I have used CB radios since the mid 70`s ..Well done .. Daddy was a Trucker and we lived on a mountain in Utah and had a base and one in his Scout that we wheeled in...
Very useful info. Bought a new radio for my truck to replace the 80s cb radio and had no idea about tuning. When I tested it was way maxed. This video and a Firestick II antennae let me get it under 1.5 in under 4 minutes of climbing on and off the catwalk.
At last! Someone who can explain this to me w/o all the technical jargon where you need a degree just to understand it. Simple sit down, plain to earth talk where everybody can understand it. Thank you sir, catch you on the flip.
i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a method to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot the password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me
Finally someone who actually understands what they are doing. I can't believe how many people don't understand cable length. Only thing you forgot was grounding the antenna. As a veteran cb user of over 20 years you are dead right on this and get job explaining.
I have a Stryker 955 that I bought new in 2013, one with the mike plug on the side. I had it tuned (peaked and clipped) by my uncle, I hadn't used it in years. I hooked it up the other day with a Stryker SR-5K, got great audio reports. Three years old and still a solid radio. THANK YOU STRYKER.
This has to be, hands down, the most informative CB tuning video on youtube. excellent visuals, examples, and explanation. Helps me a lot, I'm new getting into CB.
A 102" antenna is designed for use with a 4" spring, making it 106" total length. If it is properly grounded, it will not need any further tuning. The needle on your SWR meter will barely move or not move at all. It is the shorter loaded whips that require more complicated tuning, and some of them cannot be tuned to an SWR of less than 1.5-1. That is simply because they are not very efficient compared to a full 102" quarter wave whip. On the loaded whips, if you get the same SWR on both channel 1 and channel 40, and a little lower on channel 20, you've got it tuned as good as it will ever get. SWR will have to be over 2.0-1 to damage your radio, but it will not work very well in that range, you are wasting most of your signal. Many higher end CBs cannot be damaged by a high SWR, they automatically lower the output power to a safe level if the SWR is too high.
A 2.1 SWR will NOT damage any radio.On most every SWR Meter ever built they put a RED area on them because an SWR in that area will cause damage to some transmitters.More than likely nobody will ever notice the difference in your signal from a 1.1.1 & a 2.1 SWR.Do some research & don't take my word for it & look again at that RED section on an SWR Meter & ask yourself WHY if a 2.1 SWR will damage a radio why is that area also not RED in color.RED is a DANGER sign & there is NONE anywhere near the 2.1 mark so PLEASE tell us all why that is if you have an answer that makes any sense.
While an SWR or 2.0-1 may not immediately damage your radio, it will make the finals run hot, and probably shorten their life. But a 2.0-1 SWR means a lot of the signal generated by your radio is being reflected back, and is not actually being transmitted. Since you only have 4 watts to begin with, and waste half that, you're not putting out much of a signal. And if you are running an amplifier, even a low power one, I can guarantee that an SWR reading that high will certainly damage it.
THANK YOU .. I AM A DISABLE VET.. THIS REALLY HELPED ME BEEN THOUGH ALOT.. I WENT TO THE CB SHOP UP NORTH OF ME 60 DOLLARS TO DO THIS... THANK YOU FOR THIS... GOD BLESS YOU ALL. CB'S WILL NEVER DIE ... SO HOW DO YOU SUPER CHARGE IT TO TALK LONG DIST. SMILES...
I just bought my setup and have been doing my research on how to fine tune the antenna. This was a great, easy to understand video explaining the process. Thanks for taking the time to share this!
Nice and simple, good job.It's easy to confuse some one new to radio with too much information.CB radio 101 is what a lot of folks need but don't want to look stupid so they don't ask.
Great video and attention to details that mess many others up. Straight as possible (and shortest cable run), add washers to get tuning correct (or remove), use a spring, how to use built in SWR meter. Will send some of the Teamsters types to this video. Great work.
Blessed love to all, Great video bro, Down here in Jamaica, I fix an build my own antennas, even fix my own radios, watching from Jamaica west Indies !!
You're never going to believe this. I had no idea how this worked and was just turning knobs When suddenly everyone's voice started coming in clear. After watching this video I checked my CB and it was in calibrate mode and it was the SWR calibrate knob I was turning and lo and behold I'm sitting at 1.1 on channel 19. I accidentally calibrated it perfectly lol
I go to a lot of videos on different things and leave confused on some stuff but you did a great job on this video.At my old age I just got a little smarter....Thanks teacher...:)
How would you power a CB if the grid goes? If things get that bad, you better believe your gonna be out of fuel for vehicles in under a couple weeks too unless you stockpile fuel, which only makes you a high value target.
This is so true. That's why the Gov't will never get rid of 11 meter CB spectrum because there are millions of new and old CB's out there, and if SHTF happens, people will use those radios to keep communications going.
@@33rdGemini CB doesn't need fuel It needs a car battery ...Millions of them laying around if grid go's And all of them cars that you say will only last a couple of weeks will be littered all over the streets ..However As history as shown after 3 days of a east coast black out People resorted to other means of fueling ..My city police / fire /medical service Poured fuel manually into cars and trucks From city storage that has a resevre for Salt trucks The same hand pump can be bought at a few stores HD ones. You would not be a high value target if people don't see your cans inside your truck And you were smarter then sticking around to get to that point ...Really if you get to a point Nothing will save you from a total disaster The Idea of a CB is having one more form to keep in touch with the outside ..You cell phone dies, forgot it at home, bad or no reception ..You break down in the middle of a side road 20 miles from the main road in the Canadian north during winter Where skin freezes in mins. No signal Your going to want a CB or a Skidoo in the back ...
Howdy. I just used your method to tune my set up on my jeep. After tuning I'm getting swr less than 1.5 on 1,40 & 19 Thanks man. Cobra 29 LX whip antenna rear bumper mount. 97 Sahara 290.000 miles. Daily driver.
Your video was the most instructive video on RUclips awesome job bro, one thing to note when it comes to you antenna cable length make sure your antenna cable length is in increments of 3 weather it is increments of 3 inches or feet and you will get the best transmission, now the length of your antenna cable wont hurt your transmission ability unless you go more then 100 to 150 feet but in retrospect the shorter is sometimes better! Just thought I would share this, have a good one.
Some antennas like the Francis are designed to be used with 18 feet of coax. 9 feet being half of 18 can work well. Which is what I would use instead of the six footer. I don’t know about this 3 inch business.
Great info. I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler since I started driving. For a myriad of reasons, including 3 kids, I have never had one until I bought a 2004 Tj about 6 months ago. It was a very plain jane TJ, which was what I wanted so that I could build it out the way I wanted it. I have put on a 2 inch Rough Country Lift and Leveling kit, bought new black wheels and new General Grabber AT2 tires. I have a whole bunch of other parts for the interior and exterior that I will be putting on and in over the next month or so, one of them being a CB radio and a Firestick antennae. The antennae top has a built in tuner. I had NO IDEA that I needed to tune the antennae. In fact I didn't know it was needed. Thanks for this video. You made it easy for an old fart to understand. I have subscribed to your channel. Thanks again!!!
While I am thinking about it, if you make a custom bracket for the antenna stud, The hole must be 1/2in to Accommodate the isolation washer’s shoulder. This little gem of information has not been mentioned before.
your not countryif you havent sat around on the holidays and played with a CB RADIO. bc its all you got or a good source of clean old fun.. good times i remember calling out my uncle on christmas . where you at BUD MAN ..
