I can explain it.

Batlabs has lots of info as does repeater-builder.com but both are geared to the hobby person who already has some rudimentary knowledge about wiring, both AC and DC. Do some reading on the12volt.com first.

Also, as far as a diagram for the CDM radio wiring and accessory connector, the basic service manual is floating around on the web as a .pdf file. It is the best source of this info.