CB Radio Antenna Installation and Adjustment Guide. If you want your CB to Work Right, Watch This!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2023
- The single most important part of any CB radio isn't the radio at all. It's The antenna, and the best antenna isn't the coolest one on the shelf, it's the one that is adjusted properly.
This video shows just how much some new antennas need to be adjusted before they can perform at their very best.
This antenna is the Cobra HGA 1500 it's a great mid sized antenna and works well on modern cars. You can get one here:
shrsl.com/49jjg
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Don’t forget when checking power output to key up and say “AAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDIO” for a minimum of 10 minutes. This way everyone will know you are an expert.
I had to laugh at this--
Also saying 1111111111111111111 Seventy times in a row works well too!😏👍🎙⚡️
😂
@@backwoodsvirginia, coughing once or twice after 'auaaaaaaaassdio' and 'check, check, check' minimizes the SWR as well :)
😂
We used to call this "antenna matching" in the CB shop I worked at in 1977. We charged a whopping $5 back then, and free if you purchased the CB and antenna. Needless to say, I did 100's of these over the two years I worked there. Some were very challenging depending on the brand and location. Additionally, it's important to match this in an open area, without large vehicles, buildings, or trailers very close by. Thanks for the memories once again Eric!!💯
And that's exactly what it is, "Antenna matching", matching the RF cycles to the antennas wavelength. What is also overlooked is the length of the coax and ohms impedance rating.
$5 was a lot of money back then but awesome that you included it with the purchase
You are absolutely correct. Pocket change today...@@FarpointFarms
I was watching Uncle Buck with John Candy on tv last night. Never noticed before, but theres a 102” whip on his Mercury Brougham. Thats a good movie.
I will have to watch that one again (it's been years) and keep an eye out
I used to work at a CB Shop. You would be amazed how many customers would argue with you that the built in SWR meters had the ability to change your SWR. Some of those built in meters had the word "set" where you would calibrate the meter before flipping the switch to read the SWR. They would get mad at you if you told them it didn't change the antenna SWR. I heard things like " You just put the switch to "CAL' and set your antenna" GRRRR. Those goofy salesmen at the truck stop will tell'em anything to sell a radio.
People hear what they want to hear-You can tell them how it really works and they do what they want
That's true. A built in meter showed me a 1.4 but external SWR meter showed 1.1
love seeing sedans with big goofy antennas sticking from the top of them, starting to see them more and more nowadays. nice video for people new to the hobby.
Me too! I see more of them around here as well.
Have one on the top of my 08 Toyota Matrix
Great video. All points covered. You're right, without a good SWR you've got nothing .
Thank you for watching
I had cb antennas on my row house in Baltimore since the mid 70's. I'm getting ready to put one up in my new home in Vero Beach. I'm also a HAM radio operator. I love them all!
Glad to hear that you use both ham and cb
great video sir. I've had CBs in and out of my vehicles since the 70s. My favorite was a Pace 2300 that i picked up already "doctored", with a set of 102 in steels and a small linier attached. i got a new vehicle and havent put a new CB in as the last time i was traveling the road, there was very little traffic on the airways. it was mostly skip and people werent too careful about their language. one guy made me laugh when he said it was his "back up" radio....he mostly only used it when the traffic was "backed up". Thanks for the refresher on the SWR adjustment. Last antenna i had was a firestick on my jeep. it worked pretty well. i forget what the SWR got down to but i wasnt down that much.....lol. thanks for posting.
I have heard the term back up radio- That is usually when I pull mine out for traffic-
Thank you for this good and practicall explanation, - it is REALLY useful for newcomers in CB!
You're very welcome!
All the antennae I've used were adjustable by slightly loosening the set screw and then moving the whip up or down as required. This is the first time I've see the whip having to be physically cut. My first CB was a Pace 23 channel I bought in the mid 70s.
It is unusual to have to trim one, but not unheard of. I was kind of surprised myself as well.