Great info, only thing I'll add is wire length Cable must be cut at 3 foot intervals 9 foot instead of 10, is what they taught me first round with radios in 1989
I hardly don't want to say anything after you've put so much effort into providing a quality video that in some parts is accurate. I also don't want to steal your thunder. The main thing I'd like to add is how to properly attach the antenna connector. As an extra class amateur radio operator with more than 40 years experience that started as a CB radio in 1972 I'd like to suggest that you're putting overemphasis on going out in the middle of a field with absolutely nothing around but weeds to tune your antenna. It's not a bad idea but it's not practical unless you plan ahead. A 102 inch whip antenna is designed to work with a 4-inch coil. Those are not tuning lugs but rather a simple washer and a lock nut. Putting one in to increase the length of the antenna will offer only a marginal change if any. Taking one out would mean that you would have a lock nut with nothing to press down on. It's already the ideal length. What you have affecting your SWR is more than likely the following. Ideally, the length for your coaxial cable is 1/2 wavelength. For CB radio that would be 18 feet. Cutting it shorter will have an effect on your antenna tuning. You are correct that you should not generally coil it up but if you coil it up into a large coil you're going to be okay. On the other hand, if you coil it up into a 6in or 8in round loop you have created what is called a BALUN which is a device that converts a balanced feed point to an unbalanced feed point. If you have extra cable you can cut it off or not. In your case it worked out. Look at it this way. Nearly every CB radio antenna comes with an 18-foot piece of cable. A bigger concern is to route the cable away from certain wiring in your vehicle and in this case in your truck. If it is an old beater 4WD it's probably not going to be a problem. But newer trucks with computers in them are sending computer signals through cables that if you run your coaxial cable next to them they can and often do pick-up noise that affects the range that you can receive. All in all, a good video. Just a couple of minor points like the washers between the whip and the coil. One thing to consider is that when mounting your whip it's best that you not mount it too low on your toolbox. Ideally you would want to mount it in the center of your roof but when you're out playing in the mud and the trees lower is better. Damn things grab every tree as you drive by it seems. LOL. An alternative to 102 inch whip is a K40 antenna drilled right through the roof. No mag mounts! Commit and do it right. The last point I will make is weather proofing your antenna connection. First, you obviously want to tighten the antenna connector down hand tight and then slightly more using a pair of pliers. Not too much because you don't want to crimp the connector. They're generally not very good to begin with. A real serious radio operator would cut that connector off and solder a real one on. You'd be surprised the difference that would make in range. Nonetheless, if you would like to weather seal it correctly you should take some thick epoxy/adhesive 3:1 shrink tubing and put it over the connector in two places. If you are cutting the cheap crimp connector off you want to do the next in two steps. First, before you solder a high-quality gold-plated connector on you want to slip about a half inch diameter piece of adhesive shrink tube over the cable. Maybe 3/8 in. It's been a while since I've done one. You then want to take a larger about a 5/8 inch adhesive piece of shrink tube and slide it over. Both should be about 3in long or better. Next, you want to solder a high-quality pl-259 connector. I prefer those that are gold plated. Tips on soldering a pl259 connector on are available all over the Internet and RUclips. It's actually pretty simple. Using a multimeter make sure that you have not shorted out the connector. Attach the connector to the antenna. Once this is done start first with the smaller shrink tube. You want to get it up so that just fits over the the cable and just around the bottom of the shredded ring. It needs to be loose enough so that when you apply heat to it it actually has room to shrink. Second, once the first piece cools down take the larger piece and push it all the way up to the top And then shrink it down also. This will give you an absolutely weather sealed antenna connection that will survive the harshest elements. This is how we seal hard line connections on repeater sites high up in the mountains where they receive the harshest weather including snow and high winds. Your connector is also not likely to you accidentally come off. If you don't want to do it this way and the right way the first time consider the following. Take a roll of electricians friction tape and wrap it tightly from the top to the bottom and then back to the top again. Once you have done this and cut off the excess you then want to take good quality UV resistant rubber tape and again start at the top but go in the opposite direction and wrap it tightly by pulling on it slightly to stretch it until you get to the bottom and then go back up to the top again. When it settles it will tighten itself up. I like to take myself a black UV resistant wire tie and put one at the top where the tape ends and a smaller one down at the bottom. This will weather seal your antenna so when you're out in the mud or jumping over rocks and hills your antenna connector won't get wet or come off. I seriously hope you don't mind me going into this detail to add to your otherwise excellent video. Just as checking/matching the antenna for the best SWR is important, so is weather sealing the connector.
Dam dude... why not just make your own RUclips video and show us how it's done 👍👍👍👍👍👍 seem like you know a lot on how to install hookup and adjust ... and I'd like to see a complete how to 🙂🙂🙂
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: because bleepinjeep already did that and I simply added to what he already did a good job at doing. I have been an amateur radio operator since 1976 and I've worked on everything from HF low band equipment to ultra high frequency equipment commercial including having run a mobile telephone service center that I built from the ground up. Rather than steal the Thunder entirely of somebody that spent so much time putting together a video I simply have the opportunity to drop in information that will help with his fine work. I sure have no intention of taking away from him. I'm not here to steal anyone's thunder.
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: yes, I suppose I could. Part of the issue is I don't have time. I'm trying to keep moving forward but my grandson has cancer and since my daughter's boyfriend bailed it's just her and I spent a lot of time caring for him. She's trying to finish your college degree so I spend the time during the day with him and I just don't know where I would find the time. I know they're quite a few hands and already do videos and you know I just don't have time. It'd be kind of cool getting some products and do to test them out you know and build up a nice Channel and get some ad Revenue going based on that but I don't know we'll see what happens in the future. Putting on a connector is one of the basics of radio whether it's CB radio or amateur radio. I've got still photos of me building a custom radio antenna that actually works add you only need a handheld drill couple of screws and some copper pipe. I'll tell you, there's some really quick and dirty handmade antennas that you can put on your Jeep for other SUV little outperform a lot of the crap that's out there on the market. Simple is better though. Just using 102 inch whip with a ball mount is really the way to go. I have had projects though where the person had a vinyl hardtop and they wanted a mountain antenna in the middle of that but that wouldn't give a ground plane. So we pop rivet it in a sheet of aluminum inside of it and as we did it we put silicone rubber in the holes so with a pop rivet went through with the kind of went through the silicone and sealed it. Never leaked. Outstanding performance with a K40! Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe I'll actually get around to doing that.
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: here is a popular item that if you assist a lot of CB radio operators in dialing their antennas in you can simply use this to check for the lowest SWR and it has a graphical display that will show you the curve of the antenna. That means if your home channel is 20 for example your lowest SWR should be on Channel 20 and from there it should gently rise equally up to the left and up to the right. If you cut quite a little off it'll show it to you graphically. Part-timers don't usually buy one of these though. They're not exactly cheap. But they are accurate. You could charge people $50 ahead or even $25 or through friends to come on over and dial their antennas in. In amateur radio we don't much charge one another to help one another out. It's kind of an unwritten rule that you do it for fun and for free. www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-caa500markii?seid=dxese1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvdXpBRCoARIsAMJSKqLdT-V56E6mhzQB0QRRj5WP1Ufp0wVZ1oEyrRtpbh8TvDWPT5-3RhIaAtE9EALw_wcB
This video is proof that people in the late 1970's early 80's were smarter than the current crop. 13 year old me figured this out, without being hand held thru the process with a video or the internet.
Thanks.. I went through 5 silly ass videos that went on and on about all sorts of other crap.. One even had some clown with gd rap music blaring. Smh.. Thanks for the good and informative video.
