hardwire radar???

[speelnik]

I got the hardwire kit from escort for my passport.

I am wondering if anyone knows which wire (color?) the 12V lead is? My assumption is that there will be a ground, 12V and a dimmer wire(maybe?).

Thanks in advance

jason

[04blkWRX]

Are you talking about the wire kit or your car? The wire kit has a +12 and ground. Only two wires. The ground has a ring terminal, the +12 has a press-on type connector.

As far as where to hook it in, there are +12 sources all over. For a ground you can just look for a screw that goes into the metal frame.

[speelnik]

sorry, i wasn't specific enough. I want to tap into the clock wires.

There are four wired going into the clock bat gnd lip acc

which do i want to wire up to?

Thanks,

jason

[tan]

acc (pinYellow with green stripe)

ground (black)

Using the accesory wire makes life easier so you don't inadvertantly drain your battery (by forgetting to manually turn off the radar detector). When you turn your key to off...the radar is off also.

[speelnik]

thanks, that is what i wanted to know!

Jason

[Blue2004WRX]

It's easier and closer to wire it to one of the fuses in your fuse panel behind the little flipout holder thing. I think I wired mine to my ABS... something like that, anything that goes on and off with the car.

[T.J.]

Do you think that there is a functional disadvantage to placing the detector at the top of the windshield? The reason I ask is because I was thinking about hardwiring mine (when I get one) to one of the lights in the headliner.

Comments on this idea welcome.

T.J.

[Butterwrex]

Originally posted by T.J.
Do you think that there is a functional disadvantage to placing the detector at the top of the windshield? The reason I ask is because I was thinking about hardwiring mine (when I get one) to one of the lights in the headliner.

Comments on this idea welcome.

T.J.

i'm thinking of doing the same thing, and please correct me if i'm wrong but from what i understand the object is for the detector to have the greatest field of vision, so therefore having it higher up would allow the detector to have that greater field of vision.

[04blkWRX]

The cop's radar is only 3-6 feet in diameter and it's aimed at your license plate. That means that if they're on target, you only get "painted" up 1.5-3 feet above your license plate. Therefore, the farther away your detector is from your license plate, the less likely it will catch the beam.

However, the only laser you'll detect are random reflections so put the detector wherever you want it. To put it another way, if they are zapping you directly, its already too late.

[T.J.]

Exactly. I'm thinking that I don't need to detect the times that they just nailed my plate. I want to pick up the deflected rays from them shooting at others as well as the random radar from moving police cars and photo radar. I guess that I will stick w/ my plan of putting it up high for now.

Thanks for the response 04blkWRX.

Any one else have some thoughts?

T.J.

[Blue2004WRX]

Seems like a good idea, but I'm personally not a fan. I wired it to a switch in my dash, the spare one on the left next to the fog lights and cruise control. I have the detector on the left side instead of the middle so it isnt as obvious. Having it up top wired into the lights seems kinda unnecessary, and it takes out one of the lights. Also, doing it through a switch in the dash made it easier to wire it to an accessory so it automatically goes on and off with the car, which you cant do with the light without a lot more wire.

Steve

[T.J.]

Good thoughts Steve. I am thinking that I can get power from the wires for my auto dimming mirror. That is acc. power.

I do like the switch idea though.


T.J.

[aspitfire]

well, this was the first thing i did to my car, and it is pretty simple. I have a passport escort 8500. I used a phone line to supply the power to the detector. I simply unscrewed the map lights, tapped into the yellow wire in the cluster above there, then used the screw holes that hold up the map lights for my ground.

I have the detoctor right underneith the rearview mirror. I used this same method in my previos car for 3+ years and it worked like a charm. only took about 15 min.

[Rice Boi]

Originally posted by aspitfire
well, this was the first thing i did to my car, and it is pretty simple. I have a passport escort 8500. I used a phone line to supply the power to the detector. I simply unscrewed the map lights, tapped into the yellow wire in the cluster above there, then used the screw holes that hold up the map lights for my ground.

I have the detoctor right underneith the rearview mirror. I used this same method in my previos car for 3+ years and it worked like a charm. only took about 15 min.

For real? a phone line really works huh? I was thinking about doing this too rather spending like $30 on the hardwire kit.
Coud you fill me in on some detials? As for the phone line. Never really disected a phone line so I'd figure that there are many wires in it.
Thanks

[djrez4]

Search and all your questions shall be answered!

Hardwired power for the BEL 980

BTW....unless the cop is right on top of you, the radar beam is going to be much larger than 3-6 ft when it hits you. They use either a 12 or 24 degree spread on the beam. Do the math...