How can I get better reception on my CB radio?

No, it doesn't matter which one you have it on, it just controls whether the meter reads the SWR or RF output. It has nothing to do with how the radio performs

 

2020 Freightliner Cascadia----I've never seen any external antenna on it.

 

He is some solid advice, take it to a truck stop cb shop and pay them $25 to have them show how to work the radio and have them check the swr with an external meter.

from there you can make decisions on how to fix the issue if there is one.

 

I did this yesterday, and the reception seems to have gotten worse unless all the trucks i encountered were unnaturally quiet.

 

Dave.....What does that actually accomplish??

 

Do it on 19 not 20,not that it will make a world of difference....Tune and adjust based on channels used most...19 is middle of cb band thats why its suggested..

 

The built in antenna in the cascadia is hit or miss..Sometimes you can get a good 3-5 miles and others you barely get across the lot..
I tried a few of our cascadias when they 1st came in a cpl hrs ago..swr was usually pretty good (usually 1.5ish) bjt the resonance sucked dog crap....

 

The reason you check the antennas swr on channel 20, isn't just to be in the middle of the band. It's not to interfere with other drivers on channel 19 while you key the mic. Technically channel 20 is the middle of the band since its a 40 channel radio. Of course you are like me and use an antenna analyzer which won't interfere with anyone, so adjusting the antenna on ch 19 is fine. Since the OP is using the worthless internal swr meter in the radio, he needs to go to ch 20 so he won't interfere with others on ch 19.

 

Well if you want the correct results......Again the difference is not likely to make the difference but even if it does affect others,its not for any amount of time and 2nd it souldnt be done near trucks n such anyways..
If your gonna do it,do it when nothing around you like trees,buildings,cars n trucks with all truck doors closed......Best not to teach a new user bad habits..

 

The only knob on your radio that effects receive, is the RF gain. Make sure the RF gain is turned up (clockwise like you have it). Also you need to turn the dynamike knob clear up (clockwise), otherwise your transmit audio isn't very loud. The thing that effects the radios short range of transmit and receive distant, is usually a poor antenna system.