How to install a 50w GMRS Transceiver into a 2017 Ford Fusion

[Sonicgott]

I've looked at all sorts of articles, and whilst I get close to the answers I'm looking for, I don't get any direct ones, and I want to make sure there's no oversight on what I need to do.

Wiring antennas, mounting the bracket and positioning of the radio and face plate are the trivial part. Many sources talk about this, but this isn't what I'm looking for.

What some people say that is the most is to run DIRECTLY to the battery using an inline fuse, positive to the battery, and negative to the chassis ground of my vehicle.

1. What connectors do I need for my wires? I obviously can't just wrap the wire around the battery and tape it. No video shows me what's needed.

2. What fuse in the inline positive do I need? 13.8v at 50w is 3.62amps... so... the idea of a 5amp fuse doesn't sound right, though. I'm missing something in the math.

3. Should I wire through my fuse box, instead? It'd be nice to connect to my relay to my ignition, so that when my car starts, my radio turns on, and when my car is off, the radio is off. Because I *WILL* forget to turn off the radio.

Someone mentioned getting an external relay... I have no idea what to look for or how to attach it to my car.

My current radio is an MXT105B, which is a weakling compared to the 50W powerhouses. Obviously, it is NOT recommended to try to wire this to an auxiliary socket in the car, e.g., the cigarette lighter socket, as that's "dirty power," and the radio could draw enough current to potentially cause problems.

Any detailed answers are greatly appreciated. I'm new to hooking up mobile radios and I don't want to screw this up. Thanks in advance!

[nokones]

You will not see anywhere near twenty amps unless you are keying two Wouxun KG1000G Pluses simultaneously.

In my previous post I kinda Oops on the power draw whereas I said 9 amps. However, I was close but .87 amp shy of being accurate.

So, I decided to do some testing just for giggles this afternoon with a Wouxun KG1000G Plus.  I don't use the radio so it just sits on a shelf and this test gave me an opportunity to fire it up, then I'll put it back on the shelf.

At a voltage level of 14.1 DC, the radio in the idle mode, you will see .41 amp draw. In the receive mode you will see .44 amp draw. In the transmit mode at 50.5 watts into a dummy load you will see 9.87 amps draw, and the little itty-bitty fan was twirling around.

There you have it. Pick your fuse poison. In my opinion you should do fine with a 15 amp fuse.

[WSAM454]

22 minutes ago, Sonicgott said:

Sincerely appreciate everyone's help in this manner. In time I'll decide on the radio. A lot of people are recommending the KG1000G+, but reviews tell me that the speaker is weak.

Actually, the radio has 2 speakers, one for the "left" display and one for the "right."   You can also use external speaker(s).   The speaker in the mic can also be used instead of or in addition to the built-in one(s), but that one is not very loud.

[WRYZ926]

The speakers work fine on the KG-1000G. A lot will depend on how/where the main body of the radio is mounted. One also has to take in environmental noises too.

The built in speakers are fine for the KG-1000G in my office/shack. I did have to go with an external speaker with the KG-1000G in my Ford Escape size the main body is under the driver's seat. The Mic speaker was not loud enough.

One word of caution. Don't bother trying to get a Y adaptor and using only one external speaker plugged into both speaker ports. It will cut the volume in half. So if you want to monitor both A and B, you will need two speakers to hear both sides. 

I like the Icom SP35 speakers and use one for my KG-1000G and one for my TYT TH-7800 in my Escape. They can be found for $35 on Amazon. I know there are cheaper speakers out there but the Icom SP35's work well.

[nokones]

In case that anyone was wondering what would be the draw with both receivers receiving traffic, add an additional hundredth of an amp for a total draw of .45 amp when both receivers are receiving.  FYI - the factory inline buss fuse is 15 amps.  So, it is obviously that the manufacturer never intended for this radio ever see a 20 amp draw and if that was the case you'll be replacing a gazillion fuses every time you key up.

[WRYZ926]

The Wouxun KG-1000G comes with 15 amp fuses. In fact most 50 watt mobile radios come with at least one 15 amp fuse on the power lead. Some will also have a 15 amp fuse on the ground lead.

[nokones]

The appropriate sized Ring Terminals and connect to the battery terminal and a grounding point for the ground wire.

It appears that your radio draws very little power. I would say 7.5 amp or 10 amp fuse.

Check your owners manual and see if there is a switched ignition circuit power point for auxiliary devices and if there is one verify the maximum load. If there is no auxiliary circuit power point do not splice into an existing circuit. The electrical systems for modern cars are not like the old days and could be part of a network and they are not engineered for any additional loading.

