Thanks for sharing. I’m a ham as well and looking to install my radio in my mk 7.5 gti. Did you need to run power directly from the battery or were you able to grab power from the rear somewhere? Thanks
Marc – I don’t advocate powering ham equipment from any of the small gauge circuits that run throughout the car. I ran a 4-gauge wire directly from the battery. It feeds the electronics panel in the trunk. There’s a description in the 5th paragraph at https://stealthgti.com/electronics-suite/. Thanks for visiting! -Scott
Hi Scott, there’s a lot of great stuff here (along with the links to your 12v power distribution network)! I’m currently hooking up my Toyota Tacoma with a Midland MXT575 GMRS. I sometimes make long trips in my Golf Sportwagen and I’ve thought about the ability of bringing over the GMRS with another mount, power, and antenna installed on the Golf. My question is (and really just double checking): I should be able to connect power straight to the battery (grounding somewhere in the engine bay) with no problem if powering only the GMRS, correct?
Thanks for writing, Dana! Look into Anderson Powerpole connectors. I think you could run 10-12 gauge wire from your battery to an interior location (under the front seat?) on each car. The end in the interior would have the powerpoles. Then you put powerpoles on the radio cables. From there, moving the radio from one vehicle to the other can be done without tools! As for grounding, instead of a location “somewhere in the engine bay,” go for the stud where the battery’s negative terminal is connected. It’s just two inches from the battery terminal in your Golf. It may be similar in your Tacoma. Do not connect to the negative terminal of your battery if it has a BMS module. Most cars that have the engine “auto start/stop” feature have a BMS. Of course, all of this assumes that you want a direct battery connection instead of a switched circuit. Good Luck!
This is so great – thanks. I’ve got an MK7 Golf as well and you provided so many great tips that will save me a tremendous amount of time. The antenna mount is gold!
Question – where did you feed in power to the interior? Is there an existing grommet you took advantage of in the firewall?
Thanks for writing, Mark! I found a grommet with “nipples” on it behind the battery. So, I pierced one and sent the wire through. I have photos in an album at the bottom of https://stealthgti.com/12v-power-distribution/. If your car has a DSG, you may find an easier path through where the clutch mechanics would normally pass. Take care!
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Thanks for sharing. I’m a ham as well and looking to install my radio in my mk 7.5 gti. Did you need to run power directly from the battery or were you able to grab power from the rear somewhere? Thanks
Marc – I don’t advocate powering ham equipment from any of the small gauge circuits that run throughout the car. I ran a 4-gauge wire directly from the battery. It feeds the electronics panel in the trunk. There’s a description in the 5th paragraph at https://stealthgti.com/electronics-suite/. Thanks for visiting! -Scott
Hi Scott, there’s a lot of great stuff here (along with the links to your 12v power distribution network)! I’m currently hooking up my Toyota Tacoma with a Midland MXT575 GMRS. I sometimes make long trips in my Golf Sportwagen and I’ve thought about the ability of bringing over the GMRS with another mount, power, and antenna installed on the Golf. My question is (and really just double checking): I should be able to connect power straight to the battery (grounding somewhere in the engine bay) with no problem if powering only the GMRS, correct?
Thanks for writing, Dana! Look into Anderson Powerpole connectors. I think you could run 10-12 gauge wire from your battery to an interior location (under the front seat?) on each car. The end in the interior would have the powerpoles. Then you put powerpoles on the radio cables. From there, moving the radio from one vehicle to the other can be done without tools! As for grounding, instead of a location “somewhere in the engine bay,” go for the stud where the battery’s negative terminal is connected. It’s just two inches from the battery terminal in your Golf. It may be similar in your Tacoma. Do not connect to the negative terminal of your battery if it has a BMS module. Most cars that have the engine “auto start/stop” feature have a BMS. Of course, all of this assumes that you want a direct battery connection instead of a switched circuit. Good Luck!
This is so great – thanks. I’ve got an MK7 Golf as well and you provided so many great tips that will save me a tremendous amount of time. The antenna mount is gold!
Question – where did you feed in power to the interior? Is there an existing grommet you took advantage of in the firewall?
Thanks,
-Mark (N6AZX)
Thanks for writing, Mark! I found a grommet with “nipples” on it behind the battery. So, I pierced one and sent the wire through. I have photos in an album at the bottom of https://stealthgti.com/12v-power-distribution/. If your car has a DSG, you may find an easier path through where the clutch mechanics would normally pass. Take care!