Advice for running wires into the cab? CB Radio install

Installing a CB radio in my DINN slot. I've heard running power directly from the battery is best. Anyone done that before? Looking for advice for the best wire path.

I've got a PA speaker under the hood, the power for the radio, and the antenna coming from the roof.

Thanks

 

On the driver's side of the firewall to the right/ beneath your brake booster, there will be a rubber grommet. Both the driver and passenger sides of the firewall have this grommet. You can carefully poke a hole or cut into this grommet and fish wires through. Be careful otherwise you can damage the wiring harness. I have run a few different wires through there successfully. If you're worried about water proofing, stick some liquid tape on that sucker after you're all wired up.

Here's what I'm talking about on the passenger side:

 

Post up some pics of your speaker install

 

So did you remove the factory double DIN and install a CB radio and factory single DIN? Or do some of our trucks have single DIN with a sleeve or panel or something?

 

I got a single DIN from a toyota carolla (similar year) because it has the same toyota connector (no need to snip and snap wires together to get the right radio plug). I used some Double DIN mounting brackets from my old radio and fixed the single DIN CB on top of the toyota single DIN radio.

 

I am but a simple man

 

Haha is this a Pyle? I had one just like this in my grill until it gave up, also held in with zip ties

 

Lol so is that just for yelling at pedestrians

 

I loved the "I am but a simple man."

Gave me a proper chuckle. Looks good from my house!

 

This looks great! If I didn't have a cap, I'd probably do the same. Where'd you get the CB/PA?

 

Ebay for all!

 

Only when the deserve it of course lol

 

I went through that grommet for my electric brake control power wires. Good spot.
How much power does the CB have? If it's more than 5 watts, make sure the heat sink has some airflow. Nice install.

 

Lots of good suggestions from others here already I'll just mention that you need to have a fuse right off the battery for protection.

I've given a CB radio a thought a time or two but not really sure who it is I really need to talk to.

 

Thanks for bringing that up -- yeah. I'm looking at some other guides for how to connect to the battery.
Worked on this for several hours today. I've got the PA speaker and power wires coming from the cab into the engine.

Just gotta connect power to the battery and then figure out my plan for the antenna. Not sure the best path for the antenna yet. It's just a magnet mount. I was actually thinking I could maybe run the antenna under the hood following the same path as the other wires.

 

Output 4 Watts
Power 13.8 V

Hoping it gets enough air back there and that I can hear it well enough.

 

Just need you one of these.

Probably 16 or 14 gauge would be enough. 5 or 10 amp fuse most likely. Don't run the 30 amp it'll probably come with.

Can run your antenna cable around to the back of the truck and run the wire through the back sliding window and then up to the roof.

 

Should be fine at 4 watts. Can you use an external speaker? I'm sure there is a speaker jack on the back apron.

 

There's an external speaker jack as well as the PA port, yeah.

 

This ^^

Always fuse new runs off the battery with a fuse, ideally within 12-18" from the battery terminal. Just in case it manages to arc against something en route.

 

Thank you, that seems like great advice.

 

It'd be cool to have it turn off with the truck too by powering it through the fuse box. I hear that there's less noise off the battery, but the convenience of no power drain is tempting. Maybe there's another way to do that, but I don't know it.

 

Really I feel like that can't draw that much power. You could use an add a fuse and tie it into a fuse that is switched with ignition. That's what I did for my dash cam. You need to figure out how many amps max that the CB can pull.

Another option is to use a harness with a relay so it will pull all of its power straight from the battery but you can use a switched source to control when that relay turns on and off. And that switch source will hardly pull any current at all so you could tie it to almost anything. Really wouldn't be that difficult or expensive.

 

I've thought about putting a CB in each vehicle specifically for road trips, but based on how often the family goes and drives seperate... it's much easier to just throw a wireless radio on the seat belt.

I'd love to have a PA though. I'd have that mfr turnt

 

Nah, don't waste your time with a PA. Check these out...

https://www.ledauthority.com/products/programmable-led-sign-for-cars-trucks-and-suvs

$30 FLIK - THE ORIGINAL Middle Finger Light - Give The Bird & Wave to Drivers - Hottest Gifted Car Accessories, Truck Accessories Car Gadgets Road Rage Signs for Men, Women, Teens - Funny Back Window Sign

https://www.amazon.com/FLIK-ME-Baby-Drivers-Hottest/dp/B07YW71S3Y

 

That's pretty lit. No lie.

 

Nick over here killing it. This is the correct answer. This is the whole purpose of a relay. Same thing used for your starter and fuel pump. Obviously don't want those running all the time, so they insert a relay in-line with the power circuit, and use some ECU- or ignition-activated power lead to trigger the circuit to complete. Just don't use the radio's power antenna/remote turn on lead, else it'll only turn on/off at the same time as the radio

(Not that it applies necessarily for OEM radio).

Any ACC power feed in the car will suffice. Just don't be a dumbass, avoid using T-taps or Scotchlok connectors to tee into wires. If you need to tap off an existing wire, use a Positap. It does far less damage and mangling of your existing wiring.

 

What's the difference between T-taps and Positap? They look similar to me and I haven't used either before.

 

Something like this? Or is this overkill lol. The CB radio's power cord has a fuse in it already and the manual says it draws <2 Amps

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...arness-and-relay-wiring-kit/mrg0/40205g?pos=9

 

T-tap/Scotchlok/Quicktap/Quickslide/ConductTite connectors all work on the same principle: It's a slab of metal with a slit in it. It has a plastic shell around it that forces the wire down into the metal slit, which effectively cuts anything in its path, including the wire sheath, and even the strands of wire if the slit is the wrong gauge.

Posi-tap uses plastic to isolate the wire, then uses a needle to pierce the wire sheath, sending it directly into the stranded wire for direct contact, it's nearly impossible to damage the wire this way, it creates a tiny hole that gets plugged by the needle, and screws down to seal from the weather.

Picture is worth a thousand words. Especially for connections outside, like trailer wiring etc., all of the T-tap style splices suck balls. Once water and oxygen get in contact with the wire, the process of decomp on your wiring starts, and after you get some years and age on it, even in southern no-salt climates like mine, it'll fail.

That'll work fine if your CB needs a direct power feed, just note, it's coming with a breaker instead of a fuse. No reason you can't just add a fusible link though. And honestly, a breaker is probably fine for this. Just put it within a reasonable distance from the battery.

If your CB doesn't need a direct-from-battery power feed, there's no reason you can't just use an fuse tap or add-a-circuit to solve your wiring woes. Just don't buy the cheapies on scAmazon, stick with respected names like Eaton/Bussmann