Hi Steve, another great video,(for me anyway), just getting back on air after being away for more years than I care to admit. A bit of revision on the SWR set up, some of which is helping me very much.At 70 years the memory aint too good but that's allowed when you're 70.lol. I've been looking at at a few videos but I keep coming back to yours,as I find them down to earth, easy to understand with no arty farty lingo. The same goes for Fred in his shed and Rusty skull, yes guys, I've been snooping about.LOL.Thanks again Steve and you guys.
Never mind. Just figured it out. Staring trimming fiberglass whip a little at a time and SWR coming down nicely. Thanks for the video bro! I'm a newbie and this helped a lot!
I have a problem. I'm using a Wilson 1000 mag-mounted on the top center of my Ford Fusion. Channel 40 SWR is between 1-1.5 and channel 1 SWR is between 2-2.8, depending on location. Also, when objects/cars move near the antenna, the SWR drops and then increases after the object moves away. All indications point towards a short antenna but it has been extended as far as possible, has never been cut, and I measured it at 62.5" which is the correct length for the Wilson 1000. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Hi Daniel Just to clear something up, being near other vehicles does some times change the swr. You are right in what you say it sounds like the Antenna comes up a little short, that said have you tried moving the mount to a different place on the car?? Also what 40 channels are you talking about, I presume ch1 is 26.965 and ch 40 is 27.405. Have you changed the coax at all or is it as the mount came/was it new?? What else is in there is the swr meter a stand alone one or built into the rig?? If all else fails you could ad to the length of the Whip using a 15amp connector and a piece of wire or coat hanger. The connector I am talking about is the ones with 2 screws , for joining wires together. If you try it let me know the results.
you just solved a problem! I am new to cb, I have a crt one n with a Springer antenna, I use it when off road or in a convoy. I get now movement on the swr when in ch1 and 1.9 on ch 40... shorten or trim now. thank you so much Steve, maybe the vehicle fuse will stop blowing now!
Hi Thomas in reply to your question yes, you need to check the swr on the other side of the amp. So its patch lead to the amp, and another from the amp to the swr meter. More vids to come fella and i am glad you enjoy them mate.
ok steve thanks for quick reply. i have lowerd the swr thanks to youre video and tomorrow i will check it with the amp in line hope to catch you on the air some time many thanks Tom 26TB001
I am only glad i could help fella, yes an on air chat would be great. Are u on my fb page, if not just look up cb radio Europe on there. We now have over 500 members, not the biggest group but a good bunch of lads in there.
As a Newbie to CB - The hand trick is a def winner with me. Im in a situation where on both channels 1-40 my SWR reads 1.7 I don't know which way my antenna needs to go. Up or Down?
try it fella if the swr goes up its 2 long, if it goes down its to short. That said if your whip is not in the clear ( near metal) and for example magmounted to the roof of the car. let me know how things go ok ...
Steve Stevens Thanks for the response. Come the weekend I'll give it a go. I have a Thunderpole Orbitor SWR Pre-tuned. It's mounted to a fibreglass roof of my van via a Ground Toroid 3/8 electronic Groundplane. All seems to work ok with mates driving in convoy. I just wonder tho if my range out is ok or not. I seem hear people ok, just not sure they pick me up ok. Being a newbie too, I'm not sure if the set up and equipment I have are good enough. It's a learning curve I know.
Have you ever heard of this? I have a Cobra 29 LTD Classic with built-in SWR meter. I know some people say not to trust those. I used it to build a dipole base station antenna. And I thought I had it flat swr. I did this outside with a 6ft jumper. I will carry the radio into my shop and hook it up to a 100 ft or 50 ft brand-new rg8x coax, the SWR would be up around 3.5 to 4. I go back out and test it again with the jumper and the radio outside and it would read flat swr. After pulling my hair out I ordered a new Meter and double-check my work. It turns out that when the radio gets into close proximity of the antenna the SWR meter would show Almost a flat reading. But when I take it many feet away it goes back to 3.5 to 4. The new meter reads the same no matter what. Now that I know my problem is in the meter inside the radio, I think I can retune my antennas and make it work. I was just curious if you ever heard anything about radio proximity to antennas like that?
i saw a video where he had a meter in his car. he lowered his antena with a screwdriver and after calibration he Removed the meter i dont see where the calibration is stored in the cb if one removes the devise thats doing all the calibrationing. question MUST you leave the devise attached ? and will driving not turn the noob calibration noob some do to vibration ?
Hi the meter is there to test the Antenna, if it is out of tune the Antenna needs adjusting. Once its tuned the meter can then be taken out of circuit. Hope this helps a little, but if u need for more info just ask ok...
No need to be sorry Steve. I think that was the first time you asked. Yes, it's a small world Steve and getting smaller, what with the internet, skype, mobile phones and all the other electronic gubbins not to mention RADIO. It's more fun. You never know what you're going to get, as you found out when you got your QSO with the laddie from Edinburgh. You were certainly very surprised indeed. Edinburgh is about 68 -70 miles North East from us but it's about 375 miles from Luton, so a pretty good contact was made and it sounded like you enjoyed it LOL. I'm looking forward to getting things set up here. A slow process as iv'e got a dodgy ticker but I shall get there in the end.I may be firing some questions at you too, if you don't mind. Thanks again Steve and keep the videos coming.
My swr is in the red on both 1 and 40. I've checked the ground, running a meter from the mounting bracket to the negative terminal of the battery and ground is good. The SWR is higher on 40 so I need to shorten. Since they r in red, is this likely to solve my SWR issues?
Hi James i take it you have the Antenna on a car / truck. If u have is there anything metal within a few feet of the whip part of the Antenna?? If so can you move your twig away a little
Hi John it does not matter what Antenna it is, the tuning method is the same. The lower in frequency you go the longer the Antenna has to be. The higher you go, the shorter it has to be.
