Sudden SWR spike

Ah ok, that explains the confusion. If I can't figure out a way to hammer in a ground rod & run up a ground wire to the second floor unnoticed, any ideas on a good alternative grounding method?

 

Sorry for the late update(took a break from electronics for a bit), the b100 antenna fixed the swr issue so thanks for that. Ended up with the Workman version as the Saturn variant pretty much disappeared, the remaining units jumped to over $100.

Odd thing is that if I don't have the rf, tx & mic power maxed out, swr stays around 2.5 on channel 1, 5 on 40. At max levels, about 1.3 on 1, hovers closer to 2 on 40.

Modulation is 60% as soon as I key up & then immediately drops close to 0 even when talking loudly, regardless of level on the red devil mic itself. If the R.B. is on, there will be a brief 100%. Standard mic registers no modulation.

The other oddity being power fluctuation between antennas. With the 102" whip, it was kicking out between 250-300w, the others I tried all varied. The B100, 5 watts.

I've heard of some radios (including this one) with auto power limiting depending on what's hooked up, don't understand why it would drop that much considering the antenna is rated for 500 watts & I'm running 18' of lmr400. I did see a slight uptick in power when putting a different meter inline. If I could eliminate the self adjusting output, that would be ideal, everything attached can handle the throughput so I'm not worried about cooking an antenna, etc.

I'd drop the inline meter altogether but the built in unit is too sensitive & always pegs out as soon as I key up. It's only accurate in judging signal distance, someone can be burning up the airwaves from 1k miles away but the needle stays put, local signals that aren't the best (within say 1-2 miles) will register.

 

The offender is a Galaxy DX55HP backed by a 15amp power supply (limited with inline mini fuse).
Pretty sure the Saturn & Workman come from or came from the same factory, there's another brand with the same model designation & specs so it's a possibility.

Going through that page & reading about the various chokes, one of the reasons for using the "clamp on" style made me remember an exact scenario listed occuring.

When I key up, the stereo two rooms over will suddenly let out a loud hum whether it's on or off, as long as it's plugged into the wall. There's some very questionable/unsafe wiring in this apartment building so kinda wondering why just that one gets lit up. Haven't heard any complaints from neighbors yet about interruptions to their electronics, but if it's just the same loud bark of a hum rather than my voice, they likely wouldn't guess I was the cause....don't really want to ask them because they might start "hearing things" suddenly or if say something fails on its own, then it'll be my radio rather than the reality.

I should have a few of those chokes laying around, I've pulled a bunch from things like computer power supplies & televisions not knowing what they were for, only that they could come in handy. I'll have to step down wire size to use any of them in a loop, the longest stretch of coax I have tucked away if 15-20' so that'll still be really close to the radio.

Anything in a tree is going to be difficult, after the neighboring tenant property cut down all of the trees, the nearest one is about 100 yards away on someone else's property.

I think the eaves of my windows are about 17-20' up, maybe something like a spring loaded curtain/shower rod could serve as a hanger, just gotta make sure wind doesn't send it into the glass, etc.

The topography in my location isn't exactly ideal for radio, I'm right in the bowl of a valley with peaks in all directions....even up on a ladder, best line of sight without a major obstruction is 1/8th of a mile.

That makes for wind whipping around from all directions, when the various antennas were mounted on my window a/c unit (workman is clamped to a handtruck indoors until I get an outdoor mount figured out that won't cause water leaks), they were slapping anything in reach. Contrast that to when the whip was mounted on my truck, when parked, it just stayed still.

 

Might have to get one of those tuners, I saw a few for pretty cheap when looking for SWR meters. Usually they popped up in suggestions on a given listing.

I was just about to jump up & say "Why didn't I think of that!" in regards to the gutter antenna.....but as the excitement of the covert awesomeness hit, I remembered that the gutters are missing on my building

Only a single building in the complex has the remnants of a gutter left, sagging in the middle, the end touching the ground like the structural version of a car wreck. Could explain why so much water ends up in the walls.

I'd attempt a chimney mount if everything wasn't electric here, so nothing in the way of roof camo.

In regards to the proton99, I've been trying to come up with an "excuse" to drop on the landlord why I need a certain antenna at that height outside. I was going to claim some satellite tv/ internet alternative since they allow direct tv dishes to be jammed in the ground & bolted to the eaves.

Something like "oh it's a roku antenna!" or "It's a competitor to starlink, acme brand roadrunner net".

But I can't think up anything with enough jargon to prevent him from bothering to investigate. If I can devise some word salad that will get him to sign off on me running one up, golden. Once I get that, as long as the installation is neat not much can be said.

I'd be honest & say it's for a radio but every landlord I've had who was alive in the 80s can only think of that one guy in the neighborhood who would blast over the television nightly with his amp screaming through the TV speaker.

There was a radar looking array on the lawn of a neighboring building but I'm not sure if it was stolen or the owner was forced to remove it.
I was in the process of trying to find out whose it was to inquire about how they got away with that massive thing (it was roughly 6'W x 3'H in the shape of a curved halfpipe) but nobody seemed to know who it belonged to.

Basically if I got approval for a mast, a cemented pole tall enough to reach the height of my window would be needed, the sole purpose to avoid vandalism.

That gutter one though, man I wish it was an option.