Getting DC from my car ???

[VE3VID]

Hi.....I just replaced my 2m rig, and have not used a mobile since I bought my 2005 Honda.  I am wondering how do I access dc power for my radio?  The 2 accessory dc ports (cigaret lighters) arent rated  enough amps, and unlike any of my old past junker cars, I can not find a way to pass a wire through the firewall to the battery under the hood.

Anybody know any secrets?  Anybody own a 2005 2door Accord who's done this?

David

[K5LXP]

Fastest and easiest way is to take it to a stereo shop and let them do it.

Otherwise, to DIY find an unused grommet in the firewall and poke a hole, and run your wiring to the battery. Or, use the same hole saw you used to drill the hole for the antenna and make a new hole in the firewall, add a grommet at seal it with silicone once the wires are through.

From there, run you positive lead to the positive post on the battery, and the negative lead to the chassis near where the battery is grounded.


Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

[K0BG]

If you look high up in the center of the firewall, just a few inches toward the passenger side of the vehicle from the accelerator cable passthrough, you'll notice a rubber plug. From the inside, it looks like a couple of near half moon cutouts in the sound deadening underlay. It is just large enough to pass through a pair of #8s, and if you use Teflon insulated wires, you can get a pair of #6s.

When you wire, go directly to the battery. Don't use the frame or chassis for a ground, or you're liable to create a ground loop.

If you want more info, visit my web site.

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com

[KB1LKR]

If it's an auto transmission there may be an unused grommet/hole where the clutch master cylinder would have been -- beside the brake master cylinder/booster. Might be an option. Depending on budget, having a stereo shop run it may prove easiest.

[K0BG]

Steve, the next time you're by a Honda dealer, look under the hood of both a manual and automatic quipped Civic or Accord. Look for the clutch mechanism and the transmission selector cable, respectively, and how they get through the firewall. The short story is, the suggestion doesn't work on a Honda. Doesn't work on a Toyota, Kia, or Hyundai either.

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com

[KB1LKR]

Oh well. Yea, that's point, things aren't getting any less crowded. Had a Ford Ranger that looked as though it would have been a piece of cake had it not been a 5 speed, but that was a bit bigger/more open on both sides that a sedan. I never got around to putting a radio into it though.