Cobra 29 lx max problem

Next time just do like the rest of us and read it, roll your eyes and let them have their sense of superiority. Now you are about to get the ARRL handbook on capacitance, resonance, impedace, IMHD, DB signal loss in coax, signal velocity, the importance of.a spectrum analyzer, antenna analyzer and oscilliscope, and whatnot.

That's why I told that other guy good luck. He's struggling to talk 15 miles on a radio with twice mines wattage, saying how I don't know some of those values. Yesterday I made an easy 70 mile contact, today will be an easy 55 mile contact barefoot. I may have an amp if necessary, but I only use a bird and an swr meter and to this day all my finals and transistors are original in my equipment..

So just read those posts, roll your eyes and laugh.

 

I agree that SWR is important to the average CB user who is not an advanced radio guy who just wants to install a factory-designed 11-meter mobile antenna onto his vehicle. Although it is true that knowing the SWR is only one of several elements that an advanced technician would consider to make a radio and its antenna work, it is the only one usually needed for the average CBer who is using standard antennas with standard coax. There are problem situations where more equipment might be needed, but unless you have such equipment and are skilled in using it, it's best to get to a shop and let them handle such unusual situations. So far, I've gotten by with a lowly external SWR meter.

Shogun, those 55 and 70 mile contacts are with a base station at a tall antenna or mobiles located at elevations to allow line-of-sight communications, right?

The reason I ask is that when flatlanders in wooded countrysides such as me struggle with 5 and 10 miles, it is daunting to read about 50 and 70 miles.

 

I just made contact with a base station down in Mendenhall, Ms. He is around 300-330 feet elevation and I was in the hills outside of Louisville,Ms. If you look at a topographical map, you would see between us is 90 percent wooded.

I would say we were approximately 80 miles apart. I don't know what he has but he was putting about 5 db on me, yesterday we talked about 60 miles from Mendenhall to Canton, Ms and he was at 9Db. 10 miles mobile to mobile with two decent setups is about normal here. And I am not running a lot of power at all.

 

I said - SWR isn't the most important thing, it is sort of important on a unbalanced feedline but outside of that ....

Go look up W6SAI, that's who told me.

Um ... 11 years ... wow ... that beats me, I only had my extra ticket for 12, and GROL/1st class for 38 years.

I expected someone to ask me why, but apparently we have experts here so I will let you guys continue to believe what you want to believe and I will stay out of it.

 

Unbalanced feed line? ROTFLMAO THAT's something of minor importance. That's like saying the roads being rough are more important than the car engine starting in the first place. An unbalanced line would cause problems but that's a rare thing that not many people using CB are going to encounter. High SWR, on the other hand, is VERY common. Having unequal impedance to ground is not something CB'ers care about. We're talking about 4 watts here.

If we only knew what was going on? Well by all means, please enlighten us "newbies" as to why SWR is of such minor importance in an antenna set up and everyone else says it's very important. (This should be good.)

I guess that shows that having a HAM license for a long time doesn't mean much.


SWR - what is it, and why is it so important?

What is SWR (Standing Wave Ratio)



Apparently Mr HAM for 38 years needs to learn a little bit more. Funny you're the only one out here saying SWR isn't important or is "sort of important."

To people reading this, SWR is of CRITICAL importance in an antenna setup. High SWR can burn up your radio and will result in terrible performance no matter how you try to mount it. Don't listen to anyone saying it's not important. Just call any CB shop that answers the phone and ask them how important it is. In fact, call 2 or 3 and I would be willing to bet a nickel or two that all 3 would say it's very important.

The two MOST important things for regular CB radio operators to worry about is SWR and antenna location on the vehicle. Everything else is for the techies to argue about.

 

So all of that blah blah blah and you still have NOT read what I said.

 

Helpful advice is what’s needed. Step by step.

Guy gets an antenna mounted and SWR to a low (good) value, most are satisfied. Very few ever show up around here, for instance. Already a tiny minority.

Then those who want “more” can go wander all over. Join a cult out of New Mexico or something.

 

Been sayin the same thing about swr now for awhile..It falls on dear ears so for the most part i give up.

 

@Meteorgray

If I can leave out at the right time sometime this week or next I will try to take a video of a long distance local contact. The bases around here get cranked up about 4-430 for about 30 mins to an hour. Depends on which way I am headed if they are somewhat pointing my way or not. Today, according to the distance as the crow flies was about 80 miles, I can do that every day with several stations. 50+miles barefoot and they put me in the red.

 

Swr is NOT as important as some feel it is..Yes when your pumpin out huge watts its MORE important than say a barefoot uniden or cobra 4 watt deal..
People seem to associate power delivery and performance with swr but its antenna grounding,resistance,impedences, resonance all come before swr....95% of the time when all else is in order your swr will be fine BUT NOT other way around...
Buy a pair of sneekers and pull the laces and run around..Now put laces back in and tie them up and run around.....Same sneekers but way more efficient,they fit better and mow its not any strain on your feet to keep them on.....

Same idea with antenna..
An exame i use lately is with a fella who say the ant on back of the cab works great...Yeah barefoot he gets 7/8 miles but then he cranks up his 1800 watt amp and is all over the country BUT he also has his amp worked on all the time because his stuff is not on par....

Sure most cb ers only deal with swr cause of what they know and dont know and what lame cb shops and or others who dont know tell them....

I laugh my butt off when you hear someone try to tell someone else "Just run a ground wire from your ant to your chassie,it will make a huge increase in performance"...
Its not what they think,helps with rec only cause its helps with static discharge but from what i have learned it adds electrical length to ant which throw off a ant tune..
All because "its what my nuddy told me and he has been driven for 10 yrs!"..