Ok, I have a problem. On channel 40, my reading is perfect with a 1.1. But on chanel one, I have a number that is above three. I'm really confused. My cord is perfect, and it is also brand new. As well as the radio and SWR meeter. It is grounded and I have never run the radio without the anenna attached. I just don't get it. I habe ajusted the antenna as well, maybe i havent found the sweet spot, but still. I even tried it on a rural hill to aviod trees and buildings. If anybody has any suggestions, please let me know.
Hi as i pointed out in the video, the lower the channel/ frequency the longer the Antenna has to be. Adjust the whip a little longer maybe an inch at a time, until you see a drop. In an ideal world your swr would be the same on ch 1 AS it is on ch 40. Let me know how you get on ok, i presume you meen 1.3 as in 2 digits below 1.5. If that is the case that is more than good enough.
I have adjusted it as far as it can go. and still no change. And I don't know if I flipped my speech around the first time, but my SR meter say that I have a perfect 1.1 on channel one, and an above 3 reading on channel 40. that's seems like an awful big gap to me. I'm going to go and try it in a flat open area to see if that makes a difference. Now I cant remember if I got that backwards the first time, or that was actually the case. Sorry, I forgot to mention my antenna adjustment. Ill keep adjusting it but I think that's the big issue. The antenna by the way is a K30. Just look it up, its magnetic.
CWMORGAN 4240 Ok so your SWR is high on ch 40. It does not matter what antenna u have the basics are still the same. So Now we know your SWR is high on ch 40, shorten it an inch at a time. If the antenna goes all the way in and is still high you have a few options. One cut a small piece off, i doubt you will have to do that but its an option. Secondly forget trees and other stuff look at the antenna and see if part of your vehicle is near it. Ie if its a truck move it away from the box/trailer. Ideally the whip should be away from the vehicle all the way up. Watch the video again and watch what happens when Deb puts her hand near my antenna. Its not a tree or anything metal but it does effect the swr.
Ok. Thanks, I was thinking about cutting it a little. Because when I shortened it, what little I could, it made some improvement. And my antenna is not surrounded by anything. It is out in the open on top of my pickups roof. So I think it's just a mayer of shortening it and the problem should be fixed. I will tell you how it goes. In a few hours when I'm out of class I should be able to fix it.
Hey bud I have a question that might sound dumb but I'll use a quick photography reference to explain the reason for my question. Do all antennas have a sweet spot where you can get a super low reading on the SWR meter? In other words if my SWR reading is higher on channel 40 than it is on channel 1 and I start cutting away on my whip antenna to shorten it about a 1/4 inch at a time and I start reaching lower SWR readings does it get to a point where if I continue cutting too much my SWR readings start to get high again? My photography reference; all lenses have a sweet spot where you adjust the aperture from its lowest setting and work your way through the middle settings and you will find the lens sweet spot where the lens performs is best. As you continue adjusting the aperture from that middle area of the sweet spot and continue adjusting the aperture toward the high end you gradually start rolling OUT of the sweet spot. Hopefully my reference to photography and my questions to the antenna and the SWR reading makes sense now. Thanks in advance!
In short yes they do. Lets say you are tuning an antenna for a rig that has 1 band of 40 . Like you said if you cut off to much, the SWR will be high right across the board. The idea is to get a good swr on both ch 40 and ch one, anything in between will be ok. So lets say you cut off to much, the sweet spot may still be there, but higher up in frequency. Probably on the next band of 40 channels up. The lower the frequency the longer the Antenna has to be, the higher up in frequency you go the shorter the Antenna has to be. Hope this helps a little there is a way of checking the sweet spot , if you have a rig with 3 or more blocks of 40. Lets say you adjust the antenna for ages and still cant get a reasonable swr, this is where having multiple blocks of channels comes into play. GO down a block , if things improve go down another block. If the swr drops on either block of channels or reads 1.1 there is the sweet spot. As you should now realise, the SWR reading telly you the Antenna is to long for the block you are tuning for. Just do the reverse by going up, if going down a block makes things worse. So hope this has helped a bit.
Steve Stevens everything kind of sort of started to sound ok until you started talking about blocks. You lost me completely from there.😂😂 I am by no means any kind of CB/ radio waves/ electromagnetic waves/ microwaves expert. However what I may have figured out is if I feel that I may have cut the antenna just a little too short and my SWR readings are starting to increase then I still have a chance to save it by slightly pulling the antenna upward increasing its length by 1/4 inch at a time since it is still sitting all the way at the bottom of the base of the antenna. I just want those SWR levels as low as possible. I can't seem to bring the higher-end lower than 1.3. Thanks again for your efforts in that detailed explanation. Cheers from Miami Florida.
cruznfl340 I am talking blocks of CHANNELS, some RIGS have low mid and high bands. So we may refer to them as blocks of 40. U could try moving the antenna, it's easy if it's magmounted. AS long as you aren't running hundreds of w, get a friend to put their hand near the whip, like I did in the video. If the swr drops it's to short, if it goes up it's still to long. If the whip is not clear of the vehicle, ie running along side of the cab. Move it further away, let me know how u get on.
Steve Stevens yes I noticed early on that by moving the antenna mount on the mirror bracket as far as possible from the cab my SWR levels improved quite a bit. I will try your technique. Thanks for the feedback! ✌
Hello Steve I enjoy all you're videos I have a president Lincoln 11 v3 radio and a red devil whip works great and I can get out and communicate with the local lads here in Torbay Devon, only problem is my swr meter doesn't move at all I've tried different patch leads and meters still no movement. Any ideas what's going on mate
Hi Kieran sounds like the swr meter is faulty. If it only plays up on SSB it is because u are not making any sound (try whistling into the mike?) I cant remember if the Lincoln has a built in meter??? If it has try that, as the rig is obviously putting out RF.