On my pickup with a toolbox utility cap, my 102" whip is mounted on a bracket i made that comes out between the bed and cap at the front passenger side. The SWR was all over the place as the antenna moved, even with the truck stationary in the wind. I tried the antenna down with Paracord to the roof rack and the SWT was good, at 1.2 and 1.3 or 1.4 on 40. The odd thing is the SWR is good without the spring, and was way off with it.
And I've spoken skip from Canada, all over the US, Jamaica, Mexico and all over Europe. Finally talked to Mower Junkie all the way from New England. Still waiting to hear 707 though!
Yes, moving antennas do cause all kinds of issues with SWR.
Thanks for all you do Eric, saw you and your posse at the fair on Tuesday. First TH-camr sighting
You should have come and said hello!
This is always an important topic Thank you 😊
you can have a great radio but not make any contacts if your antenna is no good.
Excellent video. I have the same antenna. Thanks for sharing this!
Glad it was helpful!
Great explanation on setting swr
glad I could help
Love your videos, glad to see you give back.
Do you have a video where you open up a radio and explain what you are looking at?
I really don't as there are people who have done them and are better than I could do
Looks like a beautiful day on the farm at the time of production, my favorite time of year!!!.
Great video as always,! If I may add for the new operator's, make sure your not sandwiched between surrounding buildings or trees, that will also give you funky readings!!!😏👍🎙⚡️
Good point
Excellent info and presentation sir!!
Thank you
Great video!!! Thanks for sharing. I've been using cb"s since the late 70's. I used to tune the
antenna all the time. I got lazy with my current one. A little will. I just finished tuning it. Had to cut off about an inch in all. Got about 1.5 on channel 1 and just a tad over on channel 40. Channel 20 is 1.25. It's good for me. I can hear it now much louder!! Getting some great skip today here in Maine.
Very cool! Sorry about the craziness in Maine- it is tragic
Good info presented concisely!
Thanks!
This was an excellent video, thanks for this one 👍🏼
Glad it was helpful!
I installed a 102" whip in the rear quarter panel and got a flat 1 SWR and did well. I used a Firestik slim spring coil
good to hear
Great info , thanks for the refresher !
Any time!
Yes you are exactly right about getting a stinger whip too short with your antenna right out of the box . Wilson is world famous for this with there Wilson 1000 series
I’ve experienced this twice the last 5 years and had to buy a longer Wilson stinger whip , out of pocket because Wilson refused to do the right thing
Shame on you Wilson !!
But if you want a roof mount like I do , there’s not many other options until Stryker steps up to the plate . Great video Erik ❤️
Thanks- That is kinda crappy on Wilsons part not to do the right thing
I once mounted my sears road talker cb on my motorcycle, and I parked next to the bay and just couldn't believe how good the transmission and reception were .
Water make a great plane for reception.
@FarpointFarms I was actually talking with some base stations in other states and it was getting dark. The water was like glass .
@@FarpointFarms I was using the upper and lower sidebanks
Another awesome video ! Thanks Eric !😊😊😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Always enjoy Fairpoint Farms videos and info , still trying to find time to purchase and install mast and antenna to reach N. Carolina ! Maybe soon ! Thanks again!
i've never had to trim a sirio 4000, got a couple of them on my motors, out the box they seem to be bang on.. making sure you have a good earth from the battery to the body also helps with swr, some cars have crappy earths
Agreed that Grounds make a lot of difference when adjusting these.
Great video. If you had a boss, I'd put you in for a raise. No more guessing what to do.
Thx man
Thanks- a raise would be helpful
I love my Radio Shack meter, have had one for many years, surprisingly accurate, even compared to higher-priced meters! 73🇺🇸😃
Agreed. They really are high end meters.
