A antenna issue that has me stumped

Craig, I found this info on return loss. I believe this makes more sense to us non-engineer folks, versus the technical info I posted earlier.

"The RL value is not cable loss. It stands for "Return Loss", a term well-known to RF engineers. Think of it as the inverse of SWR, and just an alternative expression to what the SWR is. It has very little to do with cable loss. For example, 9 dB RL is about a 2:1 SWR. They are equivalent. You want a higher Return Loss number for a better SWR, not lower. A 40 dB return loss is a near perfect 1:1 SWR. This high Return Loss number means that the antenna is absorbing and using all of the power you send to it. A low value of Return Loss means that very little of your power is being used by the antenna, and is being reflected (Returned) back to your transmitter."

 

Oh Okay, very good. I've read about return loss from time to time, but this last quote I posted was simple and basic. Personally I wouldn't get too hung up on the cmc either. The analyzer numbers you have posted are really amazing considering the truck you are dealing with. With the proper bonding you have done, I would think any common mode current would be at a minimum.

 

Have you tested the coax by measuring the coax loses and leakage?

 

You can do it with swr meters, two of them.

 

Tell us more!

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I’ll do a little explanation later on, got too much going on to get into it. Just doing hit and run postings.