[WSAM454]

A 50 Watt Output radio will need about twice the current to actually produce 50 W out, so a 10-15 Amp fuse would be close.   (roughly 14 VDC at  10 A is 140Watts.)    Depending on how the car battery cable is connected to the battery, you might be able to use an existing bolt along with a ring terminal, as nokones said.  A current draw of about 15 amps would mean using 12 or 10 gauge cable, especially if it is along run from the battery to the radio.   If you want to disconnect when the vehicle is off, then a relay connected to a switch power line would be the way to go.   The power cable would connect to the relay's terminals, and the relay would be energized when the vehicle is switched on.    You would need a relay capable of handling the possible 10- 15 amps current of draw.   One like this:   It can be wired under the hood, near the battery, and would need a small gauge (AWG 14 or 16) to connect it to the switched line.

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-0332209150-Fuel-Injection-Relay/dp/B004Z0U1IW/ref=sr_1_10?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6CiXZXcyMGg2s9FmvU_NFD_Mn9BDoW6bjYpTM_FSQloeyDfoCgJX4-e_vZlL8hliWO7eqhhc9Rny31HhLnaQr_ByzSTtIeO-qSFCEnz94bLiGSq90Bsaj8oLEXfxO3qmhnktxHf0D4cMOmh5oREUzHFLd_VpX7bgoHCMHL0HdfvyCRvoCSRPdOL9KLGk-np8QWAVEXBdltaAKnlmg6Bv_VLLxeKePEbJlfcmiGAALos.FszfNxua0PJmmlnp5Kj8u-SpIuFUBOlB0KiRV1-l_bE&dib_tag=se&keywords=12v+relay&qid=1714702608&sr=8-10

[Sonicgott]

52 minutes ago, nokones said:

The appropriate sized Ring Terminals and connect to the battery terminal and a grounding point for the ground wire.

It appears that your radio draws very little power. I would say 7.5 amp or 10 amp fuse.

Check your owners manual and see if there is a switched ignition circuit power point for auxiliary devices and if there is one verify the maximum load. If there is no auxiliary circuit power point do not splice into an existing circuit. The electrical systems for modern cars are not like the old days and could be part of a network and they are not engineered for any additional loading.

The thing I’m looking to do is upgrading to a 50W GMRS radio, such as the Midland MXT500 or Wouxun KG1005G+. I’m thinking a 15 or 20Amp fuse to be safe. Probably 20. 
 

Also, I’ve investigated the areas of my vehicle for installation. Referencing other YouTube videos, I’ve found that the glove box and vent on the passenger side can be removed, and from the inside of the hood, deep into the passenger side, there is a flat portion of a rubber grommet that I could puncture using something like a coat hanger, or a hard curved wire to feed the cables into the vehicle. From there I can route the power cord to the radio.

I’ll make sure to get some wire looms to protect the wires from the heat.

This will take some work, but it’s doable.

As far as accessory relays go, I’ll check and see what’s possible. I would want to make sure it’s at least a 15Amp fuse and not anything less.

Many people are saying to wire the radio directly to the battery to eliminate possible line noise. Only downside is that I have to remember to turn my radio off when turning off the car.

[WSAM454]

A quick sketch as to how to wire the radio so it will turn on and off with the vehicle:

 

(The relay addresses your point 3 in your original pos, and you should be able to find a fuse on the fuse block that has 12VDC only when the ignition is "on."  (Vehicle radio power would be one example.)  Referencing the linked relay above, the coil is terminals 85 and 86.  Terminal 30 goes to the cable from the fuse, and the radio connects to terminal 87.  (not 87a!)

 

[Sonicgott]

21 minutes ago, WSAM454 said:

A quick sketch as to how to wire the radio so it will turn on and off with the vehicle:

 

(The relay addresses your point 3 in your original pos, and you should be able to find a fuse on the fuse block that has 12VDC only when the ignition is "on."  (Vehicle radio power would be one example.)  Referencing the linked relay above, the coil is terminals 85 and 86.  Terminal 30 goes to the cable from the fuse, and the radio connects to terminal 87.  (not 87a!)

 

Okay, this should be fun to try to interpret I believe there's a fuse access from the top of my car, as well as the inside of my car. Investigating those... I'll look at the relay and see what all needs to be done.

In the mean time, here's some quick and dirty snapshots of my car and what I need to do to wire stuff. If I'm incorrect on any of these, please point them out. I've found out I can pull a line through my firewall near a grommet from the passenger side, going through the back of the glove box once removed.

[Sonicgott]

The relay link shown was not compatible. Looking for compatible relays, but not sure what to connect to the relay or how.

[WRWE456]

Also most radios come with the wire and fuse's. The KG1000G+ does.

[WRYZ926]

Here is a basic diagram on how to wire up a 12V relay.

