102" whip on 2020+ freightliner cascadia

The type of mount that the OP is using needs a ground strap from the mount to the door and then the body.

I am going to write this up for anyone, not just the OP.

Take the antenna off and disconnect the coax from the mount.

Then with your meter set at ohms or resistance, check the mount.

First, by seeing if there is a short to ground on it, the center conductor of the coax side and the ground of the mirror where it mounts on the mirror.

It should not show anything. Infinity.

Then check the center of the conductor to the antenna side - why?

Because there are a few very cheap casted mounts that are still sold that have resistance between the two, the center conductor and the body.

It should show ZERO ohms.

THEN check the mount where it attaches to the mirror for the ground.

It should be ZERO, not 66 ohms. If it is anything but zero, remove the mount and clean up the surface.

While you have a chance, check the general ground, it may require a piece of wire to extend the ohm meter lead. Start by checking the ground from the mount to different locations, up to the radio mount and negative power lead, it should all be ZERO.

Moving on ...

While the coax is disconnected, check the center conductor to the shield, this has to be ZERO ohms.

If it is anything thing but ZERO, replace it

NOW put the antenna back on and use an SWR meter, get a coax jumper to the antenna mount so to have the meter hooked up to the base of the mount, you may have to move the radio to do this test.

Close the door and hood when you do this test.

See what the SWR is, if it is high, try to adjust the antenna to get it down. If there is no response, then you have an antenna issue to deal with - won't get into that.

So if you get it tuned to a good SWR - under 2:1 but better under 1.4:1 - then hook up the coax and the SWR meter behind the radio with everything hooked back up.

If you have an increase in SWR, then the coax is the problem.

 

What frequency were you testing the Anytone on? SWR is very dependent on the frequency you are using.

JD

 

No.

 

I didn't know he was using an export radio. He didn't say what radio he was using, so I just assumed it was a CB radio.

 

An antenna that could cover the frequency range of an export radio would probably be beyond the needs of most truck drivers. You have to test on the band the antenna is tuned to. Probably band D.

JD

 

Yes it would have helped. It's hard to help someone on an internet forum when they don't give all the details about their radio stations setup.
I keep forgetting that just because this is a CB forum, that doesn't mean the person I'm trying to help is using a real CB radio. The principals are the same as far as tuning an antenna, but the SWR is going to be way off if your on a 10 meter radio using an 11 meter antenna. Because of the difference in frequencies these radios use.

Edit: okay I do see another thread that you were asking questions on the power source for the 5555 anytone you bought. I forgot about that, my mistake. I assume you had this radio modified to talk on the CB band?

 

Not annoying at all with questions, that's how a person learns about this radio hobby. Sometime's its just difficult to help someone over the internet. This thread is a good example, it looks like you were checking your antenna while using a radio designed for 28 mhz, instead of 27 mhz cb band. I was just concentrating on this threads info, and I forgot that you did buy an anytone on a different thread. Anyway it's all good, your external meter is showing an swr of around 1.5 and that is just fine, nothing wrong with that. So all you need to do now is just enjoy your new radio.