I'm in NYC, so SWR adjustments can be tricky and especially for a home base station. I used a similar 102 inch stainless steel whip antenna for yearsssss, and with that very same styled spring mount but window sided. Yes, out my bedroom window, up high in a public housing project building, mounted onto a window guard, straight out as possible. Hardly any SWR reading whatsoever. Powering the antenna was a RANGER 2970 (the one with the built in cookie/linear underneath), some monster coax cable, a huge Pyramid power supply, and an Astatic tear drop & lollipop mic. I was killing it as far as both reception and transmission distance. But sadly I was also ruining tv and radio reception for hundreds in my antenna's path. The antenna was holding its own just fine after 10+ years of hanging out there, with the spring coil showing a little sign of rust. In my car I used a Cherokee mobile handheld and a Wilson magnet mount. Both worked great. But like most non professional drivers I eventually succumbed to the cell/smart phone and internet while fading away from CB. Great times indeed.
Yes everything you said is correct! But when you add a 4 inch spring to a 102 inch antenna you need to shorten your antenna. On the bottom of your 102 inch antenna is a set screw to adjust the antenna length. Sometimes you have to cut the antenna stinger length. The 102 inch antenna is a 1/4 wave length antenna. Using the formula for a 1/2 wave length 468/f MHZ= Half Wave Length in FEET. Example 468/ 27.185Mhz CH 19=17.21Feet. But that's a half wave length! You then divide by 2 for a quarter wave length 17.21feet/2=8.60Feet. But to covert to inches 8.60Feet x 12 inches=103.29Inches. So 102 inch antenna + a 4 inch spring is 106 inchs of antenna! Careful when cutting the stinger. I cut a 1/4 inch at a time. Not sure you need to cut? Add a alligator clip to the tip of the antenna it will make the SWR either better or worse. Then you will be sure YES to cut. Its time consuming but pays off in the end. I like your washer adjustment, that will work when your down to the fraction of the inch adjustments. Remember this: Your radio is only as good as your antenna! That fraction of an inch will mean the difference of many miles of transmission. That fraction of an inch will result in energy Reflecting back to your radio, burning up your transistors that radiate power out to your antenna. Note always mount your antenna ABOVE the metal surfaces of your car. Try to mount your antenna in the center of the vehicle. If mounted in rear, the antenna will be directional to the front of the vehicle. Your vehicle is the other part (counterpoise) of your antenna! If you can't set the SWR no matter what you adjust move the antenna. Mounting on a bumper with the antenna close to the fender or hatch, it will never SWR match. Keep the antenna clear of obstructions! Million dollar radio + crappy antenna= NO CONTACT I also suggest FRS CH1 radios and CB CH19 radios because people monitor them. Formula works for all frequencies... Mike N8JGU.
I believe the length of coax from antenna to Radio plays a role too. 18 feet of coax is what I've been told. It's a pain because you have to snake it around to avoid coiling it up and messing signal up.
Sorry but you must be a newbie... actual quarter wave for 11 meter CB Radio is 109 inches, the antenna is 102 and with a ball mount and spring its a 109 and its a no tune antenna setup... old school... you only cut the antenna if it has a base load or center load and some top loaded you trim, most of them you can slide the antenna in or out of the coil... because these are shorter they have a coil of wire that makes the length 109 so you slide the antenna to get the right length in most cases. AS for the wire myth is just all that a MYTH except for LONG HIGH POWER RUNS you need the proper length due to the HIGH POWER, a standing wave ratio (swr) that's too high can cause equipment failure and running 30,000 watts would be costly... Since its just a CB radio in a car its best to run the shortest length possible so the wire is not all coiled up. If running a BOOT to gain some extra power up to 5000 Watts you still only want the shortest run between the radio and the BOOT and the shortest run from the BOOT to the antenna, The main thing is you always ALWAYS always check SWR with a meter at the back of the TRANSMITTER not the AMP\BOOT and never at the Antenna. A built in meter on the RADIO\TRANSMITTER is fine as well because your checking for the standing wave which is like feedback to the transmitter and no need for an extra meter. Another trick is to tune the radio at the center frequency not at the ends of the band, notice the SWR was low at CH 19 and not 1 or 40, that because CH 19 is the center of the band not 20 as you would think, so tune SWR on CH 19 get below 1.5 and your good, get down to 1,2 you at the best any below that is a false reading.
A split ring locking washer and flat fender washer is for stopping the assembly from unthreading. If you need to change height, you can add more flat washers, but don't misunderstand basic assembly.
Anyone else now fearful they may have damaged their radio with an SWR higher than 3.0? Lol. I’ll be checking mine when i get one of those devices he mentioned 🤦🏼♂️. Great video! Thanks 😊
Wow, I cannot thank you enough for your very educational and detailed explanation on how and why we should tune our CB antenna. Everything you explained, I had no idea how it worked and that that would affect my performance to send and receive. I purchased two radios from cobra, and one is going to be installed in my garage and the other one in my truck. I am much more confident now watching your video as to what I’m doing lol. My only question is am I supposed to calibrate every single channel? Or just channel one and channel 40 like you did. Once again thank you so much for all your help.😊😊
My first job was repairing CB radios in 1977. Pretty good simple explanation. Congratulations on choosing the best mobile CB antenna! The "antennae" term labels you as a newbie however.
That is a great job. Thank you very much, but you left out one important aspect. You wanna talk into the microphone to make sure the SWR Aren't swinging forward which can also damage the radio mine always used to swing backward.
Building an inexpensive CB setup for my "softroading" VW Golf. I'll be tuning mine soon; you tips on higher swr in 40 or 1 indicatint lengthen or shorten is AWESOME!
Hey buddy Im getting the same calibration reading on channel 40 as i am on channel 1. Ive got my antenna hooked up correct. I have a wilson trucker 2000 with a hood mount, its grounded. Also i have a Cobra radio with the built in swr meter
Great tutorial! I just got an 06 Sierra and I want to put a CB in this bitch for when I take road trips. Mainly for amusement but I'd like to have it if I ever need it. Thanks for the info! Nice Jeep btw.
OK !!! Remember everyone, do not forget to try to use that Field Strength also !!!! I read a book once that SWR is not the final say in antennas meaurement. V.S.W.R. I once reas in a book means Voltage Standing Wave Ratio. I am not sure, V.S.W.R. might be a text book term or school word and S.W.R. may be a product word. Like, each company has their own way of doing things. 😀
Hi Sean! Nice video! i guess you forgot to mention: tha place that the antenna is mounted in your vehicle, will affect the pattern in which the signal is radiated from the antena..in the video showing the antena mounted in the center of the vehicle is the best example for 100% all- direction efectiveness.