I just got a new cb for my off-road rig and my swr is good at ch 40 but reads 3 at ch 1. The antenna does not have a tunable tip so will adding washers on the mount be the equivalent to extending the tip or is there another way to tune it besides buying another antenna
Hi Ben can I take it your swr on ch 1 is 1.3 two points under 1.5?? If it is that should be more than ok. As for making the antenna longer a few washers may work, if the whip is metal you can put a connector onto it, the type for joining wires together. Connector block or whatever else they may call them, its the type with 2 screws. Put a bit of wire into one side, and slide the whip into the other side, it may cause a bit more wind drag though.
I'm up in Scotland Steve 20 miles or so South of Glasgow in East Ayrshire. Kilmarnock to be precise. Where Johnnie Walker whisky was blended and bottled. Incidentally Steve I used to live in Leighton Buzzard and worked in Bletchley.
There is a built in SWR meter, but if your SWR is high you can work out if the Antenna is too long or too short by the method shown in the video. If u have any problems ask away here ok ..
Hi Steve, i've just bought a new antenna "Mini Bullwhip Modulator", that wont swr, I think the whip is too short and will try your recommendation to move my hand in to the antenna. I am trying to get help from the vendor but this is the reply ive just received ; (when checking the swr hold your hand on the bottom of the coil, if the swr goes down its definitely a grounding problem). Is this correct ? ( my scarlet warrior on same magmount is 1-1) The advertised length of this twig is 95cm, but mine only mesures 88cm, thats with the coil. A replacement whip is a good two inches longer than this one. Cheers for any help, Simon (frustrated lol )
Hi Simon first things first, i take it the whip is a used item? The first thing i would do is ad a little to the whip, making it the correct length. You can easily do this using a connector block, and a bit of wire / coat hanger. I would also do a continuity test of the whip, from the base to the tip. Presuming that the test results are ok, check the swr after the got the length right. Using logic i would say your mag is fine,if you still cannot tune the new whip let me know.
@@CBRadiouk1 hi Steve, no mate this is a new antenna from uk4x4 ! They are insisting they come from the manufacturer's like this ? ive tested continuity and all is well, swr still 2.5 higher on the eu bands, indicating, if im correct that it needs lengthening ? will try your coat hanger method tomorrow, thankyou ;o/)
Quick update, I've sent the antenna back for full refund. I can see a Trimag on the horizon for my Warrior lol thanks for your response, you confirmed what i thought ;o/)
@@simonboyle9961 Hi Simon sounds like u did the right thing fella. I will say I have heard a few people having SWR problems with magmounts. Some Antennas just will not tune on them. Body mount them and they tune, I can't explain why.
@@CBRadiouk1 I was expecting it to be higher than the warrior, i've been catching up with all the CB/tech/review channels, As i've been off air for about 15 years. But that antenna was not New and was definitely shorter than it should have been lol
When you tune a radio which has FM and sideband, does tuning channel 1 and 40 on FM properly also mean the antenna is tuned properly for sideband? I'm new and buying a CRT 6900N next week, just a few things I need clearing up, cheers
Yes you are tuning the Antenna for the frequency, AM/FM and SSB are just you chosen mode. Good choice or radio are you new to cb or coming back to it??
Steve Stevens Pretty much new, I used to use my Grandads handheld scanner a lot when I was a kid in the 90’s but never went any further. The other week I saw just how cheap things are and it has me interested again, watched a ton of videos here on RUclips and thought the 6900n looked like it would be a good start. I have ordered my radio, I need a power supply and a good antenna, still researching a lot of stuff being new to it all. Somebody told me I could use a 10 amp power supply but better to buy a 20 amp. Been recommended the silver rod half wave too but still unsure about antenna
Having a SWR METER , is a must really it will give you an indication of how good the rigs internal one is. Once you know how the rigs internal one is, you can take the internal one out of line.#Saves extra leads etc. If you have any problems pop back and ask ok bud.
Steve Stevens yes just a few more things. I’ll be buying a 20 amp power supply, which antenna would you recommend for the 6900n? Also, once I have the radio, swr meter, antenna, coax and power supply, am I all set to go or is there anything else I’ll need? Any particular length of coax or will a 20 meter one be fine? I also have some rubber tape to weather proof the connection on the antenna
Hi Steve. It's Keith in Littlehampton. So far I've had loads of bad luck. Today I found out my 2 sigma Excalibur Antenna s were faulty. I therefore got a sirio thunder. It's due in a few days. I'm restricted to space and council policy where I can and what I can erect high up by our council house. I'm removing the 2 sigma Excalibur antennae and obviously replacing them with a sirio thunder. I did a bit of research on no swr needed antennae and I was able to decide on the sirio thunder. I'll get back to you once it's all set up. You should have heard my 6900N CRT this morning. Alarm like sounds came off it and readout said 5HI. I found out from Google what that meant. It meant swr is too high. Contact you soon as possible. Keith
Hi Kieth you should ( ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SWR) even on an Antenna that says pre tuned etc,. One of the reasons being is your coax connections may be at fault, antenna may be near metal etc, stick with it fella you will get there. And of course if u need more help , or have questions just ask ok bud.
I wish there had been youtube when I was on AM back in the day. I could not get my head around SWR. When it was in the red I thought I was speaking too loud hahahahaha. Anyhoo 10 10
I was similar - only I am new to cb so this was like 2 weeks ago. I naturally thought that the higher the needle the better my chances of sorting it or stronger signal lol. I then settled for a half way mark on the scale thinking I had a 50/50 shot at it. Thanks to this Video I have a better idea whats going on now. And also it clicked for me when someone explained it simple for the first time the other day : "High Channel and High SWR = Antenna too tall .....Low Channel and High SWR = Antenna too Small!"
I can count on the fingers of one hand how many conversations I had on my CB. One was remarkably from Australia thanks to skip. The rest was with another user in Suffolk called pussyhunter,yes I know,what a dick,but we were all young once.
