[Icom] Toyota firewall

[William Lambing]

 It is not the 13.8V that is the problem.  It is the current drawn through
these little adapters.  I would suggest that just for grins, you take this
thing apart and examine the spring.  What size wire is this thing?  It sure
is NOT 10AWG wire. After a period of time, this little spring, with
sufficient current, gets warm.  Continued warm, with an occasional hot,
means the spring begins to lose its tension.  After a period of time, it
becomes a resistor.  Now, go to your radio and measure the 13.8V under load
(key down) and see if you have 13.8.!  Would bet you are seeing more like 10
or 11V.  Now, you can calculate the resistance value of your spring.  3V at
maybe 5A..!!

Nice low loss spring.!  No wonder your audio sounds horrible and your HF
comments of sounding like you are FM'ing...!  Now do you understand why
these things are not worth a tinkers #$^@ for a 100W HF system.!?

OK...your system works fine off the lighter outlet.  You are probably
drawing less than a couple amps.  This is ok, but don't press your luck.

Best be safe and find a way to get power from the battery.  In my case, I
ran along the firewall and over the fender (inside the engine cavity) down
the door sill leading edge.  Then into the passenger compartment and back to
the trunk.  Took a little doing and words, but it is done.  Would I do it
again, sure would.

My Cig lighter plug is for charging the cell phone when needed.
Not radios..!

73

Bill, W0LPQ