HELP PLEASE - My SWR is "WAY TOO HIGH"

Take a SWR meeter and put that in line. Don't go by the meeter on the radio.

Then take a SWR reading on Channel 1
take a reading on channel 20
Then again on channel 40

Then give us the readings, You will need to shorten , or raise you antenna.

Did you make sure your Coax is connected tightly?

 

And is your antenna getting a good ground?

 

+1 use an external meter and make sure the antenna is grounded properly.

 

Any update RABYRAMS?

 

What is the radio installed "IN" ?
Is the antenna "NEW" ? (untuned)

 

First, if the SWR is that high don't try talking on it until you get the reading down. You might hurt the radio. The first thing I would do is check and make sure the coax is ok and not pinched or cut. You might even try using an ohm meter and make sure the wire is good and not shorted out or broken inside someplace. Next look at the mount and be sure the nylon washer is in the right place on the mount and its not grounding out. Also like the others said, what kind of antenna and mount and what is in in?

 

OF course, check polarity of the hookup. Most CB sets have red (+) and black (-) power leads. Make sure the power cable isn't cut or pinched in a door! Remove the antenna itself, check for a "short" circuit in the antenna cable (mount, then PL 259 connector that screws on) I assume there's a "loading" coil at the base or center. If there is a "base" loading coil, remove the antenna as I said lest you have an apparent short. Check to see that that cable isn't "pinched" in a door. Make sure the coax isn't broken in two (slamming it in a door) inside.
Have you made adjustments to the whip yet to see if it makes a difference? THAT IS the way to set SWR, not by trimming coax length.
Let us know what you find!

GF