Nicely done, I think it might have been better if you used that basic meter though as that's most likely what a new Breaker would have, nicely explained though! Also, I see you used that Picture in Picture you've been itching to use haha! Sweet ;)
+RustySkull Productions Hi Rusty well i could do it a hundred times to get it Perfect, in fact it took an age as it was. That picture in picture was the part i was on about, it may help a few people it may not . I am getting there mate all i need is more hours in the day lol.
+Steve Stevens I know what you mean lol it took me almost 30mins to edit one of my last videos lol. Sitting there blurring out a bloody number plate haha.
i have purchased a team swr on ebay now 26-50 mhz 100 watts input 25.00 with a patch lead should be hear by the weekend have a wilson 1000 i want to tune
@@CBRadiouk1 A-99 if I get it low on ch.1 its high on 40 and it goes both ways theres one thing I have not tried yet turning one ring up and one down Im gonna go back up the pole again tomorrow wish me luck are there any grounding tricks I can try?
A few things to look out for are. Only slide the antron down the pole far enough to use both u bolts. Mount the antenna away from anything else metal. On 26.965 (ch1) mid band and 27.405 that's ch 40 mids. The rings would normally be together and right in the middle. Is the antron new or used?
Yeh man, I bid on that CRT 6900 but lost out in the end. I did visit Knights again and got fixed up with a Midland 48 Plus Multi and a Thunderpole Voyager, SWR meter etc. Hopefully doing the install tomorrow. Still haven't picked a Handle, might use my old one from the 'Dark Ages' lol. Then again I might go a new one.
In order to spare your radio high standing wave ratio even if the antenna is not perfect. Try inserting a one meter length of a different coaxial cable between a full length run of your main cable. For instance, if your cable is RG-8m, insert a one meter length of RG-58u at a junction or cut and put the length in with connectors you solder in. Although RG-8m and RG-58u are the same impedance, they have different velocity rate, this may shift the standing wave at the output of the radio from the high voltage section of the waveform, such as the quarter wavelength and 3/4 wavelength to the middle, or ends of the wave form where voltage is near zero. This does not really fix what is going on with your antenna, but it will save your radio damage. There are proper terms for what I am trying to write but English is not my original language and I am lacking in the correct terms. I hope this helps somewhat. I have lowered standing wave in many antenna systems with this method. It is not an ideal method at all. But it will save your radio. This may also work if your full length of cable is RG-58u. Insert a one meter length of RG-8m to adjust the shift of the standing wave.
Back in 1996, when I installed the citizen's band transceiver in my vehicle, I could not get the standing wave ratio down because I guess the location was not good on the rear bumper. But the vehicle has no metal roof and no truck so I left it on the bumper, made a small coil and grounded it to the bumper. I moved the coil up and down the antenna until the SWR dropped. Then I shrink wrapped it to the area on the antenna that made the lowest SWR. Today, I still have the vehicle. I still have the same citizen's band transceiver. I still have the same antenna. Everything works flawlessly. Unfortunately, citizen's band has fallen out of favour. The transceiver is mainly a white noise receiver now. It is very rare that anybody uses the citizen's band anymore. I do leave it on with the squelch minimal. But silence is the main thing I hear. It is a sad time to be in any sort of radio hobby.
If you coax looks like that, with ground shield looking like that, you shouldn't be making videos. You need to learn how to put ends on your coax first!
Hi 817 looks rough, but trust me it is a nice snug fit. I could have tidied it a bit, but never did. After nearly 40 years of radio, a cosmic thing is no problem. So get over your self, stop bitching and jog on by.
Hi Will lol lol u a troll?? Yes they look rough but a solid connection and tight. Sorry it was not built by a robot my friend. Yes i am a cb er and proud.
Just starting out in radio, this is the best help information iv seen so far, easy and simple demonstration, thanks I’m subscribing.
Hi DR thanks for the comment fella, I was shown that trick back in the 80s.
Over the years I have used it a few times, anything to make things easy.
Steve Stevens
brilliant video CB is not dead it is still good thanks steve
Hi Steve, another great video,(for me anyway), just getting back on air after being away for more years than I care to admit. A bit of revision on the SWR set up, some of which is helping me very much.At 70 years the memory aint too good but that's allowed when you're 70.lol. I've been looking at at a few videos but I keep coming back to yours,as I find them down to earth, easy to understand with no arty farty lingo. The same goes for Fred in his shed and Rusty skull, yes guys, I've been snooping about.LOL.Thanks again Steve and you guys.
+roy neil
Hi Roy i am glad you find the video of use, where are u fellla (roughly)
Never mind. Just figured it out. Staring trimming fiberglass whip a little at a time and SWR coming down nicely. Thanks for the video bro! I'm a newbie and this helped a lot!
no problem James i am glad the vid helped.
The bit at the end about havong some one near the ant is helpful thank you
This video is on of the best information how to swr in.thank you very much 😀
apparently i need one to install cb into my van where is the best place to get one? ebay?
Thanks for another helpful video Steve. As a beginner your explanations are always good. I have an older and more simple Rama swr meter.
I have a ranger rci 2950 dx Antenna is a sirio hi power 4000 with the black butt you can tilt the Antenna on the knuckle
+Ciaran Mc manus
so explain more about your swr mate. how high is it and where
Clear as mud.
Why didn't you just use the other meter with the switches on it?
I have a problem. I'm using a Wilson 1000 mag-mounted on the top center of my Ford Fusion. Channel 40 SWR is between 1-1.5 and channel 1 SWR is between 2-2.8, depending on location. Also, when objects/cars move near the antenna, the SWR drops and then increases after the object moves away. All indications point towards a short antenna but it has been extended as far as possible, has never been cut, and I measured it at 62.5" which is the correct length for the Wilson 1000. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Hi Daniel Just to clear something up, being near other vehicles does some times change the swr.
