mistaken1
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I tied to the negative side of the rear battery (same point electrically as the positive side of the front battery). It is the black wire with blue tape every 4" or so in the latest pictures.
I routed this new wire with the original military wires under the body, along the frame and up through a hole in floor of the passenger compartment behind the passenger seat under the radio tray (You can see the black corrugated sheath in the radio tray picture). This bus is installed under the radio tray, I wanted to be able to remove it without leaving any traces (or at least very little) to return the vehicle to military condition if needed.
The purpose for this bus it to feed two-way radios that transmit with anything from 30W to 100W each (right now I am planning on a total of 200W). I have a 30Ae fuse protecting this wire but the holder will accept higher rated fuses. I am going to install a 12V cigarette lighter type power outlet on the tray as well. This way I can run other 12V accessories including a small inverter. This power socket will get its own inline fuse to protect the wire from the bus to the socket. The purpose of the fuse is to protect the insulation on the wire in case of an overload or short circuit. It takes hundreds of amps to burn through a #12 copper wire but it does not take nearly that many amps to melt the insulation and create a fire.
As far as hookups to this bus I make the positive connection of the radio to this new bus and the negative connection to the existing negative bus (which is bonded {connected} to the vehicle chassis elsewhere). This way the metal frame of the radio is connected to the chassis and the negative feed to the radio is also connected to the chassis (elsewhere). Most auto electronics are negative ground meaning it wants the negative of the battery connected to the chassis of the vehicle (ground). Again the wires leading from the bus to the radio are protected with lower rated inline fuses.
If you are talking about a radio as in a stereo receiver or a CB (limited to 4W) then just take power off of the existing fuse block under the dash. As someone mentioned it is all 12V with one exception and that exception should be marked. Try to find an unused spot with power all the time or only when the key is on as needed.
As far as ground you can make your own with a self drilling screw into the vehicle metal or use the existing ground spade under the dash on the drivers side (others have done a better job of describing this ground spade, I have never looked for it).
I routed this new wire with the original military wires under the body, along the frame and up through a hole in floor of the passenger compartment behind the passenger seat under the radio tray (You can see the black corrugated sheath in the radio tray picture). This bus is installed under the radio tray, I wanted to be able to remove it without leaving any traces (or at least very little) to return the vehicle to military condition if needed.
The purpose for this bus it to feed two-way radios that transmit with anything from 30W to 100W each (right now I am planning on a total of 200W). I have a 30Ae fuse protecting this wire but the holder will accept higher rated fuses. I am going to install a 12V cigarette lighter type power outlet on the tray as well. This way I can run other 12V accessories including a small inverter. This power socket will get its own inline fuse to protect the wire from the bus to the socket. The purpose of the fuse is to protect the insulation on the wire in case of an overload or short circuit. It takes hundreds of amps to burn through a #12 copper wire but it does not take nearly that many amps to melt the insulation and create a fire.
As far as hookups to this bus I make the positive connection of the radio to this new bus and the negative connection to the existing negative bus (which is bonded {connected} to the vehicle chassis elsewhere). This way the metal frame of the radio is connected to the chassis and the negative feed to the radio is also connected to the chassis (elsewhere). Most auto electronics are negative ground meaning it wants the negative of the battery connected to the chassis of the vehicle (ground). Again the wires leading from the bus to the radio are protected with lower rated inline fuses.
If you are talking about a radio as in a stereo receiver or a CB (limited to 4W) then just take power off of the existing fuse block under the dash. As someone mentioned it is all 12V with one exception and that exception should be marked. Try to find an unused spot with power all the time or only when the key is on as needed.
As far as ground you can make your own with a self drilling screw into the vehicle metal or use the existing ground spade under the dash on the drivers side (others have done a better job of describing this ground spade, I have never looked for it).
