Help with wiring an MXT575

[Sw00per]

Hi all,

I want to mount the MXT575 on the passenger side of the center console (that is where the bracket is currently installed). The included wire harness is to short to attach to the battery and run across the engine bay. By the time I route across to just about the access port in the firewall I only have 3 ft left.

Wondering if the is a route on the passenger side without drilling a new hole or taking the dash apart.

Alternatively attempt to lengthen the harness although not sure of the gauge of wire to use (EDIT I found it in a Q&A on the midland site its 14 gauge).

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance

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[JsnJcksn]

I don’t have an answer for power on the passenger side. I routed 12 gauge to my Voswitch on the drivers side through the grommet near the brake booster.

 

[Sw00per]

I don’t have an answer for power on the passenger side. I routed 12 gauge to my Voswitch on the drivers side through the grommet near the brake booster.

That was my plan but the provided wire is to short to reach the radio.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Hi all,

I want to mount the MXT575 on the passenger side of the center console (that is where the bracket is currently installed). The included wire harness is to short to attach to the battery and run across the engine bay. By the time I route across to just about the access port in the firewall I only have 3 ft left.

Wondering if the is a route on the passenger side without drilling a new hole or taking the dash apart.

Alternatively attempt to lengthen the harness although not sure of the gauge of wire to use (EDIT I found it in a Q&A on the midland site its 14 gauge).

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Do you have the factory installed Aux Switches?

 

[chaosjake]

Do you have the factory aux switches? If so, there are pigtails behind some trim in the passenger foot well, including one that's ignition switched.

 

[Sw00per]

Yes on the AUX switches. Two are in use with future plans for the other two.

 

[JsnJcksn]

That was my plan but the provided wire is to short to reach the radio.

I added wire via a soldiered connection with shrink tubing.

 

[chorky]

I recall hearing someone routing wires through the firewall on the passenger side but I think it required removing the battery box. I dont' know exactly where they went and when I had my battery box out I don't recall seeing any blatenly obvious holes. But, you could try this. This is how I ran my coax.

Post # 22 and 29

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/destination-unknown-2022-jtr-journal.66430/page-2

That was my plan but the provided wire is to short to reach the radio.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Yes on the AUX switches. Two are in use with future plans for the other two.

There is a six wire bundle taped to the wiring harness under the glove box. Four of them are duplicates of the Aux Switch wires in the engine compartment. The other two are hot, one all the time and one switched with the ignition. That can be your source to power the radio. There is a listing in the Owners Manual with the color scheme for each wire.

 

[Sw00per]

I added wire via a soldiered connection with shrink tubing.

I can pick up some 14 gauge wire. I have some of the crimp type butt connectors although I wonder if the heat shrink solder butt connectors would be better?

Not sure if anyone has used the solder type?

 

[Josh00333]

The factory aux have both a switched hot and a constant hot in addition to the 4 switched leads, inside the cab.

I TRIED to use the ign hot on my MC275 but got interference. Only way I found it was to set the radio to scan, after 10-20 min I would get static over channels 19-22. I had to go to the constant hot. For Ground I ran a wire behind the dash and out the hole in the fire wall on the driver side and out to the factory ground studs.

There is an interior stud behind some of the door panels, I found it easier to run the wire as I had to run the cable for the antenna any way through the same area.

 

[chaosjake]

I TRIED to use the ign hot on my MC275 but got interference.

Oh, yikes. I was planning to use that ignition switched lead for an MXT275 soon.

 

[Sw00per]

watched an install video and it basically said you will have problems hooking the radio up via the AUX wires. A potential way around it is to install ferrite on the line. I have no experience with this so YMMV.

 

[Jefe1018]

My radio is powered from the constant hot wire from the Aux bundle, no interference issues here.

The antenna goes from the glove box, behind the radio, down the drive side trans tunnel under the carpet, out a drain hole, up the firewall, through/under the cowls and to the a grounded mount.

Hope that helps.

 

[SamJ3]

I had a similar requirement mounting a Midland MXT275 to the passenger side of the console. My solution was to tap into the 12V power outlet circuit (i.e., the 'cigarette lighter' socket). This is a higher amp capacity circuit, but note that it is only powered when the vehicle is in Run or Acc.

To avoid cutting into the harness, I used the adapter below. I've seen in on various vendor sites - got mine off of Amazon. https://a.co/d/gc2lzvG

Here is the final setup. Note to installer: I needed to R&R connecters on one end of the cable to feed the wires through the console, but that was a simple task using a small pick to pop out the crimp connections from the housing.

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