You are right in what you say it sounds like the Antenna comes up a little short, that said have you tried moving the mount to a different place on the car??
Also what 40 channels are you talking about, I presume ch1 is 26.965 and ch 40 is 27.405.
Have you changed the coax at all or is it as the mount came/was it new??
What else is in there is the swr meter a stand alone one or built into the rig??
If all else fails you could ad to the length of the Whip using a 15amp connector and a piece of wire or coat hanger.
The connector I am talking about is the ones with 2 screws , for joining wires together.
If you try it let me know the results.
you just solved a problem! I am new to cb, I have a crt one n with a Springer antenna, I use it when off road or in a convoy. I get now movement on the swr when in ch1 and 1.9 on ch 40... shorten or trim now. thank you so much Steve, maybe the vehicle fuse will stop blowing now!
HI steve love all of your videos
if usung an amp do you need to do the swr readings with amp connected
many thanks
Hi Thomas in reply to your question yes, you need to check the swr on the other side of the amp.
So its patch lead to the amp, and another from the amp to the swr meter.
More vids to come fella and i am glad you enjoy them mate.
ok steve thanks for quick reply. i have lowerd the swr thanks to youre video and tomorrow i will check it with the amp in line hope to catch you on the air some time
many thanks
Tom
26TB001
I am only glad i could help fella, yes an on air chat would be great.
Are u on my fb page, if not just look up cb radio Europe on there.
We now have over 500 members, not the biggest group but a good bunch of lads in there.
thanks again I am waiting to be expected on you're face book
many thanks for your help
Tom
What would you suggest to do if your swr is at 3 on both channels 1 and 40? And what does that mean if it is?
hi dustin omg it could be anything , from a bad solder joint.
A bad install of the Antenna, faulty meter and the list goes on.
As a Newbie to CB - The hand trick is a def winner with me. Im in a situation where on both channels 1-40 my SWR reads 1.7 I don't know which way my antenna needs to go. Up or Down?
try it fella if the swr goes up its 2 long, if it goes down its to short.
That said if your whip is not in the clear ( near metal) and for example magmounted to the roof of the car.
let me know how things go ok ...
Steve Stevens Thanks for the response. Come the weekend I'll give it a go. I have a Thunderpole Orbitor SWR Pre-tuned. It's mounted to a fibreglass roof of my van via a Ground Toroid 3/8 electronic Groundplane. All seems to work ok with mates driving in convoy. I just wonder tho if my range out is ok or not. I seem hear people ok, just not sure they pick me up ok. Being a newbie too, I'm not sure if the set up and equipment I have are good enough. It's a learning curve I know.
Ok mate well, if u have any problem let me know ok.
Cheers for the great info,73’s
Hi Sion I'm glad it was helpfully for you.
How do you fix the rf on cb
Have you ever heard of this? I have a Cobra 29 LTD Classic with built-in SWR meter. I know some people say not to trust those. I used it to build a dipole base station antenna. And I thought I had it flat swr.
I did this outside with a 6ft jumper. I will carry the radio into my shop and hook it up to a 100 ft or 50 ft brand-new rg8x coax, the SWR would be up around 3.5 to 4. I go back out and test it again with the jumper and the radio outside and it would read flat swr.
After pulling my hair out I ordered a new Meter and double-check my work.
It turns out that when the radio gets into close proximity of the antenna the SWR meter would show Almost a flat reading. But when I take it many feet away it goes back to 3.5 to 4. The new meter reads the same no matter what. Now that I know my problem is in the meter inside the radio, I think I can retune my antennas and make it work. I was just curious if you ever heard anything about radio proximity to antennas like that?
i saw a video where he had a meter in his car. he lowered his antena with a screwdriver and after calibration he Removed the meter i dont see where the calibration is stored in the cb if one removes the devise thats doing all the calibrationing. question MUST you leave the devise attached ? and will driving not turn the noob calibration noob some do to vibration ?
Hi the meter is there to test the Antenna, if it is out of tune the Antenna needs adjusting.
Once its tuned the meter can then be taken out of circuit.
Hope this helps a little, but if u need for more info just ask ok...
@@CBRadiouk1 i will have some questions thank you
No need to be sorry Steve. I think that was the first time you asked. Yes, it's a small world Steve and getting smaller, what with the internet, skype, mobile phones and all the other electronic gubbins not to mention RADIO. It's more fun. You never know what you're going to get, as you found out when you got your QSO with the laddie from Edinburgh. You were certainly very surprised indeed. Edinburgh is about 68 -70 miles North East from us but it's about 375 miles from Luton, so a pretty good contact was made and it sounded like you enjoyed it LOL. I'm looking forward to getting things set up here. A slow process as iv'e got a dodgy ticker but I shall get there in the end.I may be firing some questions at you too, if you don't mind. Thanks again Steve and keep the videos coming.
My swr is in the red on both 1 and 40. I've checked the ground, running a meter from the mounting bracket to the negative terminal of the battery and ground is good. The SWR is higher on 40 so I need to shorten. Since they r in red, is this likely to solve my SWR issues?
Hi James i take it you have the Antenna on a car / truck.
If u have is there anything metal within a few feet of the whip part of the Antenna??
If so can you move your twig away a little
+steve stevens also compos video for tuning SR-10 antenna
Hi John it does not matter what Antenna it is, the tuning method is the same.
The lower in frequency you go the longer the Antenna has to be.
The higher you go, the shorter it has to be.
Steve Stevens good
Ok, I have a problem. On channel 40, my reading is perfect with a 1.1. But on chanel one, I have a number that is above three. I'm really confused. My cord is perfect, and it is also brand new. As well as the radio and SWR meeter. It is grounded and I have never run the radio without the anenna attached. I just don't get it. I habe ajusted the antenna as well, maybe i havent found the sweet spot, but still. I even tried it on a rural hill to aviod trees and buildings. If anybody has any suggestions, please let me know.