Good video, thank you
Thank you for the support
I have a President McKinley you don't even need a SWR meter it's got a dial tone noise when the dial tone is steady that means your match is perfect very good teacher
That is pretty cool to know- just listen in to see how it is tuned
It would be interesting for you to do a video on tuning twin "co-phased" antennas. I've done a couple. Tune one, then the other, then see how both read. I ran one cable to the back, into a "tee" and equal length cables from that to the antennas.
I made a video on that type of setup years ago. Maybe it's time to revisit them.
Crazy I’m getting ready to put a whip on my ranger and this came up . I’m in the Ozarks and hoping a whip will perform well. Got a Wilson magnet mount on the f250 and it seems to do ok .
Glad I could post it up. Good luck!
Great Video!
Thanks!
I place my antennas high on the roof as the roof acts as a ground plane as well, on the company truck I drive it has a 16” X 18" X 3/16" steel plate above the the cab welded to the front bulkhead and it has the Larsen VHF antenna and a small GPS dome, it has sufficient space for my CB antenna and the SWR are between 1.0 & 1.1, I strongly believe high mounted antennas is the best to transmit farther.
Good to know- higher is better
Don`t bring belief and religion into this lol ;) High mounting give better signal 99,9999% of the time, it is physics...
I've had a devil of time with my SWRs, looks like I'll have to do some trimming
I hope it works well for you
Also make sure PL 259 is tight and not loose
good tip- thanks
I have a Wilson antenna...The SWR was pretty good out of the box. I just had to raise it a little.
Some have said that they were a bit short from the factory-
Great video..
Thanks!
Great SWR how to
Thank you
It's also better to test the SWR in an open area. Away from trees and buildings.
The Radio Shack brand name was Micronta.
Still have my Micronta. Thinking about getting back into the hobby. Got out of it in the 80’s when the people on cb just turned it into trash. Over modulated, echos, sound effects, dead keys, off frequency, you name it. Wonder what it’s like now?
Thanks for the name- Tuning in an open are is important
PEP is the Peak Envelope Power of the output signal produced by the final amplifier circuit
Thanks for sharing
Been trying to tune this exact antenna with a nanoVNA. Nanos are great little gadgets, but I find that I get readings all over the place and it's hard to get consistent results. I'm going to add a second inline meter to have something to compare against.
I had to cut a 1/4 off the whip for my Wilson 1000 to get the same swr you have on your rig. That had to be the number 1 problem why people complain about not getting out on a cb radio.
Exactly-
I have a K40 mag mount antenna. It has a long whip. I really like it
Thanks for sharing- those are some decent antennas
@@FarpointFarmsI love the K40 never really had any problems with them. Keep the good work on your videos
FIRST!! 🙂
I ordered the Cobra 19 Mini AM/FM. I'll look out for an SWR meter to use when I install it.
Yes you are!
great video
only issue I am having with my base station, is I am unable to get to my antenna. unless I can figure out how to get my power wheelchair on my roof. I had finally gotten everything installed but the guy I had put my antenna up is no longer available. so if you ever get up to northeast ohio look me up
I will do that if I am in Ohio-
After having a rig expert I don't think I could go back to using meter for this. On the cheaper side you might really enjoy a nano vna for antenna setup.
Sounds cool!
I use a NANO VNA on my amateur aerials, bought it last year. It takes a lot of guesswork out. When only an SWR meter it was always cut the aerial too long and fold the ends back but it was too easy to miss the point and go the other way with still a bad SWR, especially on our narrow 12m band. Now I can see if it's too long or too short, no guessing. Great for the price.
G4GHB.
CB radio always intrigued me. Is it practical for those who arent OTR truck drivers?
Yes. I use mine to communicate from the car to the house, and as a hobby talking all over the world.
A tranmatcher dose a good job on matching the swr of a radio too.
Thanks for sharing
personally ive had terible luck with the a1500... no matter what i did the swr was over 2:1 ended up switching to a wilson lil will and havent had a problem since... after i switched i wanted to figure out why it wouldent tune and it came frrom the factory too short.. added an adjustable toper and was finally able to get it to tune
I have had a few people say that their antenna were short from the factory-
yup swr 1.1 match helps with a foot warmer to
lol
Wish I could hear locals here in Orlando.
