Can anyone suggest a good location under the dash to tap into a hot wire that is on with the ignition and off when the key is removed? The Valentine Radar Detector uses a adapter to switch from the phone line type connector that plugs into the detector to a red/black hot/ground setup. I tried to go to the fuse box in the driver's footwheel but they're making fuzes so damn small now that there is no room to piggyback a line from one of the fuzes. The rearview mirror would work (based on other posts here) except there is no place to hide the wiring adapter. The ground wire is a no-brainer, but finding a good electrical source is driving me krazzzzzzy!

 

Get a voltmeter and check the empty fuse locations under the drivers footwell. I can't remember which, but there is one there that is switched that I hooked into for my radar detector.

 

I tapped mine throught the dc outlet. only a few screws to pop the center console out.

 

I have a roadster but I'm pretty sure it would be the same install on either.
I mounted the detector to the right of the rear view mirror. I then ran the phone wire along the windshield, down the A pillar, and under the right side floor. If your careful you can easily remove all the rubber, plastic trim and carpet without doing any damage.
I then plugged the phone cord into the valenine connector. I attached the connector, using the included velcro tape, inside the space to the right of the passenger floor. You'll see what I mean when you get all the plastic and carpet out of the way.
I then ran the power cable from the valentine connector over to the back of the cigarette lighter/power outlet. I used the t-tap that came with the detector to attach it to the red wire on the back of the power outlet.
Just unplugg the connector from the back of the power outlet, attach the t-tap, then plug it back in. Then just plug the power wire into the the t-tap. Yes, the power outlet will still work! Then attach the ground wire to the screw with a bunch of other ground wires on the right hand side of the passenger side floor.

Thats it! You should be able to do it in less than an hour.

If you buy the secondary display just plug it into the connector and run the cable to wherever you want the display to be. The secondary display is nice because the "lovely" officers can't see that you have a detector when they are behind you. Especially at night.

 

Thanks! I just figured out that my power adapter is not working. Already ordered one from Valentine. Guess I'll have to drive like a model citizen for a little while longer!

 

Anybody know about stripping phone wire for a similar install. There have been other posts about it and I've read them but I'm having a heck of a time stripping phone wire because it's so small. Also, does it matter if it has 2 or 4 wires in the telephone wire? I've tried both. I know the wiring in the rearview mirror but I can't get the phone cable to carry enough current or something. It doesn't even light up the detector for a second. I'm getting frustrated cuz it's simple otherwise. Suggestions?

 

They're a pain to strip as the cable was never made for stripping only for squeezing a connector onto it. I used a "European Barrier Strip" to attach the flimsy telephone cable to a real cable. You still have to strip that tiny wire but you just tighten a screw down onto it once you've got the wire striped rather than trying to soldier or attach it to something.

I suppose you could get a normal RJ-11 connector and use the matching tool to crimp it onto the flat satin cable. You could then plug it into to a proper RJ-11 jack which uses a punch down connector. The tools alone are going to cost you $10 or so.

 

Hmm, that's kind of what I was wondering. Could I buy a phone jack end that I could plug bigger gauge wire into and crimp it down? Hmm, I wish there was an easier way to do this, . The wiring of it would be easy if the damn phone cord wasn't so hard to strip, haha.

 

i tapped the wire in the rearview mirror. The detector sits right under the mirror and only a 3 inch wire from the v1 to the mirror, looks clean imo

 

That's what I'm trying to do but I can't get the phone cord stripped (at least I think that's the problem). I always have just one piece of the wire left when I strip them (there may be like 3 or 4 tiny wires inside of each side and when it's stripped there is only 1 or 2 left).

 

You need a very sharp knife or a razor blade to strip the fragile phone cord. Don't use a regular wire stripper.