Best route for wiring from battery to console

[Springfield]

I want to install my ham radio near the console, probably in front of the shift lever. It draws about 13 amps when transmitting at max power. It came with a 9-foot power cable 2x 10 gauge fused on both + and - wires that should connect directly to the battery. What is a good way to route the wire?

I tried making a hole from the engine bay near where the heater/ac lines go thru, but that comes out somewhere in back of all the heater/ac ducting behind the dash where I cant see or reach. The wire is 9" long, not enough to route it over to the drivers side of engine bay, thru firewall there, and then back to the console.

Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions.

 

[jgillaspy]

Quick answer - buy a longer power cord. That's what I did. Got it off of Amazon with the correct connector. There are other ham radio installs on here that show using a coat hanger through a spot where the AC lined pass through. But that may still not be enough.

JG

 

[Brunnie]

I mounted mine exactly where you want to mount yours. I ran the power wires out through the rubber grommet on the driver's side, and across the top back of the firewall. Then I spliced onto the harness a couple of feet of 10 ga wire and headed for the battery. Adding a bit of wire isn't going to hurt anything. One thing to keep in mind is to keep the fuses as close to the battery as possible so you will have to add the wire after the fuses but before the connector to the radio.

 

[TerryD]

I moved mine from there to under the passenger seat with a remote face. My power is 8ga Zip wire from Quick Silver Radio fed through the big grommet on the passenger side fire wall under the HVAC box and down the sil plate.

I'm pretty sure there's pictures and info in my build thread. I didn't like the radio in front of the shifter because it was hard to see and change settings.

 

[Brunnie]

I moved mine from there to under the passenger seat with a remote face. My power is 8ga Zip wire from Quick Silver Radio fed through the big grommet on the passenger side fire wall under the HVAC box and down the sil plate.

I'm pretty sure there's pictures and info in my build thread. I didn't like the radio in front of the shifter because it was hard to see and change settings.

Part of location place is radio dependent too. My radio is ICOM IC-2300H, so it is fairly compact but even with head controls it is easier for me to see the radio face. My "dream" YAESU FTM-400XDR radio will have to live in a different location simply because the radio portion can be under the seat but the face unit will need enough space for the dual display.

Now whether or not I get that radio.... well I can dream.

 

[TerryD]

Part of location place is radio dependent too. My radio is ICOM IC-2300H, so it is fairly compact but even with head controls it is easier for me to see the radio face. My "dream" YAESU FTM-400XDR radio will have to live in a different location simply because the radio portion can be under the seat but the face unit will need enough space for the dual display.

Now whether or not I get that radio.... well I can dream.

I had the 2100. They are great radios and pretty intuitive. I have the Kenwood TM-D710GA.

 

[Springfield]

Thanks for the great ideas. The cord has a T power plug so easy to extend. I have an Icom 2820 that draws 13 amps max, but for now that's staying in the shack and a cheap chinese 8900 will ride in the X. I'll re-think the location. Got a Comet CA-2x4SR dual-band antenna for the roof/rack . Hope to get out at least 20-25 miles in flatland Florida and hit a few repeaters. Let you know when I get it wired up.

 

[TerryD]

I had the TYT Quad band sitting in the tray for a while. It was just very difficult to make changes to while driving.

Look into the Anderson PowerPole connectors. They are the "approved" ARES connector so most amateurs you encounter, at least in my experience, have their radios all converted so you never have to worry about having the right connector.

I even added a two outlet bulkhead to my big power supply for testing on the bench.

 

[Survey20]

I mounted mine below the steering wheel, behind the plastic cover. There’s a steel cross bar held by two bolts that you can take off. Drill a few holes in the crossbar, reinstall. The cover fits right over the radio keeping it hidden. The power wires go through the rubber grommet through the firewall. The mic cord I put through an unused switch to the left of the steering
wheel. The head unit is on a gooseneck seat bolt mount to the left of the gear shift.
It’s clean and hidden very well. I hadn’t seen this install done before on the X. Been about 6 months now and no issues

 

[TerryD]

 

[RM975]

There is a nice rubber plug up near the drivers left foot. It's big enough to route all kinds of stuff through. The forward side is down under the brake module in the engine compartment.

 

[CHUG]

I want to install my ham radio near the console, probably in front of the shift lever. It draws about 13 amps when transmitting at max power. It came with a 9-foot power cable 2x 10 gauge fused on both + and - wires that should connect directly to the battery. What is a good way to route the wire?

I tried making a hole from the engine bay near where the heater/ac lines go thru, but that comes out somewhere in back of all the heater/ac ducting behind the dash where I cant see or reach. The wire is 9" long, not enough to route it over to the drivers side of engine bay, thru firewall there, and then back to the console.

Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions.

RM975 nailed it.

I ran my wire on back side of engine, to the Steering Boot, poked hole fed wires on inside, routed under the shifter, to the Back side of the Rear Cup holders, Mounted Base unit on that since, Never use the cup holders. Ran head unit to a Mounting rod that raises up just about knee height next to shifter. Can see Freq channels with ease.. AS with have it programed for Night time running, Lights will turn on when mic is keyed or channel changed. last about 4 seconds..

Running a Icom 2730A

 

[XterraRising]

There is a nice rubber plug up near the drivers left foot. It's big enough to route all kinds of stuff through. The forward side is down under the brake module in the engine compartment.

The plug is super easy to access from inside the cab and in the engine bay. Here’s a pic for reference.

 

[TerryD]

That one is easier to get to but the same grommet is on the passenger side. I used some wire with a sharp tip to go through it from the inside and pull the wire through.