CB Radio Wiring Help

Torpedo01

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Joined
Oct 24, 2020
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43
Location
North Carolina
I got a Uniden Pro520XL based on it being popular around here, but the power wires they give you definitely can’t reach the battery.

So I got some 14 gauge automotive wire and butt connectors to connect the existing wires to the extensions.

I just kind of don’t know what to do after that, how does it attach to the battery? Do I need another fuse? Any pictures or instructions would be super helpful so I don’t burn up this Jeep.
 
You need some ring terminals for the end by the battery, in whatever size your battery bolt is.

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Replying to myself in case it’s helpful for future users - I ended up using 14 gauge wire from autozone with butt connectors to extend the CB’s power wires to my battery. I then installed a Blue Sea Blade Terminal mount on the battery since I wanted a fuse right above the battery to prevent any risk of fire. 2A fuse seems to be working nicely so far.
 
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The CB itself should have a fuse already inline. Not sure if you actually NEED another fuse, but I have one because I use an auxillary fuse block. I use that instead of having many wires come off the battery terminals. If you start adding more and more auxillary devices, you may want to look into building one. That way you dont have 5+ wires coming off yourr battery.
 
Replying to myself in case it’s helpful for future users - I ended up using 14 gauge wire from autozone with butt connectors to extend the CB’s power wires to my battery. I then installed a Blue Sea Blade Terminal mount on the battery since I wanted a fuse right above the battery to prevent any risk of fire. 2A fuse seems to be working nicely so far.
Why not run it into the cigarette lighter? I literally just pushed the soldered ends into the plug and put the panel and center bezel back on. Added bullet connectors so I could take it out if I needed to without getting into the dash. 20 minute install at most.
 
Why not run it into the cigarette lighter? I literally just pushed the soldered ends into the plug and put the panel and center bezel back on. Added bullet connectors so I could take it out if I needed to without getting into the dash. 20 minute install at most.
You’ll get a lot of interference that way, if you don’t hear it the others that receive from you will.
 
You’ll get a lot of interference that way, if you don’t hear it the others that receive from you will.
The potential is there in those wires running next to who knows what under the dash and possibly picking up noise. The radio most likely does have a fuse, but you should also have one at the battery end in case your power wire happens to rub against something through the insulation and causing a short then even fire.
 
I got a Uniden Pro520XL based on it being popular around here, but the power wires they give you definitely can’t reach the battery.

So I got some 14 gauge automotive wire and butt connectors to connect the existing wires to the extensions.

I just kind of don’t know what to do after that, how does it attach to the battery? Do I need another fuse? Any pictures or instructions would be super helpful so I don’t burn up this Jeep.
I love the 510/520 radios. Its an excellent choice! You always want to connect your radios to a battery to help eliminate noise caused by the electronics in the vehicle. A battery is nothing more than a huge capacitor and helps filter out noise.

Take your red and black 14ga wire and tape them to the end of a drill bit. With help from a friend slowly spin the drill in order to twist the wires together. You'll have to lay the wires out and have one person hold it to allow the wires to feed into the twist. A little experimentation will show you how. Bell Laboratories discovered that by twisting telephone wires together it reduced "crosstalk" in phone lines. Hence the term, "twisted pair". CAT 3, CAT 5, CAT 6, etc, network cables have twisted pairs for the same reason. More twists per inch and separation in the later versions of these cables. So, carefully twisting your feeders together will help eliminate noise.

The purpose of a fuse or breaker is to protect the WIRE, not the radio. The radios use a protection diode in the radio to protect the radio itself. In order to protect your wire you want the fuse as close to the power supply (battery) as possible. You only need one on the positive terminal (or negative on a positive ground system, which is why some radios come with fuses on both wires).

Military battery terminals are recommended for all wiring to batteries. Here is an example... Military Battery Terminal Kit
 
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