Nice tutorial Fred - i got my silver stick down to 1.5 SWR on installation - added in the TM999 1:1 thru the band with very small loss of power. Like wise, I enjoy having an external meter and even on the amateur bands I use an ATU to get the antenna and radio matched. Thanks again, enjoying your channel once more :)
I, too am old school and prefer a seperate unit for SWR, Power, Modulation, etc.... I guess the extra equipment makes the package look more majestic. Nice explanation Fred. Very clear and concise as you usually are. I am sure it will be most helpful to many good folk out there that are fiddling with communication radios.
Thanks Andy. I hope it was clear even though i said Reference instead of Reflected when talking about the switches. The TM999 is an ok meter but its not the most accurate.
Just switch the lower switch to W (watts). Switch the matcher off. Then you have a choice of 0-10 watts or 0-100 which is the other switch on the front.
Hello Fred good video well explained, not sure what you mean new guys and girls to cb radio,in Holland CB radio so so quiet even with a silver rod antenna on the chimney almost nothing,Fm/am/ ssb.must be unique to your side of town, keep up the good work.
Hello, thanks for the quick response,I have a yagi 3 beam 11 meter antenna in a box,in the hall,I find it difficult to find the enthusiasm to set it up,cost only 60euro new second hand, cheap, anyhoo success.
Long ago we had one antenna tuner similar to this and a 25w "afterburner" but I never found out how to use it. The instructions I got only resulted in loud angry ominous humming and the power usage on the 25w amp spiking to more then then 10A at 14v our power supply could deliver and I am pretty sure a 25w amp is not meant to use 140w+....
I personally use an antenna analyser. Accurate and surprisingly easy to use. They are generally more expensive to buy but well worth the extra money. Its a digital readout and quite user friendly. Maybe an investment for the future Fred. Especially as you are using a lot of different antennas for different frequencies. Love mine. Why did i not get one earlier ? Thanks Fred.
Good call Mark. Maybe i will in the future. In fact ive never had to use the tuner part of the TM999 as ive always manged an SWR below 1.5 but its handy if you get caught out.
...and exactly the right way of doing this! Fix your antenna for that specific usage THEN use SWR meter to monitor if anything goes wrong during usage... I'we seen those confusions about SWR, Tuning, DB's, Power, Radiation etc.
It will give you a 1.1 SWR by pressing a button but the antenna still needs to be in good tune. You also loose a bit of transmit power through the tuner.
Hi again Fred. Another daft question. I have bought a Zetagi TM 999 & an RM 203P Lin Amp 100w AM /FM & 200w on SSB. Onto my SS6900N Radio. Now the daft question. What order do I use them Radio , TM999 & RM 203P then to antenna or other way around. I have been told that you can use use the Linear safly up to about 8w on AM/FM & about 6w on SSB. Can you please advise Mate? Cheers Keith
Hi Keith. Iam not sure i would try using a matcher in line with a amp as it might heat up. Normally the amp goes straight after the radio. Hope that helps.
Hi, couple of questions to anyone who knows the answers . . . what is the difference with the 2 knobs (load & tune)?, can a matcher be connected all the time? and some of the older versions had a tiny antenna out the back of the unit, what the jezzus did this do? yes I know that was more than a couple 😁
Hi. The load and tune knobs are connected to tuning plates inside. They dont actually touch. One is feed and one is output. You simply turn each one to the SWR is at it lowest. Yes you can leave the matcher connected as you can switch it on or bypass it anytime. The matcher will loose you some transmit power when switched on. The little antenna was for field strength measurement. In theory it could display up the TX power without connection. In practice the cheap ones were pretty useless.
Hi setting up my ss 6900 swr a tad high, I can bring it down using the tm999 ( 1.1 on the meter) but it reads high on the rigs built in swr meter. Is this normal, do I disregard the rigs swr and go by the tm999. Kind regards phil.
If you never received a answer, just to let you know that I was in touch with rightchannelradios.com and they told me to disregard the rig meter and go by what's on your tuner.
No , what I'm asking is, is it normal for my swr to go higher when I turn the variable power up on my cre 8900, as it as a built in swr meter that reads higher when I turn up the power and transmit, I think you have miss read the question lol.
Hello Fred, I'm having swr problems with my CRE 8900 using a 5/8 wave silver rod ,as soon as I turn the power up on the radio ,the swr goes up as well, any suggestions or is that normal , also my swr is slightly higher on eu compared to UK 40. Thanks. 26CT3032.
