Radio hookup question

[48Rob]

I'm installing one on my motorcycle.

It has yellow constant and Red switched power wires.

Using a battery/power source on the bench, the only way the radio will turn on/operate is by tying the red and yellow together and connecting to the power source.
Ground is of course connected.

The radio has a clock and who knows what else running all the time.
As a test, I left the radio connected to the battery (small 10 Amp hr 12 volt) for two days, this morning, it is dead.
The radio was turned off, but the clock, etc, was still drawing power.
My meter showed a constant draw of .06 Amps.

My question is, can I simply connect the yellow and red power wires together, and then connect to the ignition switch controlled power source?
I realize the clock, etc. won't operate.

Is there any long term harm to the radio by wiring it this way?

Thanks!

Rob

[BILLYL]

Rob-

What radio is it??? Make and model would be helpful...

Thanks

Bill

[Nitetimes]

No reason that I can think of that you couldn't do that. I've had them hooked up like that before. The only drawbacks are pretty much what you mentioned.
The only other thing is if you have a CD in it every time you shut the key off it will reset to track 1 rather than remembering where it was and you'll have no radio station memory so you'll need to find you radio station at each restart.

Did you have both wires attached to the battery?? If so try it with just the memory wire hooked up and see if that kills your battery as fast, your hot wire won't be hook to the battery when the key is off.

[48Rob]

Sorry Bill

The radio is a Boss Marine MR2080


Rob

[48Rob]

Did you have both wires attached to the battery?? If so try it with just the memory wire hooked up and see if that kills your battery as fast, your hot wire won't be hook to the battery when the key is off.

Hi Rich,

Thanks.

Both wires were attached.
I tried an Amp draw test with just the constant wire connected, but there is -0- draw as nothing will come on unless both hot wires are connected.

Rob

[Nobody]

I have a similar situation Rob, only mine is with my radio in the TD.

I have a Voyager AM/FM stereo with CD player, clock, pre-sets, CD memory, etc. When I installed it I ran both 'power' wires directly to the battery (filtered?) lug on my converter & put a simple 'rocker' switch in the 'operating' power line. The clock/memory/pre-sets, etc, all operate constantly, I suppose from the other power wire. Dunno what kind of power 'draw' as I haven't measured it (how do I do that?).

Have had no problem with the radio unless I let the TD set for long periods with no AC power connected. My TD battery is a Wal-Mart Group 24, 75AH, 'QuickStart' model that is supposed to be 'deep cycle' but I'm not sure 'bout that. If I leave the TD 'un-hooked' from AC power for more than a couple of weeks, something 'kills' the battery in a week or ten days (voltage drops from 12.7 to under 11vdc)?? Only thing I can figure is it's the radio as there's no other electrical draw that I can think of.

We've 'dry camped' for up to 4-5 days using only the TD battery for power, not being particularly conservative with lights, etc, & the battery still had 12v or better upon returning home (no charge from TV yet) so I don't believe I have a 'bad' battery. May just hafta remove the fuse from the power wire to see what happens then with a fully charged battery.

[48Rob]

Hi Harvey,

To measure the power "draw" you need an meter that has the DC Amp draw function.
The leads of the meter are placed one on the power source, and the other on the load, or in this case the radio "hot" wire.
The current then flows thru the meter, which measures how many Amps are being used.

I have my DVD player, and television in the trailer switched so I can completely disconnect them from the trailers battery system.
Works great.

On the motorcycle, it would be much easier to just connect both hot wires to an ignition switch controlled power source.
I'm forgetful...and don't want a dead battery...

The bike doesn't have a kick starter, and I don't think I could push it far enough to start it, or do so without dropping it (very heavy).

Rob

[Joanne]

Rob,

I just can't believe that you want a radio on your motorcycle!

Joanne

I have XM on mine.....

[48Rob]

Joanne,

I hear you

Gotta enjoy life while we can!

When I start asking about hooking up a television...then somebody needs to smack me...

Rob

[asianflava]

There is no harm in hooking connecting both the constant and switched power directly to switched power. Though, like everyone mentioned you will loose your presets which can be a PITA. On the flip side, it is also OK to connect it like Harvey where you connect both wires to the constant.

Another option is to connect it normally, but add a switch to the red wire. This way, you can completely disconnect the radio if you plan on not using the bike for a while or leave it on when you are using the bike.

[MidTNJasonF]

You can certainly wire it up the way you are talking about. I would personally recommend setting it up as intended with a constant and a switched power wire then add a battery tender with a quick disconnect.

They are not that expensive and they do a wonderful job of keeping the bike ready to run. I keep several bikes that can go months at a time with out being started and they never give me trouble.

I have also seen memory keepers, not much more than 9v battery, put on the constant source line. That keeps your station memory and such. I am not sure long the battery lasts.

[48Rob]

Thank you!

As long as no harm is done, I'll get this project finished!

The pre sets aren't a problem.
The radio has a wired remote, so the controls will be at my fingertips.
It also has a scan/find function that drops in all the good signals nearby in just a couple seconds.

The switch and battery tender are both good ideas, but require more effort than I want to expend on a regular basis, and also require my remembering to use them...
The bike starts fine after sitting for the winter with no extra charging.
But the draw from the radio could change that..., or worse, leave it dead after a couple days in the middle of nowhere, which is where I like to go.

I appreciate all the ideas and tips.

Thanks!

Rob

[48Rob]

I'm happy to say that after quite a few hours spent, it is finished!



I chose a marine radio with a wired remote, as I didn't want to spend the money for, or have an enclosure in the windshield area.
I considered putting the head unit in the side bag, but it wouldn't fit.
I ended up buying a marine watertight enclosure, and mounting it under the luggage rack.
It looked okay, but the radio was too large to allow the waterproof door to close. No problem, the radio face was waterproof anyway!

However, it wasn't the greatest look... so after a bit of thinking, a ten dollar Wal mart cooler did the trick!

I still have all my side box and luggage area room, the head unit is safely tucked away, and I have the controls at my fingertips.
It sounds good, and I think, looks pretty good.
The big speakers will take some getting used to...but everything comes at a price...
Maybe I'll paint the remote black too...

I did have to modify the license plate location, and the luggage rack, but it was worth it to save the space.

Rob