Installation Manual

14221-1850-4000, Rev. A
33
6.4 WIRING AND CABLING REQUIREMENTS
6.4.1 Crimping Requirements
Use the proper crimp tool to insure a permanent connection is achieved. Pliers are never allowed. Ratcheting
crimpers are recommended.
6.4.2 Splicing Requirements
Splicing the 12 VDC (A+) wire is not allowed. For other wires, if a splice must be installed such as to
extend the wire, the following requirements must be followed:
1. When wire is routed through hidden locations such as door jams, under the dash or otherwise hidden
from view, use a solid run.
Any splice installed must be visible to future service technicians. The best way to accomplish this is to
cut off the wire back near the equipment connector and splice on a new wire.
2. The splice wire used must have insulation rated for use in an engine compartment.
3. Estimate the length of the run and determine required wire gauge.
The gauge of the wire used must be based on the length of cable run for a load of approximately
10 Amps and maximum allowable voltage drop of 200 mV at peak load. If larger gauge wire is not
required, the same gauge can be used, but never a smaller gauge.
4. When splicing a wire that could be exposed to moisture, use a butt splice encased within heat shrink
tubing to seal the connection.
6.4.3 Battery Connection Requirements
The 12 VDC power source should be the battery if possible. Other sources can be used if a battery
connection is not available or feasible. Acceptable sources are the input to the main relay/fuse panel in the
engine compartment, other main 12 VDC terminal, or installation of an auxiliary fuse block.
An inline fuse holder is used for the mobile radio/Control Head to protect the equipment and the vehicle
from a possible short circuit or excessive current draw. The fuse amperage must be according to this
installation manual. The fuse holder is water resistant to protect the fuse from the elements and avoid the
possibility of corrosion. For optimum safety, the fuse should be placed as close to the battery as possible.
If an auxiliary fuse block is being installed, the conductor used to connect it to 12 VDC should be gauged
large enough to support the current flow of all the equipment that is fed by the block. The gauge of the
cable to be used must be based on the length of cable run for a load of approximately 10 Amps and
maximum allowable voltage drop of 200 mV at peak load. In most cases this conductor consists of #6 AWG
or #8 AWG wire. The insulation of this conductor must be properly rated for engine compartments. An
inline fuse holder must be installed on this wire near the battery. The fuse holder must be water resistant
and the amperage of the fuse installed should be rated large enough to handle the total current flow of the
block. In most cases, the fuse rating is 30 or 50 amps. In this configuration, the radio and Control Head in-
line fuse holders will be located between the auxiliary fuse block and the radio/Control Head.
If the battery system is not a 12 VDC system, a converter must be installed. The same requirements apply
for the wire feeding the convertor as are listed in the previous paragraph for an auxiliary fuse block. Output
specification of converter should match radio’s DC power specification and should be clean (no noise).
The radio performance may be impacted if output of the converter is noisy.