CB Shop Upstate NY

Hi Dave, your probably better off doing it yourself its really not that hard...The only shop I know of anymore is at the Waterloo exit off the Thruway I have heard him on the radio but never used him he is suppose to be somewhere around the Petro truck stop..

 

I'm probably gonna get jumped on for this but what are you doing with your radio and what kind is it? Swr is a fine tuning standard wave ratio if you have a cobra 29 25 or something of that nature with a 9 or 18foot coax and a Wilson, fransas you should be able to get out 5or 6 miles. With Swr perfect you'll get 7 to 8. I have a Galaxie 99 with a small kicker 18' coax and a monkey made anteni on a good day I can communicate 10 to 15 miles kick the cat in most large truck stops Memphis k town atlanta cincinnati and so on I sound Kristel clear loud n proud. To set them is not hard cobra 29's have a meter built in pilots have meters for sale religiously cheep. Put on channel 1 key mike note reading switch to 40 note reading raise or lower till readings equalize happy tuning. Now let the bashing begin.

 

There is one down the road from the maybrook t/a. It's off 84 before you get to the ts on the left.

 

. Antenna Tuning
The following is from Chilton’s CB Handbook Isbn 0-8019-6623 pages 76 and 77.
[The antenna]…must be tuned to obtain the lowest possible VSWR (variable standing wave ratio), which is a measure of how much radiated signal power is reflected back into the antenna. Most antennas ar factory tuned for 1.5:1 or better, but VSWR of 1.1:1 is considered ideal, but seldom attained, and VSWR of 3:1 or more damage the transmitter.
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Antennas are tuned in several ways:
.A. Base Loaded: These are usually equipped with an allen head set screw which is loosened to move the antenna shaft up or down. It may even require a little filing to shorten it.
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B. Center Loaded: These types usually have a resonator tip made of wire held in place by a setscrew. They are also tuned by moving the resonator tip up or down or even shortening it slightly.
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C. Continuous Loaded: Continuous load antenna are tuned either by loosening a thumbscrew and sliding a resonator tip up or down, or by removing the little cap from the antenna and filing a slight amount off the top.
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D.Some antennas are tuned by sliding a small ball up or down the resonator.
… You will need to buy…or borrow a SWR meter, and maybe a 2 foot long patch cord equipped with a PL-259 on each end or install a CB match box, to match antenna and transmitter.
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Antenna should be tuned away from tall buildings, preferably in a wide open space…Turn off the set and connect the SWR meter between the antenna and the transceiver; you will see an end marked "Antenna"[Ant] and one marked "Transmitter." The front of the meter has a switch, one side marked "FWD" (forward) and the other marked "REF" (reflected). Be sure that all doors and [car] trunk lids are closed. Set the transceiver to Channel 1 and flip the switch to "FWD" and key the mike. The needle will jump. The SWR meter also has a "zero" knob. As you key the mike with the switch in FWD position, turn the "zero" knob until the needle aligns with the calibration line on the meter face. Let go of the mike switch and flip the meter to "REF".
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.[Note: do not hold the mike button in for more than 10 seconds at a time when transmitting. This is to protect the power transistors.]
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.Key the mike again and read the SWR. Anything 1:1.6 or less is good and you need not go any further. The other channels can be checked in the same manner. Just be sure you "zero" the meter each time you check. Don’t key the mike for very long. A bad antenna mismatch can damage the rig.
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The following is from The Big Dummy’s Guide to CB radio Isbn 0-913990-04-3 pages 46 and 47.
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If the meter reads less than 1.5, your antenna is working properly. If it reads more than 2, your antenna probably needs adjustment. If it reads more than 3, check all connections at the antenna for possible bad connections; or the antenna or the center wire of the coax might be touching the body of the vehicle.
. Coiling your excess coax into a small bundle can cause a high standing wave, especially with a co-phased harnesses and magnetic mount antennas. When this happens, the coax can be coiled into long loops to avoid causing a high SWR… A poor ground connection…is a major cause of high SWR…
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There are two ways to change an antenna’s SWR: one is to lengthen it and the other is to shorten it…If the SWR was higher on [the highest channel], you need to shorten the tip. If the SWR higher on channel 1, you need to lengthen the tip. Move it about "1/4" [or less] at a time…Make sure to reset [zero] the SWR meter every time you take a reading…One good rule to remember when adjusting antennas is, if you bring your hand near the loading coil or top of the antenna and the SWR goes down, the tip of the antenna needs to be lengthened; if the SWR goes up, the tip needs to be shortened. If you’re using twins [two co-phased antennas], make equal adjustments to each side at the same time.