new cb

[Geebo]

Hello all, I just installed a new cb, a freind of mine came over with his SWR and found out that 1 thru 20 was close to 3 on the SWR (not good) but 21 thru 40 are fine about 1- 1/2.Ok ,so he thinks the problem can be fixed by getting a tuneable antenna, so that,s my next step..Mean while I,ve tried to talk to other people on the cb ,asking then if I,m coming thru on a radio check and have not yet had any response..Any suggestions or idea,s would be great...Thank,s Geeb

[Jerry Bransford]

A tunable antenna is what you need, most are tunable so are you sure your present antenna isn't? That its SWR gets better as the frequency/channel gets higher means the antenna is a bit too short. And that's a true 3:1 SWR and not just a pegged (maxed out/needle pinned) SWR meter right?

[aston]

I've been happy with my Firestick: it's tunable and unbelievably tough.

[Geebo]

Jerry, Yes it,s a true reading was at 2.5 all the way to 3 on the channel,s 20 and below..But 21 to 40 are fine at 1 to 1.5...THANKS GUY.S Geeb

[Mike]

..Mean while I,ve tried to talk to other people on the cb ,asking then if I,m coming thru on a radio check and have not yet had any response..Any suggestions or idea,s would be great...Thank,s Geeb

Even though your antenna is not tuned to it's best point, someone that you can hear usually should be able to hear you too. Look for the RF Gain (sometimes labeled as power or power gain) knob and the squelch knob. Turn your RF Gain all the way up then turn your squelch all the way down. You should hear constant static. Since you are just trying to get range out, turn your squelch up until the static stops. This should give you good range and volume to the listener.

On the trail when folks are close by, you may want to turn the RF gain down to give more clarity to your voice. You can adjust the squelch to fit the change in RF gain.

If that doesn't get a response, you might want to check the mic connections.

[freewaydan]

I've been happy with my Firestick: it's tunable and unbelievably tough.

I broke my Firestick on holcome, went out and bought another one,