Hello all,

I'm installing a CB in my rig and I'm hoping someone has a good source of constant 12V near the radio cluster. Truck is a 2003 1500 QC 4x4, base model so very few interior power options.

I checked stickies & searched, no dice Any help avoiding hours with the mutltimeter appreciated

 

In my 2008 there is Ingnition source off the cigar socket. pink/yel stripe it's a thicker 12awg wire and rated for 20amps i believe. I tapped off that for my radio.
if you want a constant, then i would go under and tap into a 10awg wire under the column that has direct feed for the starter.

 

The cig lighter only has power when key is set to on, the other plug in down low to the left of the cup holder is constant.

 

I don't have aplug down low and yes as i stated it is an ignition source. The Only source i would tap for one of those things. if you forget to turn the dial off or just leave it on, the draw on those things is enough to kill your battery within a few hours.
if you are listening to a cb, then you must be driving? Unless you have nothing better to do with your time than sit out in your truck all night long????/...lol

 

Bingo, that's what I was looking for. Thanks man

And yes, I want it to remain on even with the truck off. This rig is used for towing my trailer/off-road truck combo, and its not uncommon to be sitting at the staging area waiting for the last few straglers to come out of the woods before we head to camp. Would be nice to not have to turn the truck on (ie: stereo and HVAC running too) just to keep an ear out for any problems.

 

The stock radio is a good place to get power from. On mine is was a stock am/fm/cassette and there were 2 powers and 2 grounds. the radio only used one of each. If you pull the radio out and unplug it, it is easy to see. You could also just plug it into the bottom outlet which is what it seems you may be doing.

 

i have my cb and scanner ran through the radio so i can leave them on and don't have to worry about turning them off when i turn off the truck