Route Wires for HAM radio.

[ScubaDive]

I pick up a HAM Radio for my '08 Ranger, A HAM radio is like a CB radio only you require a license to operate it. I'm trying to find the best possible way to route the power wires from the Battery to the inside of the cab without drilling holes in the firewall preferable. Is there any spair pluged holes or any access from the eng. compartment to the cab to accomplish this?

I'm having the same problem with my wire for the antenna.

Any ideas would be helpful.

Cheers

 

[a-5 freak]

i have been dealing with alot of this lately (putting in an alarm system) and i know a few ways to get into the engine bay. you can route the wire through a plug on the drivers side, under dash, just in front of the fuse pannel. you will ahve to drill a hol through the plug but thats easy as cake.

You can also route it between the body pannel and the frame on the passenger side, right in front of the door. Do it right and remove the kick pannel and run the wires behind the glovebox. Trust me, it will look much better if you just do it right the first time.

That's about all i know as far as running cables through the fire wall. Hope this helped!

EDIT: I do not know if you can run the wire on the passenger side on an '08 but it never hurts to look. The plug is pretty much universal for all cars.

 

[AllanD]

Not a lot of people here have REALLY dug into an '08 to figuire out the tricks...
But the audio guys know how to route power to their audio amplifiers and a properly installed power wire is a properly installed power wire.

And since the '08 Ranger is basically the same as an '04...

I personally have a 30amp Fused line from the underhood load center to feed my dual band radio... an older Icom 2410H
I actually labeled one of the Maxi fuses "Comm Radio 30A".

But I have a much older Ranger.

There are several other Hams here on TRS, now would be a
good time to introduce youself.

Meanwhile 73, N2TBI/W3, Allan.

K

 

[99RangerBoss]

when i ran my wires for my amp and aftermarket doors locks i ran them through the clutch pedal grommet, there is also a grommet plug type deal just infront of the drivers side seat but to the left of the seat toward the door if that makes sense lol? i just sliced a little hole into it to run the ground for my amp to the frame it underneath the carpeting or rubber floor mat which ever you got there. their both relatively easy to find

 

[Scrambler82]

I'll be installing a multi-band Kenwood VHF-UHF and large CB in my 2003 Edge soon, as the warmer weather hits.
I do not know the best location to use on this ranger to run the wires through the firewall but on older years they had the computers on the passenger side so I would keep away from it.

My plan this time will be use a separate fused power wire to feed a small separate circuit panel just for the radios, probably a higher current Painless Circuit Boss setup.
The main power wire will have two segments, a red load and a black ground both fused for the total load of the panel and both run to the battery.
I add a piece of braid, sized for the two wires for a good fit, over the red/blk combo and then use heavy walled heat shrink over that, on the ends and where ever there may be a joint, I use a piece of heat shrink that has adhesive in it to seal the complete cable assembly.
On the battery end of the cable I leave enough braid hanging out to attach it to the body of the vehicle for a bleed off point, close to the battery but not attached to the battery.
The cable assy will run across the radiator support up the driver's side of the vehicle to the firewall and pushed through a rubber grommet but if necessary a hole can be drilled and grommeted to accept this wire.

Over Kill, that is my middle name, 10-ga wire for feed and ground, an additional ground wire from the radio chassis to the body, bonding of all doors, hood, tailpipe and tailgate to the body/frame of the vehicle, all extras but little to no noise problems in both the HAM Rigs and the CB, in a Ford no less.

Luck,

p.s. Stay away from any grommets that have a move part going through it.
This will cause chaffing of the wire, with in time, and shorts, bad grounds, etc.

 

[AllanD]

In a negative ground vehicle it isn't strictly necissary to fuse the ground side of the power feed.

Expecially since the factory power cable for the every amateur radio I've ever seen already fuses on both legs.

Remember for every component you add you increase the number of failure points.

The circuit I have off a spare position in my fuse block under the hood (a 30Amp Maxi fuse) was actually wired for a 40amp fuse to feed power to the ABS system on the donor vehicle for my wiring I used an unmodified wire for the ABS system but routed through the connector for the electric rear window defogger (remember an Explorer wiring harness donor) cable through the firewall with the heater blower wiring.

what also needs to be discussed is how you get
the RF back out of the cab... PLEASE don't tell
me you are planning on using a mag mount....

My favorite method is a hole in the roof above
the dome light and an NMO mount

But on my truck I went one further... I have a bulkhead N connector exiting the back of the cab through the back of the open area in the well that the jumpseat folds into. This allows me to connect to a BIG antenna mounted to the cap or to run a cable to a temporary tower... say for Field day operations?


AD N2TBI

 

[ScubaDive]

For the 1st little while I will be using a mag mount and just be runing in from the back door (ext. cab) untill I get a BackRack for the truck then I'll be putting a perm. mount on the BackRack for the antenna then I was thinking of running the RF in along the bottom of the truck to the firewall (thats what is was thinking) I know its not going to give me the best signal but It still should work(again not drilling any holes in the truck, I'll drill them in the BackRack).
As for the Power Wire I really don't want to drill any holes at all, I would like to follow some wire that are already there or it would be better if there was a spair hole some where.

Again Thanks for the Input.
It all Helps


73's for now
Darrell
VA3 CAA

 

[thantil]

I pick up a HAM Radio for my '08 Ranger, A HAM radio is like a CB radio only you require a license to operate it. I'm trying to find the best possible way to route the power wires from the Battery to the inside of the cab without drilling holes in the firewall preferable. Is there any spair pluged holes or any access from the eng. compartment to the cab to accomplish this?

I'm having the same problem with my wire for the antenna.

Any ideas would be helpful.

Cheers

Go through the grommet at the stearing collum- no chaffing grommet not there
Fuse BOTH wires
I have power panel on wall behind seats
Rf deck is in back wall and control head is in front
if you have ext cab go through grommets behind jump seat on floor for feed line feed through

tom
ab1gf
ic706mk2g
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no ign noise after I shielded all plug wires