Hi as i pointed out in the video, the lower the channel/ frequency the longer the Antenna has to be.
Adjust the whip a little longer maybe an inch at a time, until you see a drop.
In an ideal world your swr would be the same on ch 1 AS it is on ch 40.
Let me know how you get on ok, i presume you meen 1.3 as in 2 digits below 1.5.
If that is the case that is more than good enough.
I have adjusted it as far as it can go. and still no change. And I don't know if I flipped my speech around the first time, but my SR meter say that I have a perfect 1.1 on channel one, and an above 3 reading on channel 40. that's seems like an awful big gap to me. I'm going to go and try it in a flat open area to see if that makes a difference. Now I cant remember if I got that backwards the first time, or that was actually the case. Sorry, I forgot to mention my antenna adjustment. Ill keep adjusting it but I think that's the big issue. The antenna by the way is a K30. Just look it up, its magnetic.
CWMORGAN 4240
Ok so your SWR is high on ch 40.
It does not matter what antenna u have the basics are still the same.
So Now we know your SWR is high on ch 40, shorten it an inch at a time.
If the antenna goes all the way in and is still high you have a few options.
One cut a small piece off, i doubt you will have to do that but its an option.
Secondly forget trees and other stuff look at the antenna and see if part of your vehicle is near it.
Ie if its a truck move it away from the box/trailer.
Ideally the whip should be away from the vehicle all the way up.
Watch the video again and watch what happens when Deb puts her hand near my antenna. Its not a tree or anything metal but it does effect the swr.
Ok. Thanks, I was thinking about cutting it a little. Because when I shortened it, what little I could, it made some improvement. And my antenna is not surrounded by anything. It is out in the open on top of my pickups roof. So I think it's just a mayer of shortening it and the problem should be fixed. I will tell you how it goes. In a few hours when I'm out of class I should be able to fix it.
Hey bud I have a question that might sound dumb but I'll use a quick photography reference to explain the reason for my question. Do all antennas have a sweet spot where you can get a super low reading on the SWR meter? In other words if my SWR reading is higher on channel 40 than it is on channel 1 and I start cutting away on my whip antenna to shorten it about a 1/4 inch at a time and I start reaching lower SWR readings does it get to a point where if I continue cutting too much my SWR readings start to get high again? My photography reference; all lenses have a sweet spot where you adjust the aperture from its lowest setting and work your way through the middle settings and you will find the lens sweet spot where the lens performs is best. As you continue adjusting the aperture from that middle area of the sweet spot and continue adjusting the aperture toward the high end you gradually start rolling OUT of the sweet spot. Hopefully my reference to photography and my questions to the antenna and the SWR reading makes sense now. Thanks in advance!
In short yes they do.
Lets say you are tuning an antenna for a rig that has 1 band of 40 .
Like you said if you cut off to much, the SWR will be high right across the board.
The idea is to get a good swr on both ch 40 and ch one, anything in between will be ok.
So lets say you cut off to much, the sweet spot may still be there, but higher up in frequency.
Probably on the next band of 40 channels up.
The lower the frequency the longer the Antenna has to be, the higher up in frequency you go the shorter the Antenna has to be.
Hope this helps a little there is a way of checking the sweet spot , if you have a rig with 3 or more blocks of 40.
Lets say you adjust the antenna for ages and still cant get a reasonable swr, this is where having multiple blocks of channels comes into play.
GO down a block , if things improve go down another block.
If the swr drops on either block of channels or reads 1.1 there is the sweet spot.
As you should now realise, the SWR reading telly you the Antenna is to long for the block you are tuning for.
Just do the reverse by going up, if going down a block makes things worse.
So hope this has helped a bit.
Steve Stevens everything kind of sort of started to sound ok until you started talking about blocks. You lost me completely from there.😂😂 I am by no means any kind of CB/ radio waves/ electromagnetic waves/ microwaves expert. However what I may have figured out is if I feel that I may have cut the antenna just a little too short and my SWR readings are starting to increase then I still have a chance to save it by slightly pulling the antenna upward increasing its length by 1/4 inch at a time since it is still sitting all the way at the bottom of the base of the antenna. I just want those SWR levels as low as possible. I can't seem to bring the higher-end lower than 1.3. Thanks again for your efforts in that detailed explanation. Cheers from Miami Florida.
cruznfl340
I am talking blocks of CHANNELS, some RIGS have low mid and high bands.
So we may refer to them as blocks of 40.
U could try moving the antenna, it's easy if it's magmounted.
AS long as you aren't running hundreds of w, get a friend to put their hand near the whip, like I did in the video.
If the swr drops it's to short, if it goes up it's still to long.
If the whip is not clear of the vehicle, ie running along side of the cab.
Move it further away, let me know how u get on.
Steve Stevens yes I noticed early on that by moving the antenna mount on the mirror bracket as far as possible from the cab my SWR levels improved quite a bit. I will try your technique. Thanks for the feedback! ✌
Would it be a good idea to use two antennas one set for low and high??
Not really not for 40 or 80 channels.
Most Antennas will cover at least 40 channels.
Hope this helps..
Hello Steve I enjoy all you're videos I have a president Lincoln 11 v3 radio and a red devil whip works great and I can get out and communicate with the local lads here in Torbay Devon, only problem is my swr meter doesn't move at all I've tried different patch leads and meters still no movement. Any ideas what's going on mate
Hi Kieran sounds like the swr meter is faulty. If it only plays up on SSB it is because u are not making any sound (try whistling into the mike?)
I cant remember if the Lincoln has a built in meter???
If it has try that, as the rig is obviously putting out RF.
The meter could be faulty, without looking at it my self its difficult to say. Are u trying this on ssb or fm??
I just got a new cb for my off-road rig and my swr is good at ch 40 but reads 3 at ch 1. The antenna does not have a tunable tip so will adding washers on the mount be the equivalent to extending the tip or is there another way to tune it besides buying another antenna
Hi Ben can I take it your swr on ch 1 is 1.3 two points under 1.5??
