What have you done to get more 12V outlets in an M35X with full audio and video and to get them in a less-than-obnoxiously visible place?

Welcome to NICO.

I am not sure if anybody has added any outlets to an Infiniti M yet ... if you do get around to doing this, then please do a write-up and let us know.

I would guess it would be fairly straightforward (although time-consuming to remove dashes, panels, etc.) to add outlets if you need them. As you probably already know, electrical outlets are available at Radio Shack (I think) and auto parts stores. Wiring them in parallel to some of the existing outlets should be fine.

Of course, if you need to use many of them in parallel, then it might overload the specific fuses. In that case, you would need to run separate wires from the battery (with switches perhaps, to avoid overloading the ignition switch controls).

As an aside: how many outlets did you need and what do you plan to use them for? What current do you expect to draw at these outlets?

Z

P.S. I edited your post to change the all caps to lowercase. At our forum, all caps posts are considered SHOUTING. I didn't think you were shouting, at least not with the content of this first post!

It would also help if you were a little more specific with what you want to do. Very vague question.

Chad

Also, note where you would like the extra outlets located..

I've been thinking of putting extras in the arm rest compartment. Can I wire directly to the fuse box from there?

Thanks very much. I was not shouting, so you were correct to change my all caps.

I appreciate your thoughtful response, however, I am at a loss as to who could do the work. My dealership will only do warrantee work and I understand that.

Does anyone know a person in Chicago who can hook up extra outlets in the way described above?

Another question regarding this would be which circuit would be best to hook into?

you do have the "hidden" outlet inside the glove box. buy the multiple outlet that comes out of a single one, i think 2 or 3 can come out and done. quick and removable if needed.

Don't do 3 into 1...it will blow the fuse. Have your local car audio shop install them for you. They can fuse them seperatly and put them wherever you need them. Look in the phone book for local shops.

Chad

Chad,

Thanks. Will do. I had not thought of an audio shop.

Bob

12v wiring is easy and any decent audio shop can do the job for you. Let us know how it works out for you.

Chad

What is the total amperage that your electronics will use? On the 12V circuit that is available in the console, you could probably connect 20 cellphones considering that they pull so little amperage (maybe a 1/2 amp each in charge mode). The circuit can safely provide 10 amps continuous duty.

Thanks to all of you! Chads idea of an auto sound shop sounds obvious but I needed the suggestion. They installed extra totally hidden outlets in the console and hooked them up as a new circuit. They also installed new hidden radar detector and 3 watt cellular signal booster.

purpose wrote:Thanks to all of you! Chads idea of an auto sound shop sounds obvious but I needed the suggestion. They installed extra totally hidden outlets in the console and hooked them up as a new circuit. They also installed new hidden radar detector and 3 watt cellular signal booster.

Good Stuff on the outlets and hidden radar!

However, the 3 Watt cellular booster will not really help if you are using a digital (i.e., CDMA or GSM) phone, and not using Analog AMPS. I'd ask for your money back on this item.

In digital, the tower and phone must talk at a certain power level (which is particular stringent in CDMA else the Spread-Spectrum system breaks badly if one phone transmits higher power than others). So, the base station tower radio tells the phone to change its power transmission downwards (by 1dBm increments in CDMA, for example) to match what it needs to hear.

With Analog AMPS, of course, this is a different story, but if all you have is a booster and no receiver gain to match, then this is still not as useful in extreme rural conditions - you can hear but not be heard. In any case, with AMPS, a 3W booster can help ... till Feb 18, 2008, when Analog AMPS is scheduled to be removed by the major carriers (the FCC rules are changing).

One more thing: the coverage in urban areas, and all major highways and most secondary highways, is perfectly fine for normal use with handsets that using a 3W is pretty much not needed anymore. Our results, for much of the US, show that 3W cellular boosters do not do much coverage improvement anymore.

By the way, this just happens to be my field of expertise, including use of cellular vehicle tracking systems and the like. Our data includes long-haul trucking and car-theft recovery transmissions ...

Z

Z,

Thanks a lot. I have a phone that allows me to force analog and I have big differences in quality without a three watt amplifier. Your knowledge is impressive.

Is there a way to enhance digital signals?

Will there be digital to replace the analog in remote areas? It sure does not work in parts of Wisconsin now.

Thanks,

Bob

purpose wrote:I have a phone that allows me to force analog and I have big differences in quality without a three watt amplifier.

Good! Hang on to that phone as long as you can - they are a dying breed! Most of the new CDMA phones (for example, from Verizon and Sprint) do not have any Analog AMPS in them.

purpose wrote:Is there a way to enhance digital signals?

No reasonable powered way - certainly not without causing interference with the towers and the transmit power will be reduced by the tower anyway. If you do not have improved reception, then the enhanced power transmission is kinda not as useful as it may seem.

In rural situations, your best bet is to get a good external antenna for your car (if your phone can have an external antenna attached) - with something like a 5 or 10dB gain at 850MHz and 1900MHz. Although these can be somewhat expensive (the 3dB ones are cheaper), these will definitely help with transmission and reception in rural areas and extend your range quite a bit.

By the way, a good antenna can give you as much gain as a cell booster - remember that a 3W amplifier is a bit more than 6dB above the nominal 0.6W of an AMPS handset!

purpose wrote:Will there be digital to replace the analog in remote areas? It sure does not work in parts of Wisconsin now.

Eventually, yes! The FCC Mandate on AMPS for Feb 2008 is only to allow the carriers to make a choice. In cities, AMPS will go away very quickly - particularly the AMPS from Cingular, since they need the spectrum for GSM.

In rural remote areas, where there is no digital, most carriers (like Verizon, US Cellular, Alltel) will continue to offer AMPS service till they finish their CDMA tower builds there. So, yes, you will be able to find AMPS service in those areas for quite a while, and the 3W amplifier will help for those to some degree.

When digital will make it to all remote areas is an open question! Analog AMPS was originally deployed in 1984 and it took almost 15 years to reach the farthest areas with cell coverage. CDMA began deployment pretty much in 1995 to 1997 (and the tower spacing requirement is more stringent - much smaller cells), so it may take a number of years yet!

Z

Z,

Once again, thanks a ton. I will get the antenna.

If you ever need help in the human potential, human wiring type things, just reawaken this dialogue and let me know.

Bob