Keep trying!
Over a year now @@FarpointFarms
Hi everyone, i have a question because i'm new to cb. What the PA option in my cb radio means? Thank you, great video!
It's a Public Announcement system. Hook a speaker to it and you can project your voice.
@@FarpointFarms thank you, big fan here!
Good to know you got your wife using the radios, too. We know you don’t drive that little car!
I am not sure she really uses it or just does it to humor me.
Exact antennae I just got so I'm hopeful. I was wondering if I was going to regret the magnet mount. (edit) Ok, and I have that exact radio.This video couldn't be any more timely.
Glad I could help
Great video, now do one using a radio without an SWR meter built in. How do we tune with an SWR meter separate from the radio, thanks!
Did you watch to the end? I showed the adjustments with a analog meter as well.
Need help on how to set SWR on co phased antenna system on a 2022 International HX 520
the easiest way is to, tune each antenna individually, then tune the pair. Hope that helps
Excellent video Fred :) I cut whip 1/8 " at time on mobile whips magnet mounts and adjusting whip in shaft too till get match 1.1 to 1.5 SWR like good match and tech friend of mine always say try 1.1 SWR because save finals also electrical in radio from over heating too! I always use External Meter setup radio and no meter on SWR are accurate I found! Also to Fred I always keep book wrote down on antenna too on SWR because helps match SWR faster and what vehicle used on to why say that because someone may ask or certain vechiles hard match up especially Fibreglass or Aluminum body's even on JEEP too ! Also wave on antenna on Transmit and Reiceve like small fish 🐟 on mobile on any vechiles sounds fishy but true ! Also hope that helps you and other to understand to! Yes that Cobra antenna is excellent antenna my cousin Nancey husband Steve one on his pickup truck with Uniden PC 76 XL had since new ! Flat match antenna 1 to 40 plus 20 channels is Wilson 1000 Magnetic mount with 64 inches whip ! K40 cut 1inches 1/8 more on whip plus 1/4 from bottom of adjusting shaft on Magnetic Mount match 1.3 on 1 , 20 flat , 40 flat SWR!
Good info! Thanks!
@@FarpointFarms welcome Fred :) no problem on sharing information with you and others who ask for helping hands ✋ in anything can do for and that what do with my Radio operators in my area to! Plus lots open minded on trail and error we all done I admit to that to! Yes blew up one my antennas on Mobile and Base over setup because on SWR was not set up right plus connector was lose was faulty part ! Also had Fuse blow on my base radio at time because Electrical Fence on home farm machiney shed also touch my coax and radio sitting on top metal file cabinet! When power up I got shock and blew fuse up! I did not have spare ones at time so had wait till RadioShack store opened up for business hours get ones too ! But learn my lessons lots Lol !
Psst.. it's Erik, not Fred!
@@cbmikey no problem my mistake on Eric name not Fred !
@@AndrewHCann no harm, no foul!
I need that
needed
Glad I could help!
How did you run the antenna cable through the rear hatch and keep it from leaking leaking?
The seal still seals- I have not had any problems so far
If I’m pulling a 13 1/2 foot trailer and want the antenna to be taller than the trailer, could you theoretically do the same thing by adjusting the length of the coax?
Not sure I understand. The trailer is 13 foot long?
Question before I do it there was a 2m ant. left on my house wondering if it would work on a CB.
No, that will not work. Sorry!
I did have a radio that only put out 3 watts. It was a little over 10 years old when I checked it.
Because the FCC doesn't want more than 4 watts, many radios put out a little less.
@FarpointFarms Yeah, silly FCC. I don't think it would hurt if CB were allowed 20 watts or so. A lot can be done with just 4, which is impressive at times.
