Radio/CD Player Install

[DennisP]

Simple question, but I want to make sure that I'm not overlooking the obvious.

I have installed a radio/CD player in my '97 180 RS StingRay. The radio manual and the boat wiring diagram show two circuits (not counting ground) from the radio. One going to the fuse block and one to the ignition. I did not find one from the ignition. I pulled the dash panel and that wire to the radio is not there. The diagram shows 4 total wires to the ignition, mine has only 3.

Is there any problem in attaching an additional wire onto one of the other wires on the switched side of the ignition? Thanks

 

[bowman316]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

It can get very confusing behind the dash, So I just ran a positive and negative wire straight from the battery to the player. But you must put a fuse in the positive wire.

And there should also be an igintion wire comming from the dash, make sure this fuse is good too.

 

[DennisP]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

Bowman...thanks for the reply. That's probably going to be the easiest way.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

No -- going to the battery is not the easiest way when the radio is six inches away from a whole array of ignition switched circuits. The +12v wire connected to the "I" terminal on any of the gauges will service this purpose. Why add 15 feet of wire when less than a foot will do.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

No -- going to the battery is not the easiest way when the radio is six inches away from a whole array of ignition switched circuits. The +12v wire connected to the "I" terminal on any of the gauges will serve this purpose. Why add 15 feet of wire when less than a foot will do. The wire to the fuse panel operates the internal station memory and the clock when the key is off. The wire to the ignition circuit is the main power feed to the radio. If this is a very high power unit, you can connect that wire to the fuse panel as well but you need to turn the radio on and off manually. If your boat has a MASTER on/off switch, wire it to the load side of that switch.

 

[DennisP]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

Silvertip....thanks for the input. It's logical, just didn't think about the gauge circuits.

 

[soc45cer1]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

one other thing you can try is take a voltage meter and test the wires going into the ignition by turning the key on then off... the wire that gains voltage with the key on and loses voltage with the key off, that's your red wire off the radio. then you should also find one that is constant 12VDC, that is your yellow wire off the radio.

 

[PondTunes]

Re: Radio/CD Player Install

Typically I don't wire a radio to the ignition switched circuits such as the instrument lights because to listen to the radio you're required to have the switch in the on position. No idea what your boat is but why have the ignition system on the engine powered up just to listen to the radio at the dock? If you have a spare toggle switch on the dash use that on the red wire of the radio, if not twist the yellow and red wires together on the radio harness and hook them up to 12v constant then use the radio's off switch/feature to turn it off when not in use. If you're worried about leaving it on when you exit the boat perhaps a lighted toggle would be the way to go.