Hi. The SWR should not register until you key the mic. No idea why the SWR would move on receive. If you have tuned the Silver rod to the UK 40 band then the SWR will be slightly diff on the EU band as your using a different freq totally normal.
Your SWR should give a steady reading on transmit on FM and AM. On SSB the needle will swing back and forth with the power of your voice. If you do not talk into the mic there will be no reading. If your saying the radio transmits as soon as you switch on then you have a fault in the mic. Cheers
First of all....when talking about CB usage there is NO ROOM for Antenna Tuner or "matcher" at all. If your antenna is way out of SWR, then replace or fix your antenna! CB usage is on a very narrow frequency/band, and if your antenna won't performe, then get rid of it - replace it - just fix that antenna! Antenna Tuner is really - and only - useful for multiple band usage, where you can't have optimal conditions for locating antennas- or if you want to use a single antenna for multiple bands - mostly used for radio amateur HF "enthusiasts". Even though - most radio amateurs wouldn't or won't use antenna tuners - they use proper antennas for the right job. But sometimes optimal conditions is not available, and that's where "antenna tunes" comes into the equation. But do remember, that you can have SWR 1:1 on any SWR-meter and still poorly radiation. You'll loose x% transmitting power by using "antenna tuner" (heat the birds or your neighbors during wintertimes). So....I'm sorry to spoil the party here.... go fix your Antenna for that specific usage you need - in that case find a good friend with the most important tool you'll ever come across ie. ANTENNA ANALYZER! When you're dont "tuning" your antenna THEN use (even) a simple SWR meter to monitor if anything is wrong during transmit. Fred...you was talking about the build-in antenna tuner in your F450D and you're right, it does "tune" your antenna automatically - but it won't fix anything - it will only make your radio THINK everything is okay and not harm your transmitter. Go check Dave talking about tuning with manual procedures.....he will also cover most of the theory & facts - it's only about 10 minutes - you will survive! :-) ruclips.net/video/RRkbdTadmUU/видео.html
Thanks for the extra details and links. Personally ive never had to use the matcher part of the meter as ive always managed to get a SWR of less that 1.5 even with the TLT. As i said in the title the matcher really is your last resort if you are unable to reduce the SWR to a safe level. This comes up sometimes on mobile set ups where people find that they may have a large pan sunroof or body panels are alloy / plastic etc. If your stuck in that situ with lack of groundplane then the meter will at least let you TX. Of course the price you will pay is a reduction in transmit power.
@@CB-RADIO-UK ....then I'll drop mobile usage since you're reflecting most of your power right back into your radio! The word "tuner" should be; "Make your radio Happy but lazy and Useless".... ;-)
Very timely video even though the video is two years old. Looking to buy this particular model. Trying to find out as much as I can about it. Does it have a built in matcher too ? Thanks Fred. 26CT9484. ATB.
What on earth would we do without guys like Fred. Clear as day now. Instructions provided would be better off as a crossword clue! AWESOME.
Thanks Fred , so pleased you reviewed this , I didn’t have a clue about matchers so it was perfect for me , all the best mate
Nice tutorial Fred - i got my silver stick down to 1.5 SWR on installation - added in the TM999 1:1 thru the band with very small loss of power. Like wise, I enjoy having an external meter and even on the amateur bands I use an ATU to get the antenna and radio matched. Thanks again, enjoying your channel once more :)
I, too am old school and prefer a seperate unit for SWR, Power, Modulation, etc.... I guess the extra equipment makes the package look more majestic. Nice explanation Fred. Very clear and concise as you usually are. I am sure it will be most helpful to many good folk out there that are fiddling with communication radios.
Thanks Andy. I hope it was clear even though i said Reference instead of Reflected when talking about the switches. The TM999 is an ok meter but its not the most accurate.
I got Zetagi TM999 Antenna Tuner / Matcher. Your last SWR so good
Great Video helped me no end 👌
Good video Fred, have used in the past👍 ,season's greetings !
Yaaay, thank you Fred! No clear English instructions on this anywhere! Much appreciated buddy. 73's
Welcome Steve. I hope i explained it clearly.
@@CB-RADIO-UK you did mate...just not sure as to how to use the power Meyer bit now
Just switch the lower switch to W (watts). Switch the matcher off. Then you have a choice of 0-10 watts or 0-100 which is the other switch on the front.