@@seanbleepinjeep8668 ... 102" whip: Best antenna on the market and a full 1/4 wavelength on 10/11 meters. I used to do radio repair/installations until arthritis and failing eyesight got me out of it. The biggest complaint from DIY'ers that I would hear is I can't get my antenna to match. Question: Where is the antenna mounted? Answer: The tool box behind the cab. Question: Is the box grounded? Answer: "blank stare" Always make sure that no matter where you mount the antenna that you have a good ground. Especially on the newer vehicles where every thing is isolated from the chassis (your main RF and Electrical ground) to make for a quite ride. Great video, only one I can find on RUclips that explains it correctly! However (yep, I have to throw one of those in) The potbelly spring is 6" tall. Flat sided springs are 4" tall max and I would never use a flat sided spring on any whip antenna over 3' tall, not strong enough to keep the antenna mostly upright when moving! Minimum clearance around vehicle with doors closed to tune antenna: 1 full wave length at the frequency band in use, 11 meters about 38 feet. 1005/26.965=37.270 feet Been doing radio since 1967 (including time in the US Navy as a RM, Radioman, main job antenna maintenance, 1972 - 1982) and repair) and radio repairs (FCC Licensed) and installations from 1975 until 2006, licensed Amateur Radio (General Class) op since 1992. 73, de N1WOM
Actually, mounting any antenna dead center on a vehicle produces a figure eight type of radiation pattern with the major amount of the signal (know as lobes) to the front and rear of the vehicle. Mounting a 102" whip in the center of a pickup/suv type vehicle is not a good idea, hitting overhead obstructions, etc. On the tool box is okay as long as you ensure that you have a really well grounded box, otherwise you are just installing a dummy load. 73, de N1WOM
nice clear information, thanks. I am curious how you got your cable into the truck. I don't know about doing it on a truck but I have a little sedan. They say you want to put the cable in the break of the weather seal of the door. my car doors don't have a break in the seal. It's a solid loop. so I am kind of forced to close my door on it. any suggestions? and yes it looks super goofy having a big antenna on my little car but I do with what I got and it's nice when truckers relay whats going on in traffic situations and which lane to be in.
The coax should be 9' or 18' and 18' is better than 9' for jest swr. You are correct, do not coil the excess as you essentially create another antenna. Run it in a figure 8 pattern about 12 inches from end to end bound in the middle. A long, skinny figure 8 is what you're looking for.
In reference to your statement that CB radio waves are are about 3-1/4" long, if I understand your statement, that is INCORRECT! CB transmits between 26.965 and 27.405 MHz, with a full wavelength between 10..939 and 11.118 meters, or 35.89 and 36.47 ft. or 430.67 and 437.72 inches! HOWEVER, I think what your meaning to say is that the DIFFERENCE between the wavelengths of Ch 1 and Ch40 is about 3 inches. But this show a difference of just over 7 inches at FULL WAVE. Your 102" whip is a 1/4-wave antenna, so dividing that 7 inches by 4 is 1.75 inches, and half that (for the midpoint) is 5/8". THAT is the adjustment range of your antenna.
FYI if using the cobra meter you only cal it once on channel 1. Otherwise you get a false positive. The cobra 29 was a jump seat radio to allow drivers to quick set the swr threw the radio instead of ant. Best is to use a swr meter in line. Try to get a .5 to 1 reading on channels 1 and 40.
I have a Galaxy DX939 and a Stryker 955 HPC and both have self calibrating meters. The meters are not as accurate as a standalone meter, but both of my radios have high SWR warnings and the Stryker will not transmit if the swr is too high. Good protection feature. Most people I know just mount the antenna and don't even tune it and then they wonder why their radio doesn't work.
I have seen those so called Protection Circuits fail & show a High SWR when the SWR was great.They are a reference item just like the builtin SWR Meters at best.
Thanks. Simple. And. Ezy. !!!! Remember. Yu. All. Dont. Coil. Up. Ur. Antena. Cable. Just. One. Straight. Line. From yr. Antena. To. The. Radio. Thats. All u need. GREAT. JOB. !!!! GALAXY. DX 959. This. Rig. Is. A. Talker. !!!!!!
Wish I knew about some of this stuff years ago when farming and still using CB's. Couldn't talk/hear if someone was 2 miles away. There was also so much more static the higher the channels. Most of ours didn't have all those knobs either.
If you’re having trouble hearing it is most likely because they are Having trouble talking. Which means that their antenna is not tuned. The static noise can be eliminated by turning up the squelch knob.
Sometimes a simple radio can be the best for your purposes. You don’t need all of those bells and whistle‘s that some radios have. A 3ft Francis antenna and 18 feet of coax are probably the best plug and play system you can go with. Make a large loop with the extra coax.
Dude ! Thank so much! This information is all I was looking for nothing else. Excellent video ,very professional, no shit ! I'm not knocking guys but oh my God....i went through at least five and i had eject them ....they sucked.....anyway thank you again!
Well put but why do people say 18ft coax is the best performance? Is that just a semi truck or what ? You said shorter is better?? Why if you could explain . Thanks bud
If those washers make a difference, then that spring will really screw things up. Adjust the length of the antenna by moving the whip up or down according to what the SWR meter says. Higher frequencies are shorter antennas
The paperwork that came with my SWR meter said to start at channel 20 on a 40 channel radio. calabrate then switch to power and check reading on 20. Without changing anything check swr on channel 1 then on channel 40. adjust antenna length accordingly to acheave as low as possible .
BleepinJeep, here it is 9, maybe 10 years later? And after CB'ing since the 80's I find this the most useful tuning video I've seen.
I have used CB radios since the mid 70`s ..Well done .. Daddy was a Trucker and we lived on a mountain in Utah and had a base and one in his Scout that we wheeled in...
Very useful info. Bought a new radio for my truck to replace the 80s cb radio and had no idea about tuning. When I tested it was way maxed. This video and a Firestick II antennae let me get it under 1.5 in under 4 minutes of climbing on and off the catwalk.
At last! Someone who can explain this to me w/o all the technical jargon where you need a degree just to understand it. Simple sit down, plain to earth talk where everybody can understand it. Thank you sir, catch you on the flip.
Really? 13 year old me figured this out in the late 70's without needing a hand holding video or the internet.
@@sahhull Good for lil ol you... Want a cookie?
i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a method to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly forgot the password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Holden Barrett instablaster =)
REALLY? Tuning an antenna is too difficult to understand? And you have a driver's license?
Finally someone who actually understands what they are doing. I can't believe how many people don't understand cable length. Only thing you forgot was grounding the antenna. As a veteran cb user of over 20 years you are dead right on this and get job explaining.
how do u ground it when u only have a coax wire
@@derricksmiley5632 you run a ground strap from the antenna is located
When the antenna is mounted typically the bracket to a grounding point in the vehicle.
Plain and simple explanation! Thank you. This guy is not talking shit about himself before he shakes his knowledge!
I've drove truck now for 20 years and you my friend tought me something new today thank you.
I have a Stryker 955 that I bought new in 2013, one with the mike plug on the side. I had it tuned (peaked and clipped) by my uncle, I hadn't used it in years. I hooked it up the other day with a Stryker SR-5K, got great audio reports. Three years old and still a solid radio. THANK YOU STRYKER.
This has to be, hands down, the most informative CB tuning video on youtube. excellent visuals, examples, and explanation. Helps me a lot, I'm new getting into CB.
A 102" antenna is designed for use with a 4" spring, making it 106" total length. If it is properly grounded, it will not need any further tuning. The needle on your SWR meter will barely move or not move at all. It is the shorter loaded whips that require more complicated tuning, and some of them cannot be tuned to an SWR of less than 1.5-1. That is simply because they are not very efficient compared to a full 102" quarter wave whip. On the loaded whips, if you get the same SWR on both channel 1 and channel 40, and a little lower on channel 20, you've got it tuned as good as it will ever get. SWR will have to be over 2.0-1 to damage your radio, but it will not work very well in that range, you are wasting most of your signal. Many higher end CBs cannot be damaged by a high SWR, they automatically lower the output power to a safe level if the SWR is too high.
A 2.1 SWR will NOT damage any radio.On most every SWR Meter ever built they put a RED area on them because an SWR in that area will cause damage to some transmitters.More than likely nobody will ever notice the difference in your signal from a 1.1.1 & a 2.1 SWR.Do some research & don't take my word for it & look again at that RED section on an SWR Meter & ask yourself WHY if a 2.1 SWR will damage a radio why is that area also not RED in color.RED is a DANGER sign & there is NONE anywhere near the 2.1 mark so PLEASE tell us all why that is if you have an answer that makes any sense.
