How can I get better reception on my CB radio?

Yes rf and dyno mic both on max would be my thoughts to......Until an antenna change with some grounding then anything else you spend $/time on will be a waste

 

No dave all its basically doin is allowing you to calibrate for that freq to get a swr rateing for that freq..You do that on 1/19/40 and take swr reading on each when in turn tells a person as to what way ant needs to be adjusted to achieve better performance....
It does not set up ant in any way shape or form nor does it allow better or poor reception just allows for a more accurate swr reading.......

 

Okay

 

You sound dejected dave or somethin else is on your mind..Spill it..

 

Also if SWR is higher on ch 1 than it is ch 40 lengthen the antenna one turn and check it again with the cap on.
For example ch1 SWR of 2.1 to 1 and Ch 40 SWR of 1.2 to 1
Channel one reads higher than 40 so raise the antenna one turn and check it again. REPEAT!

Guys that are lucky enough to have an antenna analyzer can just watch the meter and screw the knob on the antenna in and out until the SWR reads as good as its going to get on those 3 frequencies without it even hooked to your radio. You want those 3 channels below 2.1. 1.5 or lower is awesome!

If SWR is higher on 40 shorten the antenna a turn and check it again. Repeat until SWR is 1.5 or less.
2.1 to 1 is the max usable SWR. 3s and 4s and up are unusable and will burn up the finals in your radio.

A few more tricks to get a little more reception as folks are getting farther out is to turn the RF gain all the way up turn squelch to full noisy and turn volume down to tolerate the extra noise. You can hear a lot further like this although it is annoying but can add many miles to your reception especially if the other radios are pushing some power.

 

I've found that when my antenna is tuned with an analyser, and is resonant on 19, the SWR is higher on 40. Don't know if other antennas are like that, but the Wilson 5000 mag mount on my pick up is.

 

Cant be resonant across all 40..You can have a low swr but i never tune based on that...
My resistence is near 50 ohms and my resonant freq is 19 but #### near zero..

 

AA-35 Zoom Analyzer – RigExpert USA

 

The OP has a Cascadia with the built in antenna. No way to adjust it.