Tucson NX4... Tapping 12V for mobile radio ?

[TaG67]

Hey all,

I'd like to fit a small mobile transceiver (think taxi radio) for amateur radio use into my 2023 Tucson Executive Plus Diesel (manual). It will fit nicely in the storage compartment between the front seats. To provide 12V power to the radio I'm thinking the best source of power would be to tap two wires from the back of the cigarette lighter socket in the forward lower console and route them under the console, somehow, rearwards to the storage compartment. Has anybody done this before and can offer advice ? ... Or perhaps a better way to do it ?
Another option.... The two USB sockets at the rear end of the centre console (for rear passenger use) are very near the storage compartment... is the power to these 12V ?... Perhaps it is and the voltage stepped down to 5V at the sockets ? If so, that would be an even better source. Any advice appreciated.

Terry

[daveyp]

The cigarette lighter socket is rated at 15A so that supply should be fine for a radio. I do worry that the wires are rather thin though!
When fitting mobile radios I always run a cable (via a fuse) straight from the battery positive terminal into the cabin.
The best route is down the left side of the car in the void between the wing and the body, you have to move the sound deadening padding to fiddle the cable through but it's easy with a wire coathanger to fish it through. Then you remove a rubber gromit in the bottom part of the A pillar which enters the car behind the fuse box in the left-hand foot well.
I used the same idea on my 2022 model but the gromit access is not straight between the inner and outer skin so it's more fiddly.
Good luck! Dave G3YXM