DIRTY POWER!!! - Power issues on AUX switches (don't run sensitive electronics like radios off AUX switches)

[Cranberry]

Maybe I'm off here but minus the AUX switch, it sounds like a grounding issue.

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ground was the first test performed with the ground wire eventually direct fed to hood and connected to a ground thread bolt.
Grounding was definitely not the issue.
I did however end up using the same under hood ground point for the antenna ground just to add some extra metal for the thing to broadcast off of. I dont know if GMRS needs that, but i did it when i ran CB’s with fantastic results.

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[Dr_Al]

It's most likely the alternator. Back in the day if you added an amp to drive bigger speakers the cheap ones would whine like crazy. A simple filter would cut it out. Sounds like Starlink and Midland decided they weren't needed (maybe to save room). If you have a scope you could verify it. My 4Runner is still on order and may not be here until next year so I can't help.

My best advice would be to either add a suppressor inline before the switches. I don't like messing with wires outside the cabin where the elements can get at the wires. But inside the dash there should be enough room to install one.

Most people don't realize alternators aren't really designed very well. The power they supply could be much better but the companies that make them for brands like Toyota build them to a price point to get the contract. Kind of like the tires that come from the factory are built lighter because they are cheaper (and get slightly better fuel mileage) than the exact same tire if you buy it from a tire store.

 

[refone]

Your accessories might not work correctly because they lack the appropriate amperage. Auxiliary ports supply different levels of amperage depending on where you connect them.

Well, I'm finally getting close to finishing up my guide trips this summer and proud to say I now have over 13,500 hard-use overland KM on my rig. I'll be spending the next few weeks posting updates on all my thoughts in different areas and reviews of all the equipment I've added, but I wanted to start immediately with this one as it was the biggest issue I've had to date.

At the start of spring, on our first convoy trip, I was getting a lot of complaints that my radio was choppy and digitized so badly that the other listeners could barely understand what I was saying. I took it as their radios being the issue, as mine was top of the line.

For context, I am running a Midland MXT575 50-watt radio with a 6 dB and a 3 dB antenna. I switch between them depending on the trail conditions. The radio is wired into the AUX always-on-when-powered wires.

Once we got to our first camp, I had one of the other guides I work with approach me and tell me to switch to handheld comms because my rig unit was so bad it was confusing the other clients. At this point, I started testing the unit and had the other guide use my Midland while I sat in his truck to hear it.

I have to admit, they have more patience than I do because the radio sounded so bad I was embarrassed to admit I owned it. The best way to compare the quality was like how a CB radio would sound if you drove under a large hydro tower cable system and got 5 seconds of interference, except this lasted the entire time, not just 5 seconds.

I shook the issue off as something with the radio I would resolve when we got back from our trip.

Later on that same night, we set up the Starlink that we powered off my AUX 2. My Starlink was wired into the roof rack and always worked on my Gen 5 4Runner, so I figured this one would be no issue as well. Lo and behold, the internet started cutting in and out, with the Wi-Fi intermittently going down or going from good range to no range at all. The internet was basically useless, with service ranging from 5 seconds of good use to 5 seconds of no signal at all. Eventually, on many occasions, the Starlink itself just stopped working and I would have to turn off the AUX switch and turn it back on. We ended up switching to the other guide's Starlink, and as soon as he powered up, no issues at all—full Wi-Fi internet in the middle of nowhere.

At this point, I knew something was wrong. Between my radio and internet, I figured it must be a connection issue or how I wired the electronics into the AUX switches.

Once I got back home, I ran a test and switched the radio over to a direct feed off the battery in the back. I powered up the radio and went for a ride while talking to my wife at home on her handheld, and the issue was resolved fully. She said I came in crystal clear, the best I've ever sounded on the radio. After switching over and having her talk through the truck radio to me in the house, I could hear the issue was 100% resolved. I then switched the Starlink over to a direct feed off the battery on a temporary pure sine wave inverter. Exact same thing—the problem was fixed immediately.

After all of this, I have concluded the AUX switch wiring is not clean power. After switching directly to battery feed, all my power issues went away and the interference issue was resolved.

I don't know if anyone else is going to have this same issue, but going forward, based on my experience, I would strongly suggest not running any sensitive electronics off the AUX switches. Keep it to lights, compressors, and winches, and use the built-in inverter for anything needing pure, clean energy.

 

[Cranberry]

Your accessories might not work correctly because they lack the appropriate amperage. Auxiliary ports supply different levels of amperage depending on where you connect them.

even at full draw the midland pulls less then 8 amps. The AUX buttons are if anything over engineered for its application at 10.

The starlink draws even less

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