Installing AM/FM radio

[Pandion]

I am replacing the am/fm radio in my boat. The old radio was installed after the Perko switch so everytime you shut the batteries off the radio lost all of it's memory (current time and station presets).

The new radio has a yellow wire designed to connect directly to the battery which only draws enough power to keep its programmed memory. Would you recommend by-passing the Perko switch and connect the yellow wire directly to the battery or at the risk of draining the battery during low use periods don't mess with it.

Your thoughts?

[bigredapes]

I had the same question as you do when I installed mine, and ended up wiring it so the battery switch would turn off all power to the radio.
It's not a big deal for me because I don't save radio stations on my (boat) radio since it's almost only used with the MP3 player input jack.

[Pandion]

good point. Did you install both the yellow wire and ignition wire to the battery?

[MattPark]

Connect it straight to the battery. They draw almost nothing, you could leave it for 6 or 8 months and not have an issue.

[Pandion]

Thanks for all the help!!

[SOL]

If you get a radio that has a clock always on and you leave it in storage for over a month, your battery will be dead.

[ReelAttitude]

What SOL said

I installed a radio/MP3 player, my batteries were always dead, 30 days was enough, and I have new batteries

I now forget about the preset stations, I want my batteries charged

[MattPark]

I've got a stereo with a blinking light in the ski boat. It sits for 6 months in the winter, battery voltage doesn't change a bit. If you are draining batteries, I might look for a short or something. Some head units may draw more though I guess.