You can download instructions off internet i did
'REF'- Reflected power. 🤓🤓👍👍
Correct :-)
Yeah i said Reference DOH :-(
Radio, amp, swr/power meter,antenna that's the order Fred.
Great video, thanks for explaining!
Very clear explanation great video.
Hello Fred good video well explained, not sure what you mean new guys and girls to cb radio,in Holland CB radio so so quiet even with a silver rod antenna on the chimney almost nothing,Fm/am/ ssb.must be unique to your side of town, keep up the good work.
Hi John. Over here in the UK around my area we have had a fair few new people back on air. Also seen the Channel 35 group start up in North london.
Hello, thanks for the quick response,I have a yagi 3 beam 11 meter antenna in a box,in the hall,I find it difficult to find the enthusiasm to set it up,cost only 60euro new second hand, cheap, anyhoo success.
Ottimo arcordatore 😊
Long ago we had one antenna tuner similar to this and a 25w "afterburner" but I never found out how to use it. The instructions I got only resulted in loud angry ominous humming and the power usage on the 25w amp spiking to more then then 10A at 14v our power supply could deliver and I am pretty sure a 25w amp is not meant to use 140w+....
nice one, cheers
wow lol creep meter lol, nice video
I personally use an antenna analyser. Accurate and surprisingly easy to use. They are generally more expensive to buy but well worth the extra money. Its a digital readout and quite user friendly. Maybe an investment for the future Fred. Especially as you are using a lot of different antennas for different frequencies. Love mine. Why did i not get one earlier ? Thanks Fred.
Good call Mark. Maybe i will in the future. In fact ive never had to use the tuner part of the TM999 as ive always manged an SWR below 1.5 but its handy if you get caught out.
...and exactly the right way of doing this! Fix your antenna for that specific usage THEN use SWR meter to monitor if anything goes wrong during usage... I'we seen those confusions about SWR, Tuning, DB's, Power, Radiation etc.
OK , know worries, and thanks. CT3032
Hi Fred, hope you are well mate, does the TM999 have a lit display ? Cheers Fred
Hi Pat. No bud no backlight.
@@CB-RADIO-UK thanks mate
hi fred, does all ham radios come with a auto swr feature, as i cant get my swr down on my cb rig using a antron a99
Hi. No not all have a built in antenna tuner. Most modern sets have like my Yaesu 450D but neither of my older Alinco's have it.
@@CB-RADIO-UK that makes life easier with the swr
It will give you a 1.1 SWR by pressing a button but the antenna still needs to be in good tune. You also loose a bit of transmit power through the tuner.
@Fred in the Shed I'd take that haha...love watching your videos BTW
Hi again Fred. Another daft question. I have bought a Zetagi TM 999 & an RM 203P Lin Amp 100w AM /FM & 200w on SSB. Onto my SS6900N Radio. Now the daft question. What order do I use them Radio , TM999 & RM 203P then to antenna or other way around. I have been told that you can use use the Linear safly up to about 8w on AM/FM & about 6w on SSB. Can you please advise Mate? Cheers Keith
Hi Keith. Iam not sure i would try using a matcher in line with a amp as it might heat up. Normally the amp goes straight after the radio. Hope that helps.
What power can these safely handle?
Zetagi exaggerate, so I don't think they're capable of handling 100W.
Ive put 100 watts through mine on SSB but not FM. It seems ok but its prob happier with less.
Hi, couple of questions to anyone who knows the answers . . . what is the difference with the 2 knobs (load & tune)?, can a matcher be connected all the time? and some of the older versions had a tiny antenna out the back of the unit, what the jezzus did this do? yes I know that was more than a couple 😁
Hi. The load and tune knobs are connected to tuning plates inside. They dont actually touch. One is feed and one is output. You simply turn each one to the SWR is at it lowest. Yes you can leave the matcher connected as you can switch it on or bypass it anytime. The matcher will loose you some transmit power when switched on. The little antenna was for field strength measurement. In theory it could display up the TX power without connection. In practice the cheap ones were pretty useless.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Interesting stuff, well I've just gone and bought an old secondhand one so that'll kill some lockdown time.
Hi setting up my ss 6900 swr a tad high, I can bring it down using the tm999 ( 1.1 on the meter) but it reads high on the rigs built in swr meter. Is this normal, do I disregard the rigs swr and go by the tm999. Kind regards phil.