While an SWR or 2.0-1 may not immediately damage your radio, it will make the finals run hot, and probably shorten their life. But a 2.0-1 SWR means a lot of the signal generated by your radio is being reflected back, and is not actually being transmitted. Since you only have 4 watts to begin with, and waste half that, you're not putting out much of a signal. And if you are running an amplifier, even a low power one, I can guarantee that an SWR reading that high will certainly damage it.
THANK YOU .. I AM A DISABLE VET.. THIS REALLY HELPED ME BEEN THOUGH ALOT.. I WENT TO THE CB SHOP UP NORTH OF ME 60 DOLLARS TO DO THIS... THANK YOU FOR THIS... GOD BLESS YOU ALL. CB'S WILL NEVER DIE ... SO HOW DO YOU SUPER CHARGE IT TO TALK LONG DIST. SMILES...
Wow, that was way easier than I’ve been doing for years. Thanks for simplifying this.
Extremely helpful, thanks for taking the time to make this video for us uninformed.
I just bought my setup and have been doing my research on how to fine tune the antenna. This was a great, easy to understand video explaining the process. Thanks for taking the time to share this!
Nice and simple, good job.It's easy to confuse some one new to radio with too much information.CB radio 101 is what a lot of folks need but don't want to look stupid so they don't ask.
Thanks!
Finally......Simple, To the Point with Actual Graphics - All you need to know in 7 minutes - It just doesn't get any better than this......Thanks!!
Great video and attention to details that mess many others up. Straight as possible (and shortest cable run), add washers to get tuning correct (or remove), use a spring, how to use built in SWR meter. Will send some of the Teamsters types to this video. Great work.
Do they have to be copper washers or can they be normal washers
Blessed love to all, Great video bro, Down here in Jamaica, I fix an build my own antennas, even fix my own radios, watching from Jamaica west Indies !!
You're never going to believe this. I had no idea how this worked and was just turning knobs When suddenly everyone's voice started coming in clear. After watching this video I checked my CB and it was in calibrate mode and it was the SWR calibrate knob I was turning and lo and behold I'm sitting at 1.1 on channel 19. I accidentally calibrated it perfectly lol
I go to a lot of videos on different things and leave confused on some stuff but you did a great job on this video.At my old age I just got a little smarter....Thanks teacher...:)
if power goes down and cell service is disrupted they will wish they knew what a CB is
Your right .
When the grid goes down , only c.b,s will work . But by then it will be to late for them to understand a c.b.
How would you power a CB if the grid goes? If things get that bad, you better believe your gonna be out of fuel for vehicles in under a couple weeks too unless you stockpile fuel, which only makes you a high value target.
Daniel T using a car battery
This is so true. That's why the Gov't will never get rid of 11 meter CB spectrum because there are millions of new and old CB's out there, and if SHTF happens, people will use those radios to keep communications going.
@@33rdGemini CB doesn't need fuel It needs a car battery ...Millions of them laying around if grid go's And all of them cars that you say will only last a couple of weeks will be littered all over the streets ..However As history as shown after 3 days of a east coast black out People resorted to other means of fueling ..My city police / fire /medical service Poured fuel manually into cars and trucks From city storage that has a resevre for Salt trucks The same hand pump can be bought at a few stores HD ones.
You would not be a high value target if people don't see your cans inside your truck And you were smarter then sticking around to get to that point ...Really if you get to a point Nothing will save you from a total disaster The Idea of a CB is having one more form to keep in touch with the outside ..You cell phone dies, forgot it at home, bad or no reception ..You break down in the middle of a side road 20 miles from the main road in the Canadian north during winter Where skin freezes in mins. No signal Your going to want a CB or a Skidoo in the back ...
thank you for taking me back to before I had internet and I used to spend hours talking on my base station.
I wish I still had my base station.
I've had a CB radio for the truck I drive for a while now and it's a must have for everyone in my opinion
Best cb video I have seen. Great detail and understanding of the cb. Quick and easy. Thanks
Howdy. I just used your method to tune my set up on my jeep. After tuning I'm getting swr less than 1.5 on 1,40 & 19
Thanks man.
Cobra 29 LX whip antenna rear bumper mount. 97 Sahara 290.000 miles. Daily driver.
Your video was the most instructive video on RUclips awesome job bro, one thing to note when it comes to you antenna cable length make sure your antenna cable length is in increments of 3 weather it is increments of 3 inches or feet and you will get the best transmission, now the length of your antenna cable wont hurt your transmission ability unless you go more then 100 to 150 feet but in retrospect the shorter is sometimes better! Just thought I would share this, have a good one.
Some antennas like the Francis are designed to be used with 18 feet of coax. 9 feet being half of 18 can work well. Which is what I would use instead of the six footer. I don’t know about this 3 inch business.
Hell, thats the same spring and whip I had back in the early 90s. Perfectly measured coax would make a Cobra 19+ sound like a champ!
About time we saw a Comanche!
I see drop brackets. What's the rest of the suspension setup?
Great info. I have wanted a Jeep Wrangler since I started driving. For a myriad of reasons, including 3 kids, I have never had one until I bought a 2004 Tj about 6 months ago. It was a very plain jane TJ, which was what I wanted so that I could build it out the way I wanted it. I have put on a 2 inch Rough Country Lift and Leveling kit, bought new black wheels and new General Grabber AT2 tires. I have a whole bunch of other parts for the interior and exterior that I will be putting on and in over the next month or so, one of them being a CB radio and a Firestick antennae. The antennae top has a built in tuner. I had NO IDEA that I needed to tune the antennae. In fact I didn't know it was needed. Thanks for this video. You made it easy for an old fart to understand. I have subscribed to your channel. Thanks again!!!
While I am thinking about it, if you make a custom bracket for the antenna stud, The hole must be 1/2in to Accommodate the isolation washer’s shoulder. This little gem of information has not been mentioned before.
Great video, no extras, just relevant info
your not countryif you havent sat around on the holidays and played with a CB RADIO. bc its all you got or a good source of clean old fun.. good times i remember calling out my uncle on christmas . where you at BUD MAN ..
Great info, only thing I'll add is wire length Cable must be cut at 3 foot intervals 9 foot instead of 10, is what they taught me first round with radios in 1989
I hardly don't want to say anything after you've put so much effort into providing a quality video that in some parts is accurate. I also don't want to steal your thunder.
The main thing I'd like to add is how to properly attach the antenna connector.
As an extra class amateur radio operator with more than 40 years experience that started as a CB radio in 1972 I'd like to suggest that you're putting overemphasis on going out in the middle of a field with absolutely nothing around but weeds to tune your antenna. It's not a bad idea but it's not practical unless you plan ahead.
A 102 inch whip antenna is designed to work with a 4-inch coil. Those are not tuning lugs but rather a simple washer and a lock nut. Putting one in to increase the length of the antenna will offer only a marginal change if any. Taking one out would mean that you would have a lock nut with nothing to press down on. It's already the ideal length. What you have affecting your SWR is more than likely the following.
Ideally, the length for your coaxial cable is 1/2 wavelength. For CB radio that would be 18 feet. Cutting it shorter will have an effect on your antenna tuning. You are correct that you should not generally coil it up but if you coil it up into a large coil you're going to be okay. On the other hand, if you coil it up into a 6in or 8in round loop you have created what is called a BALUN which is a device that converts a balanced feed point to an unbalanced feed point. If you have extra cable you can cut it off or not. In your case it worked out. Look at it this way. Nearly every CB radio antenna comes with an 18-foot piece of cable.
