cb radio tuning

Ricochet88 · 02-25-2009, 08:33 PM

ok i have a prob and i am a noob at cb radios tonight i was trying to tune it and i am in the red zone in all channels it says to hold the mic button down and adjust the knob to where it says set which is in the red zone then let go of the mic and its still in the red it goes down by maybe a tenth. am i doing this wrong? or do i have a short somewhere? i have a cobra 19 ultra 3 with a 4 foot firestik with a spring and a quick release

**CJ7-Tim** · 02-26-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricochet88

...it says to hold the mic button down and adjust the knob to where it says set which is in the red zone then let go of the mic .....

GOOGLE for instructions on how to use an SWR meter. They all function is a similar manner but may have different terms for the switch or knob or may have a different physical appearance.

Cal - Calibrate - Set - Adjust, all mean the same thing.

SWR - Reflect, is for reading the meter scale.

See also www.firestik.com and read the TECH section about SWR testing and trouble shooting.

**Polecat** · 02-26-2009, 07:01 PM

I am having the same issue. No matter where I move the tip on my 3 ft Wilson the SWR reading does not change and stays in the 3 range.

I suspect my antenna is not properly grounded. I can receive but cannot transmit. Going to re-do the antenna mount this weekend and get it grounded.

**CJ7-Tim** · 02-26-2009, 09:03 PM

If you are correctly using the SWR meter and you still have extremely high SWR readings, you need to make sure that your antenna mount, and coax are all assembled correctly.

Extreme SWR readings suggest improper assembly of the mounting stud or coax connectors. See this page at the Firestik site - http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/Te...Continuity.htm - and read the rest of the TECH section for troubleshooting info.

**Scrambler82** · 02-27-2009, 03:28 AM

As CJTim has stated you need to double check your install.

If you are receiving OK then there is a good probability that the coax is OK but it doesn't hurt to check it out and eliminate it from the possible problems.

If the SWR is between 1.0 and 1.5 to 1 then it should work but the closer to 1.0 to 1 the better.
If after tuning the SWR is high consider checking the grounding between the mount and the vehicle body/frame. This path needs to be the best it can be; get to bare metal on all connections, use external tooth star washer (HD S/S) on all connection and use a conductive paste on all connection except the coax.

Again per CJTim, it could be all in the way the SWR is being used, double check that first.

luck, ltr