Intercom Wiring

[JackinMichigan]

My plans say..."Now is the time to run your rear seat intercom wiring"

I have looked in the catalogs for intercom wires.. and there are none mentioned. Vans sells an intercom wiring kit but for only a specific intercom and I have not chosen my intercom yet.

What is the correct intercom wire? How many wires? Are they to be shielded?

Can I branch off one rear seat intercom and go over to the other seat intercom, or do I have to run indivitual wires up to the front?

Thanks in advance

 

[BobTurner]

I suggest shopping at SteinAir but any mail order electronics house will have it. Stein will also have the insulating shoulder washers which you should use under all jacks, as well as mike and headphone jacks, mono and stereo. (The mike jack is always "stereo", with the tip connection reserved for PTT.)

Yes, you want to use shielded wire.

IF you want stereo then you need 3 conductor plus shield for each headphone jack. IF mono then 2 conductor plus shield.

For each mike jack you need 2 conductor plus shield. Unless you plan on putting a portable PTT switch into the jack (this would be unusual in an RV) in which case you'll need 3 conductor plus shield.

You need individual wire runs to the front for each mike jack.

Some, perhaps most, commercial intercoms run the two rear seat headphones off one source, so yes you could most likely run one wire from one rear headphone jack to the front, and connect the two rear headphone jacks together.

 

[Bill.Peyton]

where you intend to install the rear seat jacks, will dictate whether you need to run the wire at this point. What is more important is to run some conduit through the floor of the fuse. If you do a search for this you will find plenty of photos and recommendations. I would not worry about the intercom wires at this point. In all likely hood, whomever you use to construct your panel should include these wires. If you are a member of a local EAA chapter, search out the electrical expert for advice on all the wiring.

 

[rleffler]

Like Bill stated, there is no rush. There plenty of ways to get wiring to the back after everything is completed.

If you weren't aware, and thinking of PSE for an intercom, they do require you purchase their harness for warranty support.

I personally think this is a little like strong arm tactics, but as a former audio engineer, I do understand the support logistics of ensuring that there are no ground loops and that everything is perfectly wired.