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I am new .. I hooked up a SWR meter to my CB and pushed the talk button .. Below is the reading I got .. 1.3 - 1.4 on Channel 1, 20, 40 .. How do I get a better reading?
Also I am not able to get a good clear conversation. I have the NMO mount mounted to my trunk lid and screwd it the metal .. Below is a pic .. Is there a better way to mount it?
Thanks for the help, I really need it
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...swrreading.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...Carcbmount.jpg
1.3 and 1.4 are good readings. Try reading the book that came with the SWR meter if you want to try for better settings. No need to post things three time.
Yeah, I didnt mean to do that .. My Internet crapped out and it didnt send the first 2 posts .. then I made a third .. Then they all posted..Quote:
Originally Posted by fire65
MODERATOR: Please remove the other 2 posts, please
The booklet isnt specific .. Its a really old meter and its on loan from a friend who is out of town
Are you running this with any sort of amp? Or is it just a peaked and tuned CB?
1.3-1.4 Across all channels on a CB is perfectly fine (though not ideal) for a CB's SWR readings. Generally 1.1 is the best one can hope for (Meaning the needle barely moves... if at all... since NO system is 100% efficient 1.0-to-1.0 is virtually impossible to obtain... but for our purposes (assuming no amp or the like) the difference between 1.1 and 1.3 on your SWR readings is negligible.
You are doing this out in the open with nothing (houses/trees/poles etc) within a few hundred feet of you correct? Often times people try to read SWR's in their driveways and what-not and wonder why they have odd readings...
As long as you aren't running a heater/kicker (amp/baby amp)... you will be fine with an SWR of 1.3 (assuming for countermeasure reasons you don't talk much anyways)... The lack of hearing good conversations could just be a lack of them out there... sometimes I can't hear anything for a whole day, then POW at night... 4,5,6+ people jump on a channel as clear as day.
Nope no amp .. Everything is just straight out the box, all factory ..Quote:
Originally Posted by AirMoore
And I was doing this in my driveway ... Hmmm ... I will definately try somewhere in the open (though hard to do when you live in the mountains :) ) ... Thanks for the input on the hard to hear conversations ... May have to try mine at different times in the day!
antman157,
That photo shows you in CAL mode ..... and you don't measure in that mode! CAL mode is only for calibrating each channel BEFORE you measure that channel in SWR mode.
First thing to do is park in open ground, away from power lines etc, close all car doors, put CB in channel 1, put meter in CAL (calibration) mode, transmit CB and hold mic on, turn knob on meter until needle is at CAL mark (far right), then switch meter to SWR mode and take your reading while you're transmitting on channel 1.
Then repeat exact and full procedure for channel 40. Make sure you calibrate your meter again (for any new channel you want to measure) as each channel are usually slightly different.
If channel 40 reading is > than channel 1 reading, your antenna is too long and you need to trim it (or lower it in the mount).
If channel 1 reading is > than channel 40 reading, your antenna is too short and you need to lengthen it (hopefully via mount). If you've trim too much you're screwed.
Important note re trimming: The closer you get SWR to 1.5 the more careful and conservative you need to be with trimming (especially for short antennas)! For eg, if channel 40 shows SWR of 2 to 3, you can trim 1/2 an inch at a time, but if channel 40 shows SWR of under 2, trimming 1/2 inch will have a more drastic effect, so for any SWR under 2, only trim 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch at a time.