How can I get better reception on my CB radio?

How did you test ant without coax? Must have a duel female connector of sorts to go direct from ant to analyzer..

 

Vehicles are horrible HF platforms for making up half the antenna, and they need all the help they can get. Good grounding is a vital necessity, as is a good coax and several other components in the mix.

No question that a good antenna analyzer is a superior tool compared with a good SWR meter. It's just that for those of us who use HF solely in vehicles and not in base stations, the SWR meter will get the job done well to protect the radio / amp and obtain good results, presuming, of course, the grounding, coax, and the other vitals are OK.

If I got into base stations and antenna building, then an antenna analyzer would be the first thing going into my toolbox. Since I'm not, it's not, and I doubt having one would make a noticeable difference.

 

Yes, the nanovna comes with a approx 9" pigtail that you can include in your calibration. It connects to the antenna with an sma x pl 259 adapter. The software in the nanovna will all you to compensate for the extra length and characteristics of the adapter, making it invisible.

 

SWR varies as the length of the coax changes, so you aren't measuring anything relevant with your method. SWR is a measure of the amount of reflection across the entire coax/antenna system.

 

Swr shouldnt be affected by coax from what i understand....

Re analyzeing ant directly my rigexpert has that option directly through the smith chart and built in software..Never tried it cause the smith chart illudes me but its possible....I also have a duel female pl259 so i cant go direct to ant from analyzer..

 

Irrelevant?
I agree that knowing the return loss at the point that your radio sees it is the final checkoff for several reasons.
BUT, checking swr at the antenna can be enlightening, as it was with my setup. I guess my point is, as coax ages, it can make your swr appear to get better over time. In reality, your systems performance is degraded.

 

W2AEW on YouTube has awesome videos on smith charts and such. This guy is the sharpest tack on my sharp tack list.
HD doesn't make the list if you're looking for useful information.

 

Hey im wide open to learn when time allows..
I start work about 5:30 pm and dont get home till 7:30ish am the next day so i stuff my face and hit the sheets..
Ill have to look that tack up this weekend if i remember after my chores..

 

Here is an excellent video about calibrating your rig expert.




I bought the open - short loads cheap from fleebay. I used these to calibrate my rig expert using a 2 ft coax jumper cable I had. This makes it easier to adjust the antenna with out the radios coax connected to the antenna. I have the double pl259 barrel connector, but sometimes there's something in the way that won't let you hook the big analyzer to the base of the antenna.

 

Well to address the coax and swr, if the coax does effect your swr, then you have an rf ground issue.