A bigger concern is to route the cable away from certain wiring in your vehicle and in this case in your truck. If it is an old beater 4WD it's probably not going to be a problem. But newer trucks with computers in them are sending computer signals through cables that if you run your coaxial cable next to them they can and often do pick-up noise that affects the range that you can receive.
All in all, a good video. Just a couple of minor points like the washers between the whip and the coil. One thing to consider is that when mounting your whip it's best that you not mount it too low on your toolbox. Ideally you would want to mount it in the center of your roof but when you're out playing in the mud and the trees lower is better. Damn things grab every tree as you drive by it seems. LOL. An alternative to 102 inch whip is a K40 antenna drilled right through the roof. No mag mounts! Commit and do it right.
The last point I will make is weather proofing your antenna connection. First, you obviously want to tighten the antenna connector down hand tight and then slightly more using a pair of pliers. Not too much because you don't want to crimp the connector. They're generally not very good to begin with. A real serious radio operator would cut that connector off and solder a real one on. You'd be surprised the difference that would make in range.
Nonetheless, if you would like to weather seal it correctly you should take some thick epoxy/adhesive 3:1 shrink tubing and put it over the connector in two places. If you are cutting the cheap crimp connector off you want to do the next in two steps.
First, before you solder a high-quality gold-plated connector on you want to slip about a half inch diameter piece of adhesive shrink tube over the cable. Maybe 3/8 in. It's been a while since I've done one. You then want to take a larger about a 5/8 inch adhesive piece of shrink tube and slide it over. Both should be about 3in long or better.
Next, you want to solder a high-quality pl-259 connector. I prefer those that are gold plated. Tips on soldering a pl259 connector on are available all over the Internet and RUclips. It's actually pretty simple. Using a multimeter make sure that you have not shorted out the connector. Attach the connector to the antenna.
Once this is done start first with the smaller shrink tube. You want to get it up so that just fits over the the cable and just around the bottom of the shredded ring. It needs to be loose enough so that when you apply heat to it it actually has room to shrink. Second, once the first piece cools down take the larger piece and push it all the way up to the top And then shrink it down also. This will give you an absolutely weather sealed antenna connection that will survive the harshest elements. This is how we seal hard line connections on repeater sites high up in the mountains where they receive the harshest weather including snow and high winds. Your connector is also not likely to you accidentally come off.
If you don't want to do it this way and the right way the first time consider the following.
Take a roll of electricians friction tape and wrap it tightly from the top to the bottom and then back to the top again. Once you have done this and cut off the excess you then want to take good quality UV resistant rubber tape and again start at the top but go in the opposite direction and wrap it tightly by pulling on it slightly to stretch it until you get to the bottom and then go back up to the top again. When it settles it will tighten itself up. I like to take myself a black UV resistant wire tie and put one at the top where the tape ends and a smaller one down at the bottom. This will weather seal your antenna so when you're out in the mud or jumping over rocks and hills your antenna connector won't get wet or come off.
I seriously hope you don't mind me going into this detail to add to your otherwise excellent video. Just as checking/matching the antenna for the best SWR is important, so is weather sealing the connector.
Dam dude... why not just make your own RUclips video and show us how it's done 👍👍👍👍👍👍 seem like you know a lot on how to install hookup and adjust ... and I'd like to see a complete how to 🙂🙂🙂
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: because bleepinjeep already did that and I simply added to what he already did a good job at doing. I have been an amateur radio operator since 1976 and I've worked on everything from HF low band equipment to ultra high frequency equipment commercial including having run a mobile telephone service center that I built from the ground up. Rather than steal the Thunder entirely of somebody that spent so much time putting together a video I simply have the opportunity to drop in information that will help with his fine work. I sure have no intention of taking away from him. I'm not here to steal anyone's thunder.
I'm just saying... with all that knowledge... you could make some videos spreading your knowledge
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: yes, I suppose I could. Part of the issue is I don't have time. I'm trying to keep moving forward but my grandson has cancer and since my daughter's boyfriend bailed it's just her and I spent a lot of time caring for him. She's trying to finish your college degree so I spend the time during the day with him and I just don't know where I would find the time. I know they're quite a few hands and already do videos and you know I just don't have time. It'd be kind of cool getting some products and do to test them out you know and build up a nice Channel and get some ad Revenue going based on that but I don't know we'll see what happens in the future. Putting on a connector is one of the basics of radio whether it's CB radio or amateur radio. I've got still photos of me building a custom radio antenna that actually works add you only need a handheld drill couple of screws and some copper pipe. I'll tell you, there's some really quick and dirty handmade antennas that you can put on your Jeep for other SUV little outperform a lot of the crap that's out there on the market. Simple is better though. Just using 102 inch whip with a ball mount is really the way to go. I have had projects though where the person had a vinyl hardtop and they wanted a mountain antenna in the middle of that but that wouldn't give a ground plane. So we pop rivet it in a sheet of aluminum inside of it and as we did it we put silicone rubber in the holes so with a pop rivet went through with the kind of went through the silicone and sealed it. Never leaked. Outstanding performance with a K40! Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe I'll actually get around to doing that.
@@theblacksunshineproject3597 :: here is a popular item that if you assist a lot of CB radio operators in dialing their antennas in you can simply use this to check for the lowest SWR and it has a graphical display that will show you the curve of the antenna. That means if your home channel is 20 for example your lowest SWR should be on Channel 20 and from there it should gently rise equally up to the left and up to the right. If you cut quite a little off it'll show it to you graphically. Part-timers don't usually buy one of these though. They're not exactly cheap. But they are accurate. You could charge people $50 ahead or even $25 or through friends to come on over and dial their antennas in. In amateur radio we don't much charge one another to help one another out. It's kind of an unwritten rule that you do it for fun and for free.
www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-caa500markii?seid=dxese1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvdXpBRCoARIsAMJSKqLdT-V56E6mhzQB0QRRj5WP1Ufp0wVZ1oEyrRtpbh8TvDWPT5-3RhIaAtE9EALw_wcB
Thank you for a such a great video stuff ! I just got a SR-A10 CB Antenna and tuned it. No whip cutting. Got SWR very close to 1:1 on CB!
Just got a 99' Cobra 29, so excited. Thanks for the tips!
This video is proof that people in the late 1970's early 80's were smarter than the current crop.
13 year old me figured this out, without being hand held thru the process with a video or the internet.
Absolutely simple explanation. Thanks!
Thanks.. I went through 5 silly ass videos that went on and on about all sorts of other crap.. One even had some clown with gd rap music blaring. Smh.. Thanks for the good and informative video.
Thank you for using a tripod! It’s amazing how many don’t...
Auto sub and thumb up for that alone. Good vid too
I'm in NYC, so SWR adjustments can be tricky and especially for a home base station. I used a similar 102 inch stainless steel whip antenna for yearsssss, and with that very same styled spring mount but window sided. Yes, out my bedroom window, up high in a public housing project building, mounted onto a window guard, straight out as possible. Hardly any SWR reading whatsoever. Powering the antenna was a RANGER 2970 (the one with the built in cookie/linear underneath), some monster coax cable, a huge Pyramid power supply, and an Astatic tear drop & lollipop mic. I was killing it as far as both reception and transmission distance. But sadly I was also ruining tv and radio reception for hundreds in my antenna's path. The antenna was holding its own just fine after 10+ years of hanging out there, with the spring coil showing a little sign of rust. In my car I used a Cherokee mobile handheld and a Wilson magnet mount. Both worked great. But like most non professional drivers I eventually succumbed to the cell/smart phone and internet while fading away from CB. Great times indeed.