If it is that should be more than ok.
As for making the antenna longer a few washers may work, if the whip is metal you can put a connector onto it, the type for joining wires together.
Connector block or whatever else they may call them, its the type with 2 screws.
Put a bit of wire into one side, and slide the whip into the other side, it may cause a bit more wind drag though.
I'm up in Scotland Steve 20 miles or so South of Glasgow in East Ayrshire. Kilmarnock to be precise. Where Johnnie Walker whisky was blended and bottled. Incidentally Steve I used to live in Leighton Buzzard and worked in Bletchley.
+roy neil
Sorry Roy i think i asked before, its a small world mate.
If u ever have a question ask away ok ...
Hi Steve what can I do if no receive on my radio?
mrspeedy1011
That depends where the problem lies.
Do you suspect the radio, or the Antenna??
Tell me more
Steve Stevens antenna
hi i am getting crt ss9900 next week do i do the same thing swr it or does have it build in the rig
There is a built in SWR meter, but if your SWR is high you can work out if the Antenna is too long or too short by the method shown in the video.
If u have any problems ask away here ok ..
hi i be using the 10 meter telescopic pole
Hi Steve, i've just bought a new antenna "Mini Bullwhip Modulator", that wont swr, I think the whip is too short and will try your recommendation to move my hand in to the antenna. I am trying to get help from the vendor but this is the reply ive just received ; (when checking the swr hold your hand on the bottom of the coil, if the swr goes down its definitely a grounding problem). Is this correct ? ( my scarlet warrior on same magmount is 1-1) The advertised length of this twig is 95cm, but mine only mesures 88cm, thats with the coil. A replacement whip is a good two inches longer than this one. Cheers for any help, Simon (frustrated lol )
Hi Simon first things first, i take it the whip is a used item?
The first thing i would do is ad a little to the whip, making it the correct length.
You can easily do this using a connector block, and a bit of wire / coat hanger.
I would also do a continuity test of the whip, from the base to the tip.
Presuming that the test results are ok, check the swr after the got the length right.
Using logic i would say your mag is fine,if you still cannot tune the new whip let me know.
@@CBRadiouk1 hi Steve, no mate this is a new antenna from uk4x4 ! They are insisting they come from the manufacturer's like this ? ive tested continuity and all is well, swr still 2.5 higher on the eu bands, indicating, if im correct that it needs lengthening ? will try your coat hanger method tomorrow, thankyou ;o/)
Quick update, I've sent the antenna back for full refund. I can see a Trimag on the horizon for my Warrior lol thanks for your response, you confirmed what i thought ;o/)
@@simonboyle9961
Hi Simon sounds like u did the right thing fella.
I will say I have heard a few people having SWR problems with magmounts.
Some Antennas just will not tune on them.
Body mount them and they tune, I can't explain why.
@@CBRadiouk1 I was expecting it to be higher than the warrior, i've been catching up with all the CB/tech/review channels, As i've been off air for about 15 years. But that antenna was not New and was definitely shorter than it should have been lol
When you tune a radio which has FM and sideband, does tuning channel 1 and 40 on FM properly also mean the antenna is tuned properly for sideband? I'm new and buying a CRT 6900N next week, just a few things I need clearing up, cheers
Yes you are tuning the Antenna for the frequency, AM/FM and SSB are just you chosen mode.
Good choice or radio are you new to cb or coming back to it??
Steve Stevens Pretty much new, I used to use my Grandads handheld scanner a lot when I was a kid in the 90’s but never went any further. The other week I saw just how cheap things are and it has me interested again, watched a ton of videos here on RUclips and thought the 6900n looked like it would be a good start.
I have ordered my radio, I need a power supply and a good antenna, still researching a lot of stuff being new to it all. Somebody told me I could use a 10 amp power supply but better to buy a 20 amp. Been recommended the silver rod half wave too but still unsure about antenna
Oh and obviously bought a SWR meter, I read that having an external one is a little more accurate. Came with the little coax too for £16
Having a SWR METER , is a must really it will give you an indication of how good the rigs internal one is.
Once you know how the rigs internal one is, you can take the internal one out of line.#Saves extra leads etc.
If you have any problems pop back and ask ok bud.
Steve Stevens yes just a few more things. I’ll be buying a 20 amp power supply, which antenna would you recommend for the 6900n? Also, once I have the radio, swr meter, antenna, coax and power supply, am I all set to go or is there anything else I’ll need? Any particular length of coax or will a 20 meter one be fine? I also have some rubber tape to weather proof the connection on the antenna
good video Steve 😜😜😜😜👌👌👌👌
Hi Steve. It's Keith in Littlehampton. So far I've had loads of bad luck. Today I found out my 2 sigma Excalibur Antenna s were faulty. I therefore got a sirio thunder. It's due in a few days. I'm restricted to space and council policy where I can and what I can erect high up by our council house. I'm removing the 2 sigma Excalibur antennae and obviously replacing them with a sirio thunder. I did a bit of research on no swr needed antennae and I was able to decide on the sirio thunder. I'll get back to you once it's all set up. You should have heard my 6900N CRT this morning. Alarm like sounds came off it and readout said 5HI. I found out from Google what that meant. It meant swr is too high. Contact you soon as possible. Keith
Hi Kieth you should ( ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SWR) even on an Antenna that says pre tuned etc,.
One of the reasons being is your coax connections may be at fault, antenna may be near metal etc, stick with it fella you will get there.
And of course if u need more help , or have questions just ask ok bud.
Wow thats a nice meter you got there bud....
