Before the travel date, hook the radio to the lighter plug and check,
with the motor running, that you are free of engine/alternator noise on
the radio. Some will work fine and others will need filtering via the
battery. You don't want surprises on your first trip. If you feel the
need to go via the battery youcan find red and black zip cord at most
auto sound sotres, fuse the wires on both positive and negative, but if
you must, then positive only. Consider Anderson Power connectors because
they are easy to install and becoming more standard.

Geo wrote:

I'm ready to install a newly purchased cb in my van for an upcoming
trip. However, I want to be able to move the unit to my other car when
the need arises. Is the best power source solution simply using a
cigarette lighter adapter or is it better to hardwire the system in
with some kind of male-female adapter/connector setup? If hardwiring is
the better solution I would appreciate the best way to do this (ie what
are the parts I need, schematics, etc.). Thanks in advance.