[Elecraft] OT: 2017 Chevy Silverado 1500 power outlets

Tue Jun 27 03:07:45 EDT 2017

Gene,

I also have a Chevy 2500HD with the Duramax/Allison combination and it's 
a 2007.  It's purpose in life is to haul the RV and it's never failed 
me... even on places like Alaska, YT and the wilds of Southern 
California where the roads are even worse.

First your questions:  Look at the fuse block, that will give you a 
specific answer, not likely more than 10 amps.  They're always on, not 
ignition sensed (that means pay attention if parked for a while, even 
with the two batteries standard on diesel).

BUT:  I would NOT trust the power ports for any radio (other than my 
scanner, which draws less than an amp). The chassis bonding is suspect 
at best and it's a great place to listen for noise; which isn't what you 
want to hear.  It's not clean power.  It's also a direct feed into the 
same circuits that manage the engine, the diagnostics, as well as most 
of the 'features' of the vehicle.  Connecting to the battery (a HUGE 
capacitor) removes most of that concern.

Moving on, here is what I did.

Like Phil, I also ran a separate circuit just for RF gear (my mobile is 
the TS-480HX, peak draw about 42 amps).  I run #12 romex to both battery 
leads; self resetting 50 amp automotive circuit breakers (auto parts 
store, not WalMart) next to the battery to protect the wiring on BOTH 
the positive and negative leads (KEY POINT, BOTH are run to the 
battery)*.  That runs to the back seat where it goes into a distribution 
block for the HF and VHF radios, each radio protected by the proper fuse 
at that point.  The RF deck is solidly bonded to the chassis and a 
couple ferrite chokes are used (on on the Tarheel control line and on 
the mic/control head lines).  The antenna is attached to the bed of the 
truck which is solidly attached (several points) to the frame (I could 
likely improve it but haven't found the need).  [Yes, I technically 
exceed the 50A limit but I don't talk on both radios at the same time.]

The only noise I get from the engine is injector noise on 20M, which is 
removed by the noise blanker.  The only issue I have is occasional 
turning off of the cruise control while on 40M (200 watts output).  If I 
have the scanner antenna attached, there is a little more RF getting 
into the electronics but nothing fatal.  Now that I know the cause, I 
unplug the scanner antenna if on HF.

* The power wires are run through the gap in the fender from the engine 
compartment (around the firewall, not through) to the A column (front of 
the door frame), is carefully bent to match the post shape then run 
under the door seal (on the column) to the wiring channel under the 
doors.  Yes, it's visible if the door is open and the seals form around 
it.  Being that it never is fully 'outside', rain does not leak in.  The 
distribution is an APP block and the connectors are taped once attached 
to the block (because APP opens at the worst possible moment and the 
road vibration ensures that; tape is a cheap lock/fix).

After over 80k miles I can say it works.  The control heads are mounted 
on the dash (I built a metal frame so the dash doesn't have holes in it) 
and I put a towel over them to keep the sun off (and prying eyes when 
parked).  I chose the '480 because it is a mobile radio capable of 200 
watts output which pays off in a mobile environment.  It's not Elecraft 
quality but I don't listen to low level signals while hauling the RV; 
it's adequate for the task and the controls are very simple.

Another key point about mobile installs is that the driver operator 
should not have to take the eyes out of the normal scan path while 
driving to make a change on the radio. Left mirror, windshield, center 
mirror, windshield, right mirror, windshield, gauges, windshield, 
repeat.  Having the rig controls within that scan window makes for a 
much safer driver.  It is a deadly SIN to put the controls in a place 
that the driver can't use peripheral vision (at the least) while 
effecting a change on the controls.  Tactile isn't good enough.  That 
removes the K3 (probably the K2 as well) from your choices unless you 
only operate while parked (then get outside!) or as a passenger. 
Remember that with the engine NOT running, the voltages are lower, 
performance will be diminished (including signal purity).  Remember that 
parts of the dash are also air bags and your radio could be implanted in 
your face during an accident, choose your location wisely.

Also note that some states (CA and NV for sure) currently do not allow 
any driver (except LE/FD) to operate a radio (it's changing in CA but is 
currently illegal).  CO has an equally restrictive 'distraction' law as 
well, so do not become an issue (or statistic).  In the rush to create 
more anti-texting laws (a good thing in concept but enforcement of 
existing laws makes better sense) many of the laws are written by folks 
that don't know how to write laws and do not consider radio users 
(private or commercial) then lump them in together with cell phones.  
Check your local laws.

73,
Rick wa6nhc/7 North ID

On 6/26/2017 10:46 PM, Phil Hystad wrote:
> Gene,
>
> Well, my Silverado is 2004, not 2017, but HD2500 Crew Cab, which is a little bigger than a 1500.
>
> I didn’t bother with trying to use existing wiring, rather I just took my truck down to the local Car Toys dealership and told them what I wanted and they did it.  They are experts at wiring vehicles for huge amp draws from the battery due to the likes of people wanting to have some huge audio amp pushing several hundred watts of power into the speaker systems they also added to a car.
>
> So, I had the wiring done up to handle 80 amps because at the time this was being done I was also contemplating a 500 watt amplifier (the SGC Cube).  They ran the positive and negative lines, which were about almost 1/3 inch in diameter under the frame to the crew cab (rear) area where the brought the cables up thru the floor where they placed a high-current distribution box where I could hook up my own wiring to then rig (or rigs).
>
> I also had them create a nice pass-thru coaxial adapter for hooking up my antenna coax which ran under the frame to the back corner panel by the stake hole and up to where my Hi-Q antenna was located.  Everything waterproof of course.  And, I had them add about 6 placed ground straps between different parts of the truck frame and cab to ensure that everything was well grounded.
>
> About $400 for the entire job or about the cost for dinner for two at the Herb Farm Restaurant in Woodinville, Washington.
>
> There is one thing I would look into and that is the RFI you would cause to the electronics in the truck.  With a 100-watt output on my rig I could cause some of the engine check lights to flash on.  Nothing bad ever happened but the lights would often stay on until the engine was shutdown and when started again everything was fine.  This only happened on the 40 meter band though.  Must have been just the right coupling at those frequencies.
>
> The 2017 vehicles have a lot more electronics and computers one them then the ones back in 2004 and you are likely to have some problems (possibly) and even with 100 watts or maybe even less.  A K2 at 10 watts is probably not a problem though.
>
> 73, phil, K7PEH
>
>
>> On Jun 26, 2017, at 9:48 PM, Eugene Worth <erw.edl at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Sorry for the OT post … but I am thinking of using one of my Elecraft rigs in the truck … mobile applications.
>>
>> Does anyone know the amp rating of the two 12v power outlets in the Silverado 1500 for 2017?
>>
>> And, if you do know, is it switched (with the ignition) or always on?
>>
>> Thanks in advance. I’ve tried on the Chevrolet.com <http://chevrolet.com/> website, and they simply list the outlets, not the amp rating.
>>
>> Nice prices now for the trucks. Thinking hard about it, but I didn’t want to run power cables from my battery to the interior of the truck if I didn’t need to.
>>
>> PS: This is for a 10w K2, but it would be nice to run 50w or 100w with the K3 if it would work.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> gene
>> WG7GW
>>
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