Police Scanner
This is a write up describing how to install a police scanner. It will be a bit shorter than my other write up's simply because this isn't very difficult to do.
Before you even start on doing this, it�s best to understand that it�s illegal in most states to have a police scanner in a vehicle. There are a few websites out there that list which states have laws against it, the best I could find is HERE and HERE I can�t say don�t do it because it�s illegal in your state, because that�s exactly what I did. All I can say is be aware that it may be illegal.
Whether or not it�s illegal in your state, any where you go and an officer see�s a police scanner in your vehicle, it�s going to be looked down upon. My best advice is to find a place that it can be concealed. I�ve had mine mounted in a couple different places, all of which being out of view unless the vehicle is searched.
The supplies you�ll need for this is some 18 gauge wire and a fuse/fuse holder, and a couple small gauge ring terminals. Depending on your scanner, it should have a power on/off button, so a toggle switch to control the power wire isn�t necessary. Police scanners shouldn�t require much current, so 18 gauge wire should be plenty. If you�re concerned about it, 16 gauge can be used.
The first thing you�ll need to do is pick where you will want it mounted. Remember, you�ll want it somewhere that is hidden, and won�t be visible unless you are using it. I�ve had mine mounted under the dash on the driver side, in the factory head unit location, and now I�ve moved it to the arm rest storage console. You will want to have it somewhere that is in arms reach for when you need to use it. It�s best to be able to see the display and be able to use the buttons without much trouble. It should also be able to be hidden very quickly, for example, the face to the enclosure its mounted in folded up and latched shut.
To receive signal, the antenna�s that come with the scanner may work fine, but they�re kind of a dead give away that you�ve got something besides the factory radio running in your vehicle. You could disconnect the antenna cable from your head unit, and run it on that, but then you have no access to the radio. Since I still wanted to use the radio from time to time, I picked up an antenna splitter cable. They aren�t easy to find, the place I found mine has since gone out of business. I found another website however that sells the exact same thing. Antenna Y Cable
To get actual power to the scanner, you�ll need to run a power and ground wire. The scanner should have come with a cigarette plug, go ahead and chop that off leaving at least a foot of wire hanging on the plug that attaches to the scanner. We need to do a little test before we permanently wire it in.
If your wires are labeled pos/neg or if either has a stripe, this isn�t necessary. The striped wire usually indicates positive.
Since the wire isn�t labeled positive or negative, we need to find out which is which. Strip off about 3/4� of wire off the two wires, and plug in the plug into the scanner. Turn the knob or button on the scanner to the on position, and then test connect the scanner to the battery by touching one wire to the positive on the battery and the other to the negative. If the scanner turns on, mark the positive wire with a piece of tape. If it doesn�t turn on, quickly remove the wires from the terminals. Try reversing the wires, and it should turn on. Again, mark which wire is positive with a piece of tape.
Take your 18 gauge wire, and leave about a foot of slack by the battery, and run the wire to the cabin. Through the driver door jamb is the easiest I�ve found, but there�s also rubber grommets you can work your way through on the driver side of the firewall. (referring to my grand Cherokee, other vehicles are different). After you get the wire to the cabin, run it under the carpet or under the dash to the location you are going to mount the scanner. Solder the positive and negative to the corresponding wires on the chunk of wire on the plug for the scanner.
Now go back to the battery, and connect the positive and negative marked wires to the battery with the ring terminals. If you have a distribution block for aftermarket amplifiers, you could run power/ground off them to avoid running from the engine compartment. Somewhere less than 18 inches from the positive battery post, or the positive distribution block, you�ll need to splice in your fuse to protect the wire.
After its connected to the battery, plug it into the scanner and it should power up just fine. The scanner should come with a bracket. It's pretty self explanitory how to use it. There should be two mounting screws, and then two knobs that secure the scanner to the mounting bracket. After this, mount it to where it�s going to be hidden, and don�t get caught with it.
I am not responsible in any way for your doing this, I�m simply explaining how it can be done. By doing this, you realize the consequences that may come with it.
Any questions/comments can be sent to me at [email protected]
