New to cb world help

External SWR meters are dirt cheap. $20-$25 dollars new, even less used

 

Here's an overlooked question. Where are you when you are checking the SWRs? Are you parked next to your house? Near trees? Near power lines? Driving down the road? Under a car port? If any of this is the case you will get a false reading. You should be in an open area as open as you can find. With your doors closed. Most of the time this makes a big difference, but not always.

According to you readings ch 1 = 2.07 & ch 40 = 1.6 if this is correct your antenna is too short, so trimming the antenna will make it worse. Like others have said get an external meter on it first or go to a different cb shop. Then compare the reading of the external meter to what the radios meter says. So, next time you will know how far off your radio is. Some radios read a little higher, some read a little lower.

 

Until you've done this you're not in a position to tune the antenna.

1476540202611_zps9kkgfdxe by rabbiporkchop posted Mar 10, 2018 at 5:15 AM

 

Go out to an open area and test 1st...
Then do the test posted by rabbi...
Keep notes and make sure power of the radio is turned down..
Do the test on 1-40....Do not speak in the mic ,just key it up for 2-3 seconds..
Make sure your sitting in the truck as if driveing with doors closed and no one standing n no ladders n such by you..Just a flat mt space for roughly 75ft all the way round..
Mag is in the roof center correct? No sharp bends/kinks in the coax,screwed tight to radio..
Now tell us what all those results are b4 anything else...

 

Wow ... someone show me it makes a difference if you are near a tree.

having you sit under a tree may have some little effect but having one 30 feet away, NO.

 

Who said 30ft away??
Settle down ridge your gettin to techinical on this newbie tryin to learn..
Just tryin the kiss method...
Buildings and power lines were also mentioned sooooo...........

 

Would you like to come to my house? We'll check it in my driveway with tree cover next to the house with the power coming off the pole to the house. Then we'll drive around the corner to the school parking lot an check it again.

You can go to any antenna manufacturers website and they will also tell you to calibrate the antenna in an open area.

 

Another common mistake is that people will coil the excess coax. I lay the excess coax back and forth under the seat or in the headliner depending on the route of the coax.

 

I use just enough to reach from antenna to radio.