I wish there had been youtube when I was on AM back in the day. I could not get my head around SWR. When it was in the red I thought I was speaking too loud hahahahaha. Anyhoo 10 10
I was similar - only I am new to cb so this was like 2 weeks ago. I naturally thought that the higher the needle the better my chances of sorting it or stronger signal lol. I then settled for a half way mark on the scale thinking I had a 50/50 shot at it. Thanks to this Video I have a better idea whats going on now. And also it clicked for me when someone explained it simple for the first time the other day : "High Channel and High SWR = Antenna too tall .....Low Channel and High SWR = Antenna too Small!"
At first I didn't realise it was all about getting SWR Low not High
I can count on the fingers of one hand how many conversations I had on my CB. One was remarkably from Australia thanks to skip. The rest was with another user in Suffolk called pussyhunter,yes I know,what a dick,but we were all young once.
Do any breakers have meet-ups
+Ciaran Mc manus
Hi Ciaran some do mate, high swr on what Antenna and what rig do you have??
+Steve Stevens
Nice Video stuff I had tuned my SRA10 Antenna !!! very close to 1:1 SWR on CB!
John Alex got same kind need help
Nicely done, I think it might have been better if you used that basic meter though as that's most likely what a new Breaker would have, nicely explained though!
Also, I see you used that Picture in Picture you've been itching to use haha! Sweet ;)
+RustySkull Productions
Hi Rusty well i could do it a hundred times to get it Perfect, in fact it took an age as it was.
That picture in picture was the part i was on about, it may help a few people it may not .
I am getting there mate all i need is more hours in the day lol.
+Steve Stevens I know what you mean lol it took me almost 30mins to edit one of my last videos lol. Sitting there blurring out a bloody number plate haha.
Currently looking at a zetagi 203 on eBay as I’m going to put the radio in the car a MK1 president Lincoln
Hi Ciaran what power is the lincoln producing, and whats the max power you can put into the 203??
i have purchased a team swr on ebay now 26-50 mhz 100 watts input 25.00 with a patch lead should be hear by the weekend have a wilson 1000 i want to tune
not sure about ouput power on the Lincoln
Ciaran Mc manus
U should get it checked bud, running to much power into an amp will soon blow it.
enjoyed the video mate
is there Actually much activity out there on SSB any contacts from overseas
I dont need a class on how to use a meter I need a way to lower high swr .
Mobile or homebase
SWR problem.
What antenna and what readings on what channels are u taking readings on.?
@@CBRadiouk1 A-99 if I get it low on ch.1 its high on 40 and it goes both ways theres one thing I have not tried yet turning one ring up and one down Im gonna go back up the pole again tomorrow wish me luck are there any grounding tricks I can try?
A few things to look out for are.
Only slide the antron down the pole far enough to use both u bolts.
Mount the antenna away from anything else metal.
On 26.965 (ch1) mid band and 27.405 that's ch 40 mids.
The rings would normally be together and right in the middle.
Is the antron new or used?
I've got a very high swr
Nice on Steve mate.
ONE ^
Hi Glen i am glad i could help matey
Yeh man, I bid on that CRT 6900 but lost out in the end. I did visit Knights again and got fixed up with a Midland 48 Plus Multi and a Thunderpole Voyager, SWR meter etc. Hopefully doing the install tomorrow. Still haven't picked a Handle, might use my old one from the 'Dark Ages' lol. Then again I might go a new one.
When your coax connectors look like yours I don't listen to them.
In order to spare your radio high standing wave ratio even if the antenna is not perfect. Try inserting a one meter length of a different coaxial cable between a full length run of your main cable. For instance, if your cable is RG-8m, insert a one meter length of RG-58u at a junction or cut and put the length in with connectors you solder in. Although RG-8m and RG-58u are the same impedance, they have different velocity rate, this may shift the standing wave at the output of the radio from the high voltage section of the waveform, such as the quarter wavelength and 3/4 wavelength to the middle, or ends of the wave form where voltage is near zero. This does not really fix what is going on with your antenna, but it will save your radio damage. There are proper terms for what I am trying to write but English is not my original language and I am lacking in the correct terms. I hope this helps somewhat. I have lowered standing wave in many antenna systems with this method. It is not an ideal method at all. But it will save your radio. This may also work if your full length of cable is RG-58u. Insert a one meter length of RG-8m to adjust the shift of the standing wave.
Like that coax cable it looks tattered
Nice vid
Back in 1996, when I installed the citizen's band transceiver in my vehicle, I could not get the standing wave ratio down because I guess the location was not good on the rear bumper. But the vehicle has no metal roof and no truck so I left it on the bumper, made a small coil and grounded it to the bumper. I moved the coil up and down the antenna until the SWR dropped. Then I shrink wrapped it to the area on the antenna that made the lowest SWR. Today, I still have the vehicle. I still have the same citizen's band transceiver. I still have the same antenna. Everything works flawlessly. Unfortunately, citizen's band has fallen out of favour. The transceiver is mainly a white noise receiver now. It is very rare that anybody uses the citizen's band anymore. I do leave it on with the squelch minimal. But silence is the main thing I hear. It is a sad time to be in any sort of radio hobby.
If you coax looks like that, with ground shield looking like that, you shouldn't be making videos. You need to learn how to put ends on your coax first!
Hi 817 looks rough, but trust me it is a nice snug fit.
I could have tidied it a bit, but never did.
After nearly 40 years of radio, a cosmic thing is no problem.
So get over your self, stop bitching and jog on by.
Who put those connectors on hahahahahaha
It's a lead I found in a box, rough but work fine.
Good for debs to lend a hand, no pun intended. Great advice and often throws newbies off guard. Nice captions going on and the PIP looked good. :)
Who taught you how to put connectors on coax? You better go and take a second lesson lol lol lol CB'er
Hi Will lol lol u a troll??
Yes they look rough but a solid connection and tight.
Sorry it was not built by a robot my friend.
Yes i am a cb er and proud.
Will Rogers you must have a tank whip up your as#
@@RonanKearney1 probably amateur ham
S W R.... State wide radios