Does the internal swr alter the external swr reading at all? I know you said you were going to a different car for the analog meter but either you stayed in the same car or you have 2 Mitsubishi Mirages with the exact same upholstery and mic. Great video though. I bought a cobra 29 lx on ebay that is performance tuned and tweaked. It has an swr meter as you know, but can I still use an analog without the internal one affecting the results
I actually do have 2 Mirages with identical interiors. Seriously. One SWR had no effect on the other. I find the stand alone analog meters to be better than the built in ones.
Good to know thanks for your time
Nice Mitsubishi Mirage.
Thanks- I love this car
@@FarpointFarms I love mine too!
Question I have 3 pretuned antenna one is a 2 foot,and a3 foot one fiberglass 4 foot antenna,,they all work good .to my knowledge.never had any problems but with adjustable ones cant seem to get it right.ive tried many times ,so thats why i went to pre tuned antennas.any difference??
Hmm. That is odd. Without seeing them I couldn't say for sure.
On my hummer h3 i installed a light bar on the front roof rack. It is just behind the sun roof. Where would be an ideal location for an antenna?. Thanks.
if the light bar is made out of metal, I would attach it to that
If some antenna/radio combos are just not gonna get the SWR you want without cutting the antenna, then there must be antenna/radio combos where no matter what, you need your antenna to be longer, correct? How does one ensure this won't occur when shopping for a radio / antenna pair?
If you buy a used antenna, it's possible someone trimmed it down so much that it will not work for your setup.
Really good vid but have always wondered abt something re this meter (& I have one just like it); re RF output (& I'm not that concerned abt accuracy), I'm curious as to how YOU interpret the reading (& whether I'm doing it correctly or not); when "20w" is selected (instead of 200w), shouldn't one then read along the "L" line (instead of the "H" line), as in Low or High, with "L" being 20w & "H" being 200w? If so, with that line having four (4) sections {denoted by darker lines}, wouldn't the "L" readings be as follows: 5w, 10w, 15w & 20w (each section being 5w) for a max of 20w??? Conversely, if set on 200w, then each one of the four sections would indicate the following: 50w, 100w, 150w then 200w?🤔
To be honest, I never really messed much with the power side of this thing. That said, I'd imagine that the numbers are 1 to 5 on low 10 to 50 on medium and 100 to 500 on high.
@@FarpointFarms understand but still not sure abt that, especially when ur only selections are "20" "200" & "2000"🤔
Where can I find replacement LED for the channel display on a Cobra 25LTD?
I am not sure
I use small bolt cutter to cut my whips easier if blade on it good
Good idea! thanks!!
I recently purchased a a New Virginia antenna for my midland 75-822 and the antenna is pretuned. Should I get a swr meter and check it?
You can if you want to get an idea of what it is running.
Hey Brother does the length of the jumper from the SWR to the radio matter? I lost the little 1 foot cord that came with the SWR and all I have is a 9 foot one. Do you think that matters?
I've never noticed a difference.
@@FarpointFarms thank you Sir,
I am VERY new to this. I did purchase the 75 all roads. What do I do if channel 40 is reading lower than channel 1?
Bought firestick antenna. Is there something to add length?
Yes, If you pull the tiny plastic cap off the top of that antenna, you'll expose an allen head that can be screwed in, or unscrewed to adjust the SWR. Good luck!
Thank you, I'll try that
I got my SWR at 1 across the band. Do you have a video on CB Etiquette. I don't want to be rude or make anyone mad at me.
I can not if you have answered this question. I pull a 34 foot travel trailer, fiberglass with metal studs. I need your advice for a tram and swr.
The CB antenna needs to be mounted on the top of the car, not the trailer.
Thanks for the advice.
Do the Strong Magnets make any difference in RF or SWR ?
This is a great question that I've always wondered myself. It makes sense that it should since the grounding on a magnet mount antenna isn't a direct electrical grounding like a traditional mount. It has to do with some interplay of magnetic fields that I don't fully understand lol
I can't say that it has ever made any difference in my use.
