Im having one hell of a hard time tuning my cb antenna
Ive got the SWR meter but i cant seem to get the swr lower than 5. I dont understand how to do this right i dont think. I can talk to my friend who is also having tuning problems only about 10 feet. Id really like to get this working... Thanks guys
Helix,
You need to answer some questions.
1. What is the range of the SWR meter your using? When you
say "5" do you mean the end of you range?
2. What Frequency/channel are you checking?
3. Does the SWR "change" from 1 thru 40?
Some of those "pre-tuned" antennas do not have full coverage
of the CB band and you just have to live with it. If you are truly
getting 5:1 and you have a modern rig, it will not damage the
radio.
This is how SWR works. When you transmit RF, some of the power
is reflected back to you radio. The amount of transmitted power
verses the reflected power is your Standing Wave Ratio
(SWR). When RF is reflected back to the radio in high amounts,
you finals, (the transistors that amplify you output power) the
energy is dissipated in the form of heat. If that heat gets too
high, it can and will melt your finals. Modern radios protect finals
by reducing power. You can operate at a high SWR (over 5:1)
but output power will be reduced. This is *not* so if your
antenna is shorted to itself. You would get a pinned needle if this
were the case. (infinity) If you are getting a 5:1 SWR at say
channel 40, you could have an SWR of 2:1 at 20.
Needless to say, this is an abbreviated definition of how this all
works but should give you an idea. Many things can affect your
readings, like where the antenna is mounted. If it is located close
to metal or wet or…<br>
If you want to swing by, I would be happy to help you with it.
Just PM me and we can set it up. I hope this helps.
Roger.
