CB Radio re SWR question...ANSWERED (update)
Back in 2003, MH came with optional CB antenna installed (no ground plane model). I installed a Cobra 29 LTD Classic radio, and as per usual didn't bother to read the manual.
It never had more than a couple of miles of range. I mostly used it as a walkie talkie, in conjunction with a handheld Radio Shack CB radio, for instructions when backing up.
Recently, after a long period of NOT using the CB, I turned it on and it would not transmit. I read the manual, and started trying to learn about tuning the antenna. I first checked the antenna for shorts and opens. Then, using the procedure as per the manual, I went through the motions of shortening and lengthening the antenna such that I finally achieved 1.5 SWR on channel 1 and 1.5 on channel 40. However, on channel 20 the SWR is "off the scale" (about minus .5).
On the road, the range of use for me is channel 9 to 19, both of which show a SWR of less than 1. In fact, the range of channels with 1 or less SWR is channel 8 through 26.
So, the main question I have is: Are these SWR readings good enough for normal operation, or is there something wrong with the antenna system?
BTW the no TX problem that I started out with was that the knob settings were messed up. I finally learned what each knob is supposed to do, and got it to work like it used to work (short range, walking distance). Now, I'd like to know the answer to my question because I now would like to optimize the TX/RX range on the highway.
Thanks
It never had more than a couple of miles of range. I mostly used it as a walkie talkie, in conjunction with a handheld Radio Shack CB radio, for instructions when backing up.
Recently, after a long period of NOT using the CB, I turned it on and it would not transmit. I read the manual, and started trying to learn about tuning the antenna. I first checked the antenna for shorts and opens. Then, using the procedure as per the manual, I went through the motions of shortening and lengthening the antenna such that I finally achieved 1.5 SWR on channel 1 and 1.5 on channel 40. However, on channel 20 the SWR is "off the scale" (about minus .5).
On the road, the range of use for me is channel 9 to 19, both of which show a SWR of less than 1. In fact, the range of channels with 1 or less SWR is channel 8 through 26.
So, the main question I have is: Are these SWR readings good enough for normal operation, or is there something wrong with the antenna system?
BTW the no TX problem that I started out with was that the knob settings were messed up. I finally learned what each knob is supposed to do, and got it to work like it used to work (short range, walking distance). Now, I'd like to know the answer to my question because I now would like to optimize the TX/RX range on the highway.
Thanks
