I bought a used Cobra 18 WX ST and don't know what to do with the Orange wire. Can anyone tell me what the wire is for and what I should connect it to? I am installing now and need this ASAP.

The instruction manual I downloaded only refers to the Red and Black. There is no reference to the Orange wire. It suggests that the red goes to ACC, so where should the Orange wire go to.....Batt, Illumination?

 

I hooked the orange up to the red power wire on my stereo so that the CB will turn off when the ignition is turned off. And the red went straight to the battery.

 

I just bought that exact model CB on ebay. However mine is new on in the BOX. I should be getting it any day now. So if you havent gotten the info by the time I get mine Ill look it up for you.

Let me know how you like your CB.

 

I jsut found the answer in the FAQ section at www.cobra.com

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C) Where do I connect the three power wires? (radios with 3 power leads)
Answer: Connect the black wire to chassis ground.

Connect the red wire to a switched +12 volt source, such as the fuse for the AM/FM radio.

The orange wire is for the memory retention of your CB radio, and should be connected to a constant +12 volt source. The fuse for the brake lights is usually a good choice.

With the radio wired as above, the radio will turn off when the ignition is turned off. The orange wire will provide power to the radio so that it remembers the channel.

If you are installing your Cobra CB radio in an application where you wish to utilize a cigarette plug to power the unit, connect the black wire to the negative lead (side terminal) on the plug. Connect both the red and orange wires together to the positive lead (center tip) of the plug. Your unit will function properly this way but will not retain the channel memory. When power is applied your radio will come up on channel 9.
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Sorry about that. I meant to say red to the radio wire and orange to a constant.