Power Adapter

[SirSmith]

My company has old junk Kenwood mobiles that it uses which are barely usage on a good day. As a solution I have purchased a CDM750 with the idea of switching it out when I get to work. The antenna is easy as its a PL-259 connector but as for power I need help finding the right adapter. I need to find a power adapter that will plug into the back of my CDM750 and also into the trucks adapter without modification. I have attached pictures of the truck adapter. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


W8TDS

 

[mmckenna]

Thats a two pin Molex type. A good electronics store should carry those. You'll have to put it together yourself by crimping the pins and inserting them into the body. Just make sure you get the polarity right. As for the CDM750 end, you can either hack the end off a Motorola power cable, or you can often find those 2 pin polarized connectors at a good auto parts store, or even the electronics shop.

As for the antenna connector, the socket on the back of the CDM is a Mini-UHF. If the Kenwood has a UHF type, you will need an adapter. You can find a simple SO-239 to Male Mini-UHF adapter at radio shack, but I'd be careful as those tend to put a lot of strain on the CDM's antenna connector. You'd be better off buying the short extension cable that is specifically made for this. Motorola sells them, or you can find them on e-bay. They are usually 4 to 6 inches long and allow the strain to be taken off the back of the radio.

And, get some contact cleaner and hose out that old power connector, that is freakin' nasty!

 

[N4KVE]

You'd be better off buying the short extension cable that is specifically made for this. Motorola sells them, or you can find them on e-bay. They are usually 4 to 6 inches long and allow the strain to be taken off the back of the radio.

These work great. The Motorola part number is HKN9557A. GARY N4KVE

 

[mmckenna]

Here is the direct adapter:
Mini UHF Male to UHF Female | ShowMeCables.com

Here is the preferred solution:
Motorola HKN9557A - Mini-U Antenna Adapter | PartsMotorola.com

I'd really, STRONGLY, suggest the extension cable. It will prevent a lot of stress on the antenna connector on the radio.

 

[SirSmith]

I'm not very good with electronic wiring. Does anyone sell such a power adapter pre-made or do you know someone that would make one?

Is this the right part that I need?
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/19-09-1029/?qs=404muyNbhLGM/JzO7I4sLA==

 

[mmckenna]

Doesn't look right.

This could be an issue. There are different versions of those connectors and they won't work together. You might be better off half tapping into the existing power wires with the crimp on connectors and a short Motorola power lead. They can be easily removed and taped up if you decide to remove it.

These connectors would work:
3M Red Scotchlok Connectors | 054007-06128 (05400706128) | 3M
They install with a pair of pliers. You wrap one side around the existing wire and stick the end of the Motorola power lead into the other side. Crimp the metal tab down with the pliers and snap the plastic cover down over it.
Not an ideal connection, but they work and are easy to install and remove with the minimum amount of tools.
Other option would be to use the Motorola Cigarette Lighter adapter that they sell for the CDM's:
New Motorola Cigarette Lighter Adapter CDM1250 PM400 | eBay
Again, not an ideal solution, but it will work. You may not be able to run full power on the radio when using these. Sometimes the cig. lighter plugs can have "noisy" power on them, so it can mess up the RX and TX side.

 

[SirSmith]

Thanks. I'll look into it. The cigarette adapter would be very handy but don't those max out at like 10 amps? The CDM750 draws 15 when transmitting I believe.

 

[mmckenna]

Cig lighter plugs amperage ratings depend on the exact vehicle. Most are 10 amps, but I've seen some that do 20.

CDM-750 will pull 12 amps, or a little less, at full power on VHF or UHF models. You can go into programming and set them to low power, usually around 25 watts on the high power models and drop the current consumption down to 7 amps or so.
If it's the high power low band version, I'd have to look that up.

Like I said, not an ideal solution to use the cig lighter plug, but way easy. Personally if it was me, I'd use the crimp connectors and go with that. You might want to find out what that original circuit was designed for and what it is fused for first.