Need help hooking up High power Astro

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fullpwr178
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Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:22 am

Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by fullpwr178 »

Just got my first High power Astros with all the components to get them going.I see 2 db 25s on the radio deck and seem to have gotten this wrong once and roasted a radio deck.Can anyone confirm correct hookup? I assume my W3 plugs into end of the 6096 Y cable,the db 15 on the Y goes ignition sense and speaker and other end of Y goes to which port on radio deck? I had one hooked up with it on the left side (or under the power connector) and smoked it before blowing the fuse
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wx4cbh
Posts: 337
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2003 6:01 pm

Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by wx4cbh »

Yep, the W3 DB-15 plugs into the DB-15 on the Y-cable. Make sure the ID number is something like T04KLH9PW3AN. If not, the radio isn't one that uses a W3 head unless it has been modified with the requisite internal W3 compatible board. Thanks, KB9KST!

Left side DB-25 on the radio drawer is marked for the Control, right side is marked for Accessory connection and is also for programming.

Large red wire goes to a 30 Amp (Thanks, Will!) fuse at the battery+ terminal, large Black wire goes to a good ground near the radio drawer.

The two-pole Power connector is always inserted with the D shaped Black wire connector toward the left side of the radio's connector (nearest the outside edge of the radio drawer) and the large Red wire toward the drawer pull handle.

As you suspect, small red wire on the DB-15 goes:
A) through a 1 amp fuse located at the battery+ terminal if the desire is to have the unit hot all the time so you can use the W3 on/off switch for power up and down,
or...
B) through a 1 amp fuse to a switched +12V source such as "run" or "accessory" position on the ignition switch so that the radio cannot be turned on unless the switch is in the "Run" position or in the "Accessory" position.

The speaker connectors are standard MotherMoto issue, just don't ground either of the speaker leads or the audio amp will be history.
Last edited by wx4cbh on Tue Jul 22, 2014 3:34 pm, edited 8 times in total.
curmudgeon.....and I like it.
jmr061
was KB9KST
Posts: 3176
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by jmr061 »

Better make sure it's a w3 drawer unit as well.
Not w4 5 7 or 9.
Will
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Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by Will »

30 amp fuse on the main.

1 amp fuse on the IGN lead, the one from the DB15.


Cheaper to blow a fuse than repair the radio or control head.
fullpwr178
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Posts: 3
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Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by fullpwr178 »

okay this is getting expensive and frustrating,just fried another deck in this configuration.Yes they are W3 decks and 4044D heads.is there something that could be different about my y cable.have now fried 2 decks from different sources.Btw puff of smoke and pop came from area of db25 connection on deck.I was using a regulated power supply to test and though maybe I didn't have enough current to start the radio so went to battery and destroyed before blowing fuse
fullpwr178
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Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:22 am

Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by fullpwr178 »

fried another one in this config,Think I found the problem though. Looks like someone sold me a "6092" Y cable Instead of "6096".[edited -Alex]
jmr061
was KB9KST
Posts: 3176
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Need help hooking up High power Astro

Post by jmr061 »

I was going to say it's probably a normal spectra y cable. That will do exactly what you said.....smoke the radio. The Vocons at a minimum are no good now.
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