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Motorola shop question	Reply
by CERTNEAL on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I am in need of some help installing my 2 meter radio. The local Motorola 2 way shop seems a good choice but do I need to worry about the quality of anything they use. Mainly I am wondering about the power wire they might use, he said he may have some "laying around" that he could use. These guys do a ton of cop cars and I figure they know what they are doing but should I be at all worried they may use some lower gauge wire to get by? My radio is an older Azden but it is 50 watts and I want to get all I can out of it. I plan to get a larsen NMO 150 antenna and NMO mount for them to install as well, the price seems well worth it so far. Thanks in advance!

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by WB2WIK on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I'm sure they'll use appropriate wiring, this isn't rocket science. For the Azden #12-2 should be plenty if the "run" is 20 feet or less, which it certainly ought to be for any conventional car or light truck.

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by KB1LKR on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Just ask them to run 10 AWG (or perhaps 12 AWG) wires for power, so they know what you need/want.

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by N2HBX on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Let them know the power output of the radio. Any MSS worth the name will install the correct gauge wiring. 73, Larry, N2HBX

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by CERTNEAL on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I appreciate the answers, makes me feel a bit better about using them. Cheers, Neal

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by KF5BTI on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Why not ask them about the install details to before they perform the install. Depending on the shop they might also allow you to watch/supervise the install to ensure its up to your standards and you may learn some new tricks/techniques.

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by K0BT on August 7, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I wouldn't worry about the phrase "laying around" when they talk about wire. An MSS will probably have a lot of old wiring harnesses in boxes. They were sufficient for 100W Motracs, so the wiring will work fine for your purpose. As the other poster indicated, any MSS worth its salt will install your radio correctly.

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by CERTNEAL on August 8, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I do hope to be able to watch, as this is my first radio I want it done right, but the next time I hope I can do it myself. Once again I appreciate the help and look forward to being on the air soon! Aloha, Neal

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by K5LXP on August 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
You could also eliminate all doubt and supply them with the materials you want them to use. Wire, fuseholders, powerpoles, premium NMO mounts, coax, you name it. Just because a two way shop does a lot of installs doesn't mean they do it well. I've had to repair more "professional" installations than I care to recount. In general you get what you pay for. Odds are they'll do a clean professional job. But there's nothing wrong with "helping" them to make sure it happens. Mark K5LXP Albuquerque, NM

RE: Motorola shop question	Reply
by CERTNEAL on August 11, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Mark I appreciate your comment, I had the same idea and plan to give them a Larsen NMO mount and 150 antenna to install. My friend volunteered to help mount the radio and power wire, he is very good at most all automotive stuff like that. Now I just need to find some 8 guage wire, I think Lowes has some. I know I probably don't need that heavy of wire but if I upgrade my radio I will have that part done anyway. I plan to use a 49 stranded copper wire, does that sound about right? Should be about a 6-8 foot length so I don't think I will drop much voltage. Thanks a bunch, Neal

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