Hi Phil,
I have the same problem with my radio as well!. Did you ever get a answer back?.
If you never received a answer, just to let you know that I was in touch with rightchannelradios.com and they told me to disregard the rig meter and go by what's on your tuner.
No , what I'm asking is, is it normal for my swr to go higher when I turn the variable power up on my cre 8900, as it as a built in swr meter that reads higher when I turn up the power and transmit, I think you have miss read the question lol.
Right got you. No my SWR stays about the same. I always test on full power. Mind you iam not 100% on the 8900.
How do you simulate high SWR?
Hello Fred, I'm having swr problems with my CRE 8900 using a 5/8 wave silver rod ,as soon as I turn the power up on the radio ,the swr goes up as well, any suggestions or is that normal , also my swr is slightly higher on eu compared to UK 40. Thanks. 26CT3032.
Hi. The SWR should not register until you key the mic. No idea why the SWR would move on receive. If you have tuned the Silver rod to the UK 40 band then the SWR will be slightly diff on the EU band as your using a different freq totally normal.
I have 3 meters, one shows 1.2, one shows 1.7 and the zetagi shows 2.5 so what one is correct ?
Hard to say. If your radio has a built in SWR meter cross check with that.
Sorry ,I mean on transmit
Your SWR should give a steady reading on transmit on FM and AM. On SSB the needle will swing back and forth with the power of your voice. If you do not talk into the mic there will be no reading. If your saying the radio transmits as soon as you switch on then you have a fault in the mic. Cheers
First of all....when talking about CB usage there is NO ROOM for Antenna Tuner or "matcher" at all. If your antenna is way out of SWR, then replace or fix your antenna! CB usage is on a very narrow frequency/band, and if your antenna won't performe, then get rid of it - replace it - just fix that antenna! Antenna Tuner is really - and only - useful for multiple band usage, where you can't have optimal conditions for locating antennas- or if you want to use a single antenna for multiple bands - mostly used for radio amateur HF "enthusiasts". Even though - most radio amateurs wouldn't or won't use antenna tuners - they use proper antennas for the right job. But sometimes optimal conditions is not available, and that's where "antenna tunes" comes into the equation. But do remember, that you can have SWR 1:1 on any SWR-meter and still poorly radiation. You'll loose x% transmitting power by using "antenna tuner" (heat the birds or your neighbors during wintertimes). So....I'm sorry to spoil the party here.... go fix your Antenna for that specific usage you need - in that case find a good friend with the most important tool you'll ever come across ie. ANTENNA ANALYZER! When you're dont "tuning" your antenna THEN use (even) a simple SWR meter to monitor if anything is wrong during transmit. Fred...you was talking about the build-in antenna tuner in your F450D and you're right, it does "tune" your antenna automatically - but it won't fix anything - it will only make your radio THINK everything is okay and not harm your transmitter. Go check Dave talking about tuning with manual procedures.....he will also cover most of the theory & facts - it's only about 10 minutes - you will survive! :-) ruclips.net/video/RRkbdTadmUU/видео.html
More into this: ruclips.net/video/ts2nkCDIS4s/видео.html
Thanks for the extra details and links. Personally ive never had to use the matcher part of the meter as ive always managed to get a SWR of less that 1.5 even with the TLT. As i said in the title the matcher really is your last resort if you are unable to reduce the SWR to a safe level. This comes up sometimes on mobile set ups where people find that they may have a large pan sunroof or body panels are alloy / plastic etc. If your stuck in that situ with lack of groundplane then the meter will at least let you TX. Of course the price you will pay is a reduction in transmit power.
@@CB-RADIO-UK ....then I'll drop mobile usage since you're reflecting most of your power right back into your radio! The word "tuner" should be; "Make your radio Happy but lazy and Useless".... ;-)
Very timely video even though the video is two years old. Looking to buy this particular model. Trying to find out as much as I can about it. Does it have a built in matcher too ? Thanks Fred. 26CT9484. ATB.
Hi. Yes there is a matcher.
Thanks Fred.
they're 67 quid at Radio world now Fred, so getting mine from Knights. My external swr is just under 2.0 but internal is around 1.5-1.6
I always prefer an external meter to double check if iam having issues.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Just found out the Zetagi TM999 is 44.99 at nevada radio.