Red Wave Radio

A few weeks ago I bought a used Uniden radio from my oldest sister
for my car. This past weekend my father and I mounted it, but we
encountered a slight problem: No power.

We hooked one wire up to the fuse connection for the car stereo
and grounded the CB to a screw, but all that happened was a
spark on the grounded wire. The CB didn't come on. We then tried
getting power direct from the battery, and the same thing
happened; a spark, but no response from the radio. In fact, I
blew my stereo fuse the other night trying again.

My father has installed a few CBs for himself in the past, and
he's mysified. He said he's never had a connection spark on him.

Does anyone out there have any suggestions as to what the problem
and solution might be? Or could it be the CB's dead?

E-mail is strongly preferred, as I have never dropped in on this
group before.

Thank you,

If you're getting a large spark when the radio's switched off and you hook
up the power leads, I'd say there's a short somewhere on the radio end of
things.  If the CB has a "memory" of any sort that draws a very small current
when the unit's off, you might get a tiny spark.

  -joe
--

        "When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it."

                        - U.S. President Bill Clinton, 1994

<>
<>If you're getting a large spark when the radio's switched off and you hook
<>up the power leads, I'd say there's a short somewhere on the radio end of
<>things.  If the CB has a "memory" of any sort that draws a very small current
<>when the unit's off, you might get a tiny spark.
<
<I don't believe we tried it when the CB was off. If it doesn't spark
<when the CB's off, would there still be a possibility of a short in
<the CB?

Always a possibility.  Was the radio new, or used?  If used, do you know that
it worked before you bought it?  Someone may have sold you a dead rig.

  -joe
--

        "When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it."

                        - U.S. President Bill Clinton, 1994

Quote:

>If you're getting a large spark when the radio's switched off and you hook
>up the power leads, I'd say there's a short somewhere on the radio end of
>things.  If the CB has a "memory" of any sort that draws a very small current
>when the unit's off, you might get a tiny spark.

I don't believe we tried it when the CB was off. If it doesn't spark
when the CB's off, would there still be a possibility of a short in
the CB?

Ryan Robbins
Stodder Hall
University of Maine