Finally a clear explination..Thanks Brotha!
Yes everything you said is correct! But when you add a 4 inch spring to a 102 inch antenna you need to shorten your antenna. On the bottom of your 102 inch antenna is a set screw to adjust the antenna length. Sometimes you have to cut the antenna stinger length. The 102 inch antenna is a 1/4 wave length antenna. Using the formula for a 1/2 wave length 468/f MHZ= Half Wave Length in FEET. Example 468/ 27.185Mhz CH 19=17.21Feet. But that's a half wave length! You then divide by 2 for a quarter wave length 17.21feet/2=8.60Feet. But to covert to inches 8.60Feet x 12 inches=103.29Inches. So 102 inch antenna + a 4 inch spring is 106 inchs of antenna! Careful when cutting the stinger. I cut a 1/4 inch at a time. Not sure you need to cut? Add a alligator clip to the tip of the antenna it will make the SWR either better or worse. Then you will be sure YES to cut. Its time consuming but pays off in the end. I like your washer adjustment, that will work when your down to the fraction of the inch adjustments. Remember this: Your radio is only as good as your antenna! That fraction of an inch will mean the difference of many miles of transmission. That fraction of an inch will result in energy Reflecting back to your radio, burning up your transistors that radiate power out to your antenna. Note always mount your antenna ABOVE the metal surfaces of your car. Try to mount your antenna in the center of the vehicle. If mounted in rear, the antenna will be directional to the front of the vehicle. Your vehicle is the other part (counterpoise) of your antenna! If you can't set the SWR no matter what you adjust move the antenna. Mounting on a bumper with the antenna close to the fender or hatch, it will never SWR match. Keep the antenna clear of obstructions! Million dollar radio + crappy antenna= NO CONTACT I also suggest FRS CH1 radios and CB CH19 radios because people monitor them. Formula works for all frequencies... Mike N8JGU.
BrianLeeUSA73 That would sure help us newbees out a lot!
I believe the length of coax from antenna to Radio plays a role too. 18 feet of coax is what I've been told. It's a pain because you have to snake it around to avoid coiling it up and messing signal up.
Sorry but you must be a newbie... actual quarter wave for 11 meter CB Radio is 109 inches, the antenna is 102 and with a ball mount and spring its a 109 and its a no tune antenna setup... old school... you only cut the antenna if it has a base load or center load and some top loaded you trim, most of them you can slide the antenna in or out of the coil... because these are shorter they have a coil of wire that makes the length 109 so you slide the antenna to get the right length in most cases. AS for the wire myth is just all that a MYTH except for LONG HIGH POWER RUNS you need the proper length due to the HIGH POWER, a standing wave ratio (swr) that's too high can cause equipment failure and running 30,000 watts would be costly... Since its just a CB radio in a car its best to run the shortest length possible so the wire is not all coiled up. If running a BOOT to gain some extra power up to 5000 Watts you still only want the shortest run between the radio and the BOOT and the shortest run from the BOOT to the antenna, The main thing is you always ALWAYS always check SWR with a meter at the back of the TRANSMITTER not the AMP\BOOT and never at the Antenna. A built in meter on the RADIO\TRANSMITTER is fine as well because your checking for the standing wave which is like feedback to the transmitter and no need for an extra meter. Another trick is to tune the radio at the center frequency not at the ends of the band, notice the SWR was low at CH 19 and not 1 or 40, that because CH 19 is the center of the band not 20 as you would think, so tune SWR on CH 19 get below 1.5 and your good, get down to 1,2 you at the best any below that is a false reading.
Mike W. Started to read this and new it had to be a HAM,LOL
Precisely. Cable length is a myth - it plays absolutely NO part in how a radio (on any frequency) tunes up into an antenna.
wow all the years i been on the radio i never have done that i guess i been lucky with my set up thanks bro !
A split ring locking washer and flat fender washer is for stopping the assembly from unthreading. If you need to change height, you can add more flat washers, but don't misunderstand basic assembly.
Anyone else now fearful they may have damaged their radio with an SWR higher than 3.0? Lol. I’ll be checking mine when i get one of those devices he mentioned 🤦🏼♂️. Great video! Thanks 😊
Wow, I cannot thank you enough for your very educational and detailed explanation on how and why we should tune our CB antenna. Everything you explained, I had no idea how it worked and that that would affect my performance to send and receive. I purchased two radios from cobra, and one is going to be installed in my garage and the other one in my truck. I am much more confident now watching your video as to what I’m doing lol. My only question is am I supposed to calibrate every single channel? Or just channel one and channel 40 like you did. Once again thank you so much for all your help.😊😊
Thank you for this educational video glad someone is on their job‼️
Thanks for sharing this video. I honestly wish I knew this before. I think I have messed up my cb.
Awesome video! Very informative and concise! Loud and clear buddy
Great video very informative yet simple! Love the camo paint job.
For real, I listen to him and did it exact as he said and my cb was clear thanks really.
My first job was repairing CB radios in 1977. Pretty good simple explanation. Congratulations on choosing the best mobile CB antenna! The "antennae" term labels you as a newbie however.
Very good swr reading. Great video mate. Worth watching and using the tips and info. Thanks
Back in the early 70's we used a pair of bolt cutters to tune a whip. Had to cut very little each time!
Thank you very good video learned a lot am a beginner CB user.
Excellent video, to the point and explained well. I’ve learnt something. Thanks !
That is a great job. Thank you very much, but you left out one important aspect. You wanna talk into the microphone to make sure the SWR Aren't swinging forward which can also damage the radio mine always used to swing backward.
Very helpful video I had no idea how to properly use my cB now is working great thanks to this great video 👍👍👍💯💯💯💯
I'am Your Newest Subscriber Great Videos
Great video; you explained everything excellent, especially with the graph. You Da Man.
I believe the 102 wips are made to be used with the large springs to be the correct length for the cb frequency for low swr.
Yes 102" is made for a spring, 106" is for no spring
@stephen john gray The little ball on the top needs to stay
great vid man... you have a future doing something besides jeepen
You know how old this video is when he says “Radio Shack” 😂
I just ordered the President Walker II CB radio today and imma try that out first instead of buying the swr meter.
Building an inexpensive CB setup for my "softroading" VW Golf. I'll be tuning mine soon; you tips on higher swr in 40 or 1 indicatint lengthen or shorten is AWESOME!
You explained very clearly
Titito from Puerto 🇵🇷Rico
Thanks
This info was very helpful. I've been having trouble with mine lately and I need it for work. Thanks!
Hey buddy Im getting the same calibration reading on channel 40 as i am on channel 1. Ive got my antenna hooked up correct. I have a wilson trucker 2000 with a hood mount, its grounded. Also i have a Cobra radio with the built in swr meter
Great tutorial! I just got an 06 Sierra and I want to put a CB in this bitch for when I take road trips. Mainly for amusement but I'd like to have it if I ever need it. Thanks for the info! Nice Jeep btw.
Thanks for sharing I had tuned my Stryker SR-A10 CB Antenna after watching this video.
OK !!! Remember everyone, do not forget to try to use that Field Strength also !!!! I read a book once that SWR is not the final say in antennas meaurement. V.S.W.R. I once reas in a book means Voltage Standing Wave Ratio. I am not sure, V.S.W.R. might be a text book term or school word and S.W.R. may be a product word. Like, each company has their own way of doing things. 😀
Good info. for us newbies.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank ya
lol I remember how to do that! Yipes,its been a long time!
