Hello Everyone! I'm new to the "installing a scanner" all by your self-thing. I was wondering where to go with the electrical wires? Do they connect to the fuse box? Or do you hook it up to the vehicle’s battery. Since my father's passing, I'm a little lost since he used to install all my scanners. Trying to install the latest addition to my son's truck but don't know where to hook the power! Any help would sure be greatly appreciated.
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Scanner Install
- Thread starter txbear01
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fireSAR
Member
I run the wire through the fire wall to the battery. My goal is not to have any wire exposed.
good luck.
good luck.
NodrogCop
Member
The red one goes to the battery - make sure it's fused!
The black one goes to a vehicle ground. If it's a simple scanner install, you can ground it inside the cab instead of running it through the firewall. I run it thru and ground it in the engine - better grounds I've found.
Any more questions, fire away...
Good Luck.
Gordon
The black one goes to a vehicle ground. If it's a simple scanner install, you can ground it inside the cab instead of running it through the firewall. I run it thru and ground it in the engine - better grounds I've found.
Any more questions, fire away...
Good Luck.
Gordon
NodrogCop said:
For a single scanner install I would definitely wire it through the fuse box in the interior of your vehicle. Unless you can find a hole in the firewall, drilling one yourself can be... well, iffy. To hook it up to the fuse box, find a fuse for an accessory or something that comes on when you turn the ignition on. (I use the rear windshield wiper on my jeep) and wrap the red wire aroudn the blade of the fuse and plug it back in. Then attach the black wire to some piece of metal attached to the chassis (a bolt holding your seat down is a good one. If you do it right you should see a little spark when you attach the black wire.
andy404ns said:
This would be the best way to install, never connect directly to the battery. If your not sure contact a professional installer, you can do more damage than you can imagine if short or connect to the wrong wire.
fireSAR
Member
I usually ground the radio (scanner) to the battery. I did a install on a friends truch and it wasn't getting a good ground, thats because for the first time I grounded it to the vehicle and it wasn't transmitting and recieving worth a crap. Most new cars have more plastic and and rubber on them that they don't have a good ground.
Ok, WRT to in the fuse box or to the battery, neither is wrong, on something with as low current draw as a scanner its more personal preference.
going to the fuse box, don't follow the advice of wrapping the wire around the fuseand push it back in, that will spring out the contacts inside the fuse box and make bad connections later on. I bought a used vehicle where the original owner paid "professionals" to install things and they did that. There are proper fuse taps where you remove the fuse, plug the tap in and the fuse plugs into the tap, be sure to get the proper ones not the fuse tap that just wraps around the existing fuse pin like the wire example above.
grounding to the battery vs frame/body is an often discussed subject with people recommesding both ways. With a receiver such as a scanner it doesn't matter much since the current draw is low but one way or the pther may result in a quieter connection just like connecting power one way or the other so you may wish to test and see. Something handy fo experimenting is to get a couple aligator clips and connect them to inline fuse holders then a roll of wire. This way you can connect the wire to your scanner and try wither way. I say to put the fuses on both ends this is for if you connect the wrong clip or whatever while testing.
For trasnmitting, depending on the power draw there may not be a suitable place in the fuse block that can supply enough current, the schematic orservice manual on your vehilce would be a good reference there but high powered stuff you typically must go to the battery to have its own dedicated circuit large enough to provide the power needed.
Of course fuse at the source either way.
Some vheicles have upfitter connections that can be used for scanners and radios so you may find you alreayd have a place in the fuse block.
going to the fuse box, don't follow the advice of wrapping the wire around the fuseand push it back in, that will spring out the contacts inside the fuse box and make bad connections later on. I bought a used vehicle where the original owner paid "professionals" to install things and they did that. There are proper fuse taps where you remove the fuse, plug the tap in and the fuse plugs into the tap, be sure to get the proper ones not the fuse tap that just wraps around the existing fuse pin like the wire example above.
grounding to the battery vs frame/body is an often discussed subject with people recommesding both ways. With a receiver such as a scanner it doesn't matter much since the current draw is low but one way or the pther may result in a quieter connection just like connecting power one way or the other so you may wish to test and see. Something handy fo experimenting is to get a couple aligator clips and connect them to inline fuse holders then a roll of wire. This way you can connect the wire to your scanner and try wither way. I say to put the fuses on both ends this is for if you connect the wrong clip or whatever while testing.
For trasnmitting, depending on the power draw there may not be a suitable place in the fuse block that can supply enough current, the schematic orservice manual on your vehilce would be a good reference there but high powered stuff you typically must go to the battery to have its own dedicated circuit large enough to provide the power needed.
Of course fuse at the source either way.
Some vheicles have upfitter connections that can be used for scanners and radios so you may find you alreayd have a place in the fuse block.
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