So for a radio, you wire the ground lead directly to a chassis ground. The radio's power lead goes to pin 87 on the relay. Run a wire from the relay pin 30 to the battery positive post. Find a switched power source and wire it to the relay pin 86. The relay pin 85 also goes to a chassis ground.

The nice thing about relays is that you can use a lower amperage circuit to control the relay. The relay will close when power is applied to pin 86. Using a switched power source to control the relay will cut power to the radio when the vehicle is off. 

It is recommended to ground accessory, such as radios, directly to a chassis ground for newer vehicles with the auto start/stop system. The reason is due to the battery control module that is connected directly to the battery negative post. Hooking accessory grounds directly to the battery negative post can mess up the Auto Start/Stop system and the Battery Control Module.

[Sonicgott]

Just needing to figure out where to connect pin 86 to, where a positive trigger source can be found. Thanks for the reference diagram.

[SteveShannon]

6 minutes ago, Sonicgott said:

Just needing to figure out where to connect pin 86 to, where a positive trigger source can be found. Thanks for the reference diagram.

Does your cigarette lighter/power port come on with ignition?

[Sonicgott]

3 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Does your cigarette lighter/power port come on with ignition?

It does, yes. I assume you're referring to something else, but can't use a 50w radio with a cigarette lighter socket. But I wonder what part of my fuse box connects to that... could tap that.

[SteveShannon]

5 hours ago, Sonicgott said:

It does, yes. I assume you're referring to something else, but can't use a 50w radio with a cigarette lighter socket. But I wonder what part of my fuse box connects to that... could tap that.

I was referring to the part of your post that I quoted.  You said you needed to figure out where to get power to activate the relay. You already agreed that you would be running power from the battery to terminal 30 on the relay. When the power comes on to the power port the relay closes and terminal 87 goes hot powering up the radio.

Just be sure to use an automotive relay with sufficient current capability.  I’ve used Tyco with good results. Good luck.

[WRYZ926]

The cigarette lighter/charging port will work fine as long as it is a switched circuit. One does not need a lot of amps to active the relay. That is why relays are preferred when adding a high power accessory to vehicles.

Your  high amp draw circuit goes from the battery in to pin 30 and out on pin 87. Pin 86 can be a low amp circuit since it doesn't take much to close the relay and allow the higher amp draw between pin 30 and 87.

You can also add an On/Off switch on the positive switch source (from power to pin 86) if you want. Again this is how high amperage off road lights are commonly wired.

And as @Sshannon said,, any automotive 12V relay will work as long as it is rated for the amperage draw of the radio. The Wouxun KG-1000G will draw about 12-14 amps when transmitting on high power. So a 20 amp relay will work if you only want to connect one radio. If you are wanting to install two radios then I would go with a 25 or 30 amp relay.

[nokones]

10 hours ago, Sonicgott said:

The thing I’m looking to do is upgrading to a 50W GMRS radio, such as the Midland MXT500 or Wouxun KG1005G+. I’m thinking a 15 or 20Amp fuse to be safe. Probably 20. 
 

Also, I’ve investigated the areas of my vehicle for installation. Referencing other YouTube videos, I’ve found that the glove box and vent on the passenger side can be removed, and from the inside of the hood, deep into the passenger side, there is a flat portion of a rubber grommet that I could puncture using something like a coat hanger, or a hard curved wire to feed the cables into the vehicle. From there I can route the power cord to the radio.

I’ll make sure to get some wire looms to protect the wires from the heat.

This will take some work, but it’s doable.

As far as accessory relays go, I’ll check and see what’s possible. I would want to make sure it’s at least a 15Amp fuse and not anything less.

Many people are saying to wire the radio directly to the battery to eliminate possible line noise. Only downside is that I have to remember to turn my radio off when turning off the car.

You shouldn't see more than 9 amps peak when keying either radio. A 15 amp fuse should be very adequate and appropriate.

[SteveShannon]

The radio will probably come with the right size fuse holder and fuse (maybe two) in the power cable.

[Sonicgott]

Sincerely appreciate everyone's help in this manner. In time I'll decide on the radio. A lot of people are recommending the KG1000G+, but reviews tell me that the speaker is weak.

[Sonicgott]

Here’s an update for you all:

First off, THANK YOU! Up and operational!

Secondly, it was an absolute pain to get through the firewall. I was at it for an hour. Ended up with three trips to the hardware store for specific tools. BUT, it’s working. Radio is running well, antenna receives nicely. Gonna keep testing this as I progress.

Loomed the wires inside for protection. Had to go through the glove box to get to the firewall. Needed a coat hanger to puncture the grommet. Taped up and lubricated the cables to pull them through. Ring clips crimped and tied to the appropriate areas. Radio reports no errors.

So, thank you again. It was a huge pain, but I got it done thanks to you all.