Antenna Problems

did you tune the antenna using a external swr meter ? what is your swr on channels 1 , 20 and 40 ?
dont count on the acuracy of any radios built in swr meter .
could also be a ground issue . could also be the stud/mount isnt correctly installed

the antenna light blinking during modulation peaks isnt a problem , but if its red all the time it is a problem .

 

what stud mount do you use ? the wilson gum drops are crap ! you shouldnt be able to crush the nylon insulator unless you have some serious gorilla strength ! if you can crush it i wouldnt use it or the mount . i like lug mounts myself but most folks seem fine with a so-239 connector . check out the firestick DM-4 or DM-4A or the grizzly mount . a loose stud mount wont ground securely and a poor ground can cause problems like youre having .

this is similar to the grizzly .
http://cbworldinformer.com/200108/dragon_sswm1.htm
wilson also make one like it .

 

you tune the vswr by tuning the antenna , not the coax . different lengts of coax wont change the true vswr at all but it can fool some meters into showing different results . just tune for the lowest swr with what ever coax or external meter you have available .
if youve got 1.1 , 1.3 and 1.5 you fine . however if you mean 2.sonbthing or more then it still needs work and i wouldnt talk on it .

you dont want contiunity between the antenna and the coax shield , if youre measureing from the center coax conductor to the antenna then that is what you want to show contiunity .

also you dont want anything between the meter and the antenna but coax , no amps or filters or FC counters or other meters . can you borrow someones meter just long enough to check against your radios built in one ?

 

You tune that Wilson by cutting the whip a bit at the time till it's good.
Being lower on channel 1 than you are on 40 means it is long. Take the whip and trim it just a bit and try again. If this is getting you closer then trim again till it's where you want it.

YOU SHOULD REALLY GET A REAL METER FIRST.

 

Peepaw is right. If the SWR is higher on 40 than 1 the antenna needs to be a little shorter. If you still have the cardboard card that the wilson antenna came shrinkwrapped to, they used to have tuning instructions right on them. Wilson 2000 is my antenna of choice, it has a small allen screw that I am sure you noticed on the top of the coil which allows you to slide the whip in and out to tune it. I am running 1 antenna with an 18' coax and wound up cutting the whip about an inch to get the SWR down under .5 all across the band. If you wind up cutting the whip, cut it a very small amount at a time and I too would try to find a better meter than the built in one.