Cool, im a truck driver, i have one in my pick up truck,,great for off road , nice video
Hi Sean! Nice video! i guess you forgot to mention: tha place that the antenna is mounted in your vehicle, will affect the pattern in which the signal is radiated from the antena..in the video showing the antena mounted in the center of the vehicle is the best example for 100% all- direction efectiveness.
Good point, I had actually thought of this during post, I knew I would forget something!
Top dead center would be preferable.
@@seanbleepinjeep8668 ... 102" whip: Best antenna on the market and a full 1/4 wavelength on 10/11 meters.
I used to do radio repair/installations until arthritis and failing eyesight got me out of it.
The biggest complaint from DIY'ers that I would hear is I can't get my antenna to match.
Question: Where is the antenna mounted?
Answer: The tool box behind the cab.
Question: Is the box grounded?
Answer: "blank stare"
Always make sure that no matter where you mount the antenna that you have a good ground. Especially on the newer vehicles where every thing is isolated from the chassis (your main RF and Electrical ground) to make for a quite ride.
Great video, only one I can find on RUclips that explains it correctly!
However (yep, I have to throw one of those in) The potbelly spring is 6" tall. Flat sided springs are 4" tall max and I would never use a flat sided spring on any whip antenna over 3' tall, not strong enough to keep the antenna mostly upright when moving!
Minimum clearance around vehicle with doors closed to tune antenna: 1 full wave length at the frequency band in use, 11 meters about 38 feet. 1005/26.965=37.270 feet
Been doing radio since 1967 (including time in the US Navy as a RM, Radioman, main job antenna maintenance, 1972 - 1982) and repair) and radio repairs (FCC Licensed) and installations from 1975 until 2006, licensed Amateur Radio (General Class) op since 1992.
73, de N1WOM
Actually, mounting any antenna dead center on a vehicle produces a figure eight type of radiation pattern with the major amount of the signal (know as lobes) to the front and rear of the vehicle.
Mounting a 102" whip in the center of a pickup/suv type vehicle is not a good idea, hitting overhead obstructions, etc. On the tool box is okay as long as you ensure that you have a really well grounded box, otherwise you are just installing a dummy load.
73, de N1WOM
This helped me out big time! Thanks
nice clear information, thanks. I am curious how you got your cable into the truck. I don't know about doing it on a truck but I have a little sedan. They say you want to put the cable in the break of the weather seal of the door. my car doors don't have a break in the seal. It's a solid loop. so I am kind of forced to close my door on it. any suggestions?
and yes it looks super goofy having a big antenna on my little car but I do with what I got and it's nice when truckers relay whats going on in traffic situations and which lane to be in.
The coax should be 9' or 18' and 18' is better than 9' for jest swr. You are correct, do not coil the excess as you essentially create another antenna. Run it in a figure 8 pattern about 12 inches from end to end bound in the middle. A long, skinny figure 8 is what you're looking for.
In reference to your statement that CB radio waves are are about 3-1/4" long, if I understand your statement, that is INCORRECT! CB transmits between 26.965 and 27.405 MHz, with a full wavelength between 10..939 and 11.118 meters, or 35.89 and 36.47 ft. or 430.67 and 437.72 inches! HOWEVER, I think what your meaning to say is that the DIFFERENCE between the wavelengths of Ch 1 and Ch40 is about 3 inches. But this show a difference of just over 7 inches at FULL WAVE. Your 102" whip is a 1/4-wave antenna, so dividing that 7 inches by 4 is 1.75 inches, and half that (for the midpoint) is 5/8". THAT is the adjustment range of your antenna.
FYI if using the cobra meter you only cal it once on channel 1. Otherwise you get a false positive. The cobra 29 was a jump seat radio to allow drivers to quick set the swr threw the radio instead of ant. Best is to use a swr meter in line. Try to get a .5 to 1 reading on channels 1 and 40.
That's not what the manual says. The manual says channel 20 first, then 40, then 1.
I have a Galaxy DX939 and a Stryker 955 HPC and both have self calibrating meters. The meters are not as accurate as a standalone meter, but both of my radios have high SWR warnings and the Stryker will not transmit if the swr is too high. Good protection feature. Most people I know just mount the antenna and don't even tune it and then they wonder why their radio doesn't work.
I have seen those so called Protection Circuits fail & show a High SWR when the SWR was great.They are a reference item just like the builtin SWR Meters at best.
Use this website for information. Read through it. Look for dirty grounds for poor grounds Shorted cables. Broken antennas.
I did learn something watching. Good job! Quite specific and helpful.
Thanks! I miss making these videos..
Another helpful video from BleepinJeep. Mucho Gracias
Thanks. Simple. And. Ezy. !!!! Remember. Yu. All. Dont. Coil. Up. Ur. Antena. Cable. Just. One. Straight. Line. From yr. Antena. To. The. Radio. Thats. All u need. GREAT. JOB. !!!! GALAXY. DX 959. This. Rig. Is. A. Talker. !!!!!!
Great explanation . You should consider a career in teaching or instruction.
Privately owned Radio Shacks are still in business and doing fine
If you’re lucky you can find one that is run by a radio enthusiast who knows what they are talking about. They will usually carry CB equipment.
Very helpful. I learned a lot. Thank you!
Tune it with the amount of coaxial cable. I have a flat match. It is actually a little less than 18' for your whip.
Wish I knew about some of this stuff years ago when farming and still using CB's. Couldn't talk/hear if someone was 2 miles away. There was also so much more static the higher the channels. Most of ours didn't have all those knobs either.
If you’re having trouble hearing it is most likely because they are Having trouble talking. Which means that their antenna is not tuned. The static noise can be eliminated by turning up the squelch knob.
Sometimes a simple radio can be the best for your purposes. You don’t need all of those bells and whistle‘s that some radios have. A 3ft Francis antenna and 18 feet of coax are probably the best plug and play system you can go with. Make a large loop with the extra coax.
Thanks for the help, easy to understand and explained very well! Is your Nightwatch still working?
+jason smith i had tuned my sr-a10 antenna after watching this video
Great info and awesome video!
Hey Paul 223 that tuned escort car 🚗
Dude ! Thank so much! This information is all I was looking for nothing else. Excellent video ,very professional, no shit ! I'm not knocking guys but oh my God....i went through at least five and i had eject them ....they sucked.....anyway thank you again!
Nice radio but it's still only am. You really want sideband for the best experience.my cobra 148gtl modified does a nice job. 👌
Is what you taught us in this video what shops charge $45 for when buying a new radio?
Excellent Video!
Well put but why do people say 18ft coax is the best performance? Is that just a semi truck or what ? You said shorter is better?? Why if you could explain . Thanks bud
If those washers make a difference, then that spring will really screw things up. Adjust the length of the antenna by moving the whip up or down according to what the SWR meter says. Higher frequencies are shorter antennas
Please explain how you move the whip UP & DOWN on a 102" Stainless Steel Whip? I'll be waiting so hurry up. LOL
Read what I have posted
I heard that Shuan joined the Space Force and is currently Jeeping on the moon.
I ain’t got a meter so how do I know if it’s ok?
The paperwork that came with my SWR meter said to start at channel 20 on a 40 channel radio. calabrate then switch to power and check reading on 20. Without changing anything check swr on channel 1 then on channel 40. adjust antenna length accordingly to acheave as low as possible .