This is solely about the power tap for the units I mentioned above.
I already have a 996XT mounted in my car. I am looking to install and buy the MOTO radios (one of them) listed above. Will the power tap for the 996XT work for the XTL1500 or 2500 ? If no, what are the differences between the power tap for the 996, and the one that is used to power the Motorola radio ?
If you plan on doing any transmitting -at all- you'll need a new power feed for the Motorola radios. Current consumption depends on the model/power level, but they can draw anywhere between 10 and 30 amps. The power feed for your scanner is probably fused at 3 amps or so.
The other issue is that these radios are sensitive, and they'll pick up noise that your scanner might not. Modern vehicles use a lot of computers and all these computers generate a lot of RF noise. It's strongly recommended that you wire these radios directly to the battery. Tapping into existing wiring in the vehicle is the best way to pick up all kinds of noise you don't want.
The Motorola's also have an ignition switched circuit that will power the radio on and off with vehicle ignition. This is a separate low current power feed that you can tie into an existing ignition switched circuit in the vehicle. That power is only used to trigger the power on/off of the radio.
For just receiving, the Motorola will draw 2 or 3 amps at the most, and you might be able to get away with the power feed that you have for your scanner, but ONLY if it was installed correctly.
If you don't have a lot of experience with these radios, it might be worth the extra money to have a shop do the install for you. They can usually do a cleaner/faster job that you might, especially if it's your first time.
