New Mckinley Install

[undertaker]

Going to install the new radio in my pick up. What size wire should I use going to the battery??

Thanks
Bobby

 

[sp5it]

Thick enough.
Can be easily calculated with Ohm's law.
Mike

 

[undertaker]

10 gauge or 12 ???

 

[undertaker]

I dont know about ohms law just a simple question.

 

[ExitThirteen]

You bought the export version, correct? 10 or 12 gauge wire will work just fine. Install whatever you have an abundance of.


~Cheers~

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Depends on how far you have to run it. From the battery in a pickup truck to the cab either one should be fine because it doesn't have far to go and the radio is not that big. Amplifiers are a different story.

 

[TM86]

0 gauge. That way the wire is in place when you decide to run a couple KW.

 

[M0GVZ]

0 gauge. That way the wire is in place when you decide to run a couple KW.

Pretty much how I wire power. Nice big thick cables from battery to connector blocks like below, connect radios etc to that.

 

[Riverman]

I dont know about ohms law just a simple question.

At first, I thought Mike was being flip, but I'm guessing he was just suggesting Googling Ohm's Law, calculating the gauge and learning from the experience.
What he didn't factor in is that guys like us prefer a shorter less tiresome route.
In other words, as Lt. Joe Friday would say:

 

[sp5it]

O, I try again. What length and what amperage will flow through?
Mike

 

[Riverman]

O, I try again. What length and what amperage will flow through?
Mike

 

[undertaker]

At first, I thought Mike was being flip, but I'm guessing he was just suggesting Googling Ohm's Law, calculating the gauge and learning from the experience.
What he didn't factor in is that guys like us prefer a shorter less tiresome route.
In other words, as Lt. Joe Friday would say:

View attachment 29859

You got it my friend!!! Im not a mental giant I deal with dead people

 

[Big Kahuna]

For that radio you will probably just want to go up one gauge from the wire it's supplied with. It's just a single final CB I think.

M0GVZ has it right for the long term setup - I do the same thing and run big gauge from battery to my power block and then I can run the shorter length of whatever I need depending on the radio or amp I have in the vehicle at the time. I also use a 50 amp fuse at the battery in addition to fuses on each piece of equipment.

 

[undertaker]

Thank you sir....

 

[Slowmover]

That’s the better setup than I recommended in other thread.

It’s how I do it in the Peterbilt. (The run from BATT to radio is enormous).

There are some calcs that lay out amperage drop over distance done up in charts. Easy to read.

Max possible amp draw over extended period. Wiring and connectors can get hot. “Too big” kinda doesn’t exist.

Will need type crimp for BIG connectors. Or a handy car stereo store to help out.