Where do you ground your mobile?

[Mr. 9k9]

Just wondering where everyone runs the negative to with thier mobiles.
DJ

[Mr RadioActive]

I run 3ft grounds to the chassis.

[Mr Gote]

I probably dont have it grounded well. Its grounded to the parking brake right now. When it warms up I wil run a ground to the chassis.

[Punkin Head]

I ground everything to the frame with the shortest run of wire possible, and for good measure I run an extra ground from the battery to the frame with the same wire that my amps are hooked up with.

[stickman]

Just wondering where everyone runs the negative to with thier mobiles.
DJ

I GROUND MINE TO THE SEATPOST, I HAVE HAD REAL GOOD LUCK THAT WAY, DON'T GET A LOT OF VEHICLE NOISE MEANING ELECTRONIC NOISE.
THANKS
STICKMAN

[PtownBubba]

I ran both hot and ground wire direct from battery, #8 stranded copper, to that I hooked my Texas Star 400 and SuperStar radio. I do have some engine noise [electronic fry noise] I was told Fords have noisy fuel pumps [2002 Ford F-250 ]

[Phaze91460]

Well, I'm gona be disagreeable on this one.

I worked in the automotive field and was a ASE Certified auto tech. My field of speciality was electrical and computer diagnostics.

Cars and light trucks are notorious for their bad grounds to body and frame. Some of the grounds are only clipped on not even bolted. At best, most dont even use a cable good enough to ground anything.

The heart and sole of power for the vehicle is the battery. The alternaters job is to provide power to run the vehicle and charge the battery, BUT the entire system ( Specialy the computer ) uses the battery to stabilize power fluctuations. In most vehicles, the battery is grounded to the engine and the engine is grounded to the body and frame. If you ground to a seat bolt, steering column bolt, body, or frame then you are counting on several connections, clips, and bolts attaching sometimes multipule wires keeping a solid connection. After heat, cold, grease, oil, rain and just the fact that most ground straps were more for static than electricity, I would recommend using cables to run power from the battery directly to your radio or amp. Running a secondary radio chassis ground to the body for better antenna grounding is something else entirely.

I know that there are factors in dealing with RF that can affect noise in a radio but what I am talking about here is your main power to the radio / amp. Shielding for noise will be another topic.

Please note: I am not tryin to step on toes here but trying to pass on some years of experiance and training. And much to my disbelief, I have seen some of the most absurdly thin, patched and twisted together wires work and sound great.

[Mr RadioActive]

Your not stepping on toes at all we apprecaite the info. However RF grounds best being as short as possible. 100% agreed if your seatpost, door, whatever, has clips, grease, etc on them totally bad. The seatpost is only good if, its good. Dah, what do I mean, a good ground is a good ground no matter were it is. All my radio equipment goes into a 95 Impala SS. A huge, all metal car. Battery is grounded to the frame with 4q. Motor is grounded to the frame. Exhaust is grounded to the frame. Trunk has breaded ground straps. The list goes on and on. So my amps never get more then a 3ft braided ground. OR a negitive grounding terminal, bolted in and paint totally scraped.

Good grounds are just good grounds. Its impossible to say what a good ground always is. In my corvette, the seatbolt stinks! LOL, so use good judgement! Good to know theres a mechanic in the house.......good machanics are hard to find!!! Like PHAZE was saying, agreed 10000% if your seatbolts not good, the battery is the best bet!

[Thunderhawk]

I wanted my ground to be real short, and since I have the radio mounted under the dash, centered over the transmission hump, I pulled the carpet up at the top of the hump, where it can't be seen, then shot a self tapping sheet metal screw directly into the floor. Hooked up the negative, put the carpet back in place, can't even see it.

[Phaze91460]

I wanted my ground to be real short, and since I have the radio mounted under the dash, centered over the transmission hump, I pulled the carpet up at the top of the hump, where it can't be seen, then shot a self tapping sheet metal screw directly into the floor. Hooked up the negative, put the carpet back in place, can't even see it.

Sheet metal screws are notorious for getting loose in body metal, and by having it under carpet you may trap moisture causing corosion and bad contact. you would be better ( if you wont go to the battery ) to connect to the steering column bolt or similar.

[Glorfendill]

Well I hacked and slashed my way to make a nice empty hole directly under the radio in my 88 S-10 and then for convenience sake I just connected the CB ground directly into the same twist connector that my Radio ground. Which now that I've read some of this and picked up a bit, if the 5 feet or so that cable runs to it's ground isn't bad enough, then the interference the Radio ground is causing probably is... Guess I need to spend the energy to run a Clean wire to a different, and hopefully closer, Ground source.

[Working Cowboy]

bump 4 the newbies

[SmallTruckBigRadio]

S-10 X cab pickup,
I'm using #6 fine stranded power cable, w/ 100A fuses, from the battery posts to the amp behind the seat. The radio power leads are soldered into the cable right after it comes through the firewall.

I am using copper braid from the battery negative post, to the front sheet metal and frame. I use braid again, in a continuous run, from the antenna mount pipe to the bed sheet metal, then both sides of chassis frame, then to the cab sheet metal. All frame and sheet metal grounds are landed in copper paste with self drill / tap screws.

I have not bothered yet, with grounding the hood, doors, and tailgate. I will be experimenting with grounded netting (Faraday cage?) around the ECM and nearby wiring soon.

I have not added additional grounding from the amp to the frame, and I am wondering if I should because it's already grounded via the cable and PL-259 connection.

I do have problems with RF setting off, and re-programming my Clarion UNGO alarm system, and I also have some problems with RF making the engine ECM choke a little, especially at low speed and acceleration.

[oknaz]

Well i was lucky on my truck to find a good spot . above the gas pedal there was a small hole . so i took a self tapping screw and hook the neg(-) wire to that and it work's fine . i think the run is maybe 2ft . but 1 of our user's told me to run braided ground strap's all around the truck . soon as i get my new radio it'll be done

[Phaze91460]

just an update. I am suspecting that I have an intermitant grounding problem with my antenna. I just bought a hole lotta 8 ga cable and will be grounding just about everyting I can find. Starting with the ladder rack to frame to battery.

[DAYDREAMER]

I HAVE A CUSTOM MOUNT THAT IS BOLTED TO THE FLOOR OF MY TRUCK. I RAN THE GROUND TO ONE OF THE MOUNTING BOLTS. SEEMS TO WORK OUT FINE. THE GROUND WIRE IS ABOUT 8" LONG.

[stickman]

Just wondering where everyone runs the negative to with their mobiles.
DJ

I RAN MY NEG. TO THE BATTERY AND I GOT SO MUCH ELECTRONIC NOISE IT WAS DRIVING ME BATTY!!! THEN WHEN I GROUNDED IT TO THE SEAT POST WAH-LA NOISE GONE ALMOST ENTIRELY!!! YOU CAN ALSO BUY A POWER CORD FILTER, USUALLY THIS WILL HELP STOP ALOT OF ENGINE NOISE BUT DON'T EXPECT IT ALL TO GO AWAY, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW!!
THANKS
STICKMAN

[Phaze91460]

I have mine grounded to the battery and seat post bolt and have noise, I even bought a 35 amp noise filter and it seamed to make more noise. I have some 8 ga cable and I am going to reground everything and see what happens.