SWR reading is SUPER high!!! Advise please!

If raising the stingers did lower the SWR, but ended up too short to get the SWR any lower, sounds like you just need to find some longer stingers...

Check around, CB Shops usually carry replacement Wilson Stingers for around $10 and are 65" long...If what you have now is 65" long, and they are too short, then you have some other issue going on...Which would most likely be bad grounding on the mirror brackets, or the brackets them self's are not getting a good enough ground mounted on the doors...

Predator 10K's come with a 65" stinger and usually need to be trimmed some to tune.

 

A few questions,

Are you using a co-phase harness between the two antennas?

Can you give a SWR at channel 1 Channel 19 and channel 40?

For a quick test to see if you need a longer stinger, use 2 pieces of of the same length of stiff wire and a roach clip (that's what we called them in high school ) and clip them to the tip of your antenna to extend the height a 1/4 inch at a time and see if the SWR lowers.

Keep us posted

 

First off I would not run them co-phased. Get yourself some good mini 8 coax and just hook up the one on the drivers side. Leave the other one up for looks if you want. Then run a ground wire from one of the hinge bolts on the door side to one of the bolts on the cab side. Check SWR's. That might just do it. Let us know what happens.

 

I agree with killroy on the grounding wire I know you said you chckd it but running the ground from the frame to mounts will usually do the trick doesnt have to be a big guage try it and let us know.

 

That is an option as well, just make sure you understand killroy.

You cannot just unhook one antenna and leave the other hooked if it has a co-phase harness in the truck already. You need a completely new single coax from the radio to whatever antenna you wish to use.

 

That's good advice IMO and the way I would go to solve the problem.

 

Yea Sorry I was in a hurry when I made that post.
Get a good quality mini 8 Coax New. Figure out how much you need to go from the antenna to the radio, include how you will run it to hide it, it does not have to be 18ft. Do not buy that Barjan junk. Then when you do the ground make sure you remove ALL the paint first, sand paper, wire wheel on a drill. then after you have the ground installed across the door hinge you can paint over it. If at all possible try to find a shop that uses an MFJ 259 meter to set the SWR's. The way it works is the coax is un hooked from the radio and the SWR is set. That way you can swap radio's and the SWR will still be good as long as you don't mess with the antenna or the coax.
Hope this helps.

 

Why have the guy buy a new coax and do an install. I hear this often, usually because people do not want to go to the added trouble to get an array working correctly. If the existing coax is good just fix the ground problem and tune the pair. That way you have a better signal especially if he runs a drybox or reefer and he is not wasting a perfectly good antenna on the other side by leaving it disconnected. He saves on buying more stuff and on the labor of running another coax. On that mirror arm remove the hardware and scrape off the thick black coat to insure the hardware is getting a good ground connection to the arm. Also be sure there is nothing but the stud on the bottom side and the plastic insulator is the first item on the top side on both sides.

 

Because one antenna works better than two. An a new Coax is not that expensive. Unless you run LMR 213 UF like I am. lol