Have you ever used a linear on you cb?
In the late 80's I had one. It helped, but very little.
Do you turn down the rf gain and dynamic turn down as well before adjusting the antenna
No, it makes no change.
Thank you.
So than a 1.5 won't hurt my radio
How do you lnow if your radio has srw meter built in ?
It should literally have a switch that says REF and SWR.
Maybe a stupid question but i've heard that it is possible to use such a magnetic antenna in the house when you stick it on a "ground" base like a bicycle wheel?
Any idea if this is true? or other options like a fridge or something.
God bless. 🌝
Maybe a fridge but it would not be ideal
@@FarpointFarms Hmm, thanks for the reply, first got to get me an swr meter anyway. :))
You can use a large biscuit tin, as a ground plain.
I'd like to see you test out an Antenna made by "Bad To The Bone" from Texas Called the 10-K Predator Antenna. Walcott Radio in Iowa sells them. The particular model I got was the K-2-9 SW.
I will have to check out the antenna- If I can I will make it
Does that go for receiving too?
Yes, it will help with that as well.
If u really want to do it right get a nanovna and learn how to use it, you'll wonder why you hadn't got one before now. it is well worth the money.
Never heard of it. I'll look into it.
@@FarpointFarms There are all mnors of antenna analyzers out there, I have 3 my ratings and prices #1 Nanovna amazon $75.00 #2 mfj 259B new and used from $250.00 to $300.00 been around for 20 years and#3 Sark 100 amazon approx $100.00. These are all great great tools and they all have more functions than measuring SWR. The Nanovna is relatively new and it is very versitile and very compact. ( I love it )
Why would you Trust the built in SWR Meter?
I don't.
My take-away from this video:
*_"Size Matters"_* 😉
Ha ha ha
So it's antenna length ?
Yes, all antennas are 102". The coil part of shorter ones are what makes it 102". The fine tuning for lowest swr is just that, to keep reflected power as low as possible.
Yes. 1/4 wave is 102 inchs. All the shorter ones have windings in the bottom to equal that amount.
Any CB radio needs a good low SWR antenna to function properly, you can take the best expensive CB on the market and give it a crappy antenna with high SWR and it will not perform..
Exactly- great point
Magnet antenna`s are really hard to tune, you need grounding on bare metal, specially if you goanna use the good old booster
That is not too hard to do- You just need to find the right spot
Good video but you actually should be doing that in an open field with no buildings around you just my opinion that's what I do
I agree but it is hard in the mountains
Makes me crazy when people think SWR is plural or a unit and insist on saying SWR'S....
beware of the swares....hahahaha
Sorry to hear that, but..... SWRs.
The word you were looking for on a Rad Shack SWR meter is
M-i-c-r-o-n-ta
thanks
Be a man, DRILL A HOLE in the roof and put a 102 inch-with spring. Use a BreedLove heavy duty mount.
Not on this car- maybe my beater Volvo
I love my Breedlove mount It
built like tank
That’s a good look!
@@FarpointFarms haha, I understand, I hit a few tree limbs, boing! boing!
I’ve been looking at CB antennas and I never see any specs on gain and pattern. I worked in telecommunications all but a few years of my work career on everything from NDBs to KU band satellite and all our antennas had gain and propagation specifications. Has anyone ever compared the SWR reading from that radio to a quality meter like a Bird 43? I have one of those and I trust it over a lot of other equipment.
Old meter @ E-Bay and you really think it accurate??? Why do you think it got sold? do you have Calibrated test equipment? When was the last time that SWR meter was calibrated??? DA...
You calibrate it every time you use it. That is why these are so superior to digital models.
Anybody got their ears on? Come back
Roger that!
You're too close to your house you don't want to be within 60 ft of anything in all directions while tuning your swrs
thanks for the tips
Cb is not like it was it’s all skip
There is more skip now because we are entering a solar maximum- the higher activity from the Sun, the more active skip is