im confused

this is probably where ill get mine:
http://www.rfwiz.com/WilsonSilverLoad.htm

 

yup... unfortunately.... but Wilson suggests you use the 18ft .. something or other it says on that page... you can google a search for that same cable andget it cheaper... [since they dont even sell the 18fter their anyway]

 

SWR stands for standing wave ratio.

The term & measurment indicate the amount of mismatch between the coax's resistance & the antenna's resistance value.

Ideally the two would be the same. When they are the same (or close to it), your antenna system is efficient. IOW, you will transfer as much of the radios' power into the antenna & out into the air as possible.

When not the same, some of the radios power' will not be radiated by the antenna & will return to the radio. The antenna system efficiency drops because it cannot absorb what the radio sent & becomes wasted power.

The nature of antennas & the mounting situations usually make the antenna's resistance different than the coax. This is why you are given some form of tuning the antenna to the vehicle.

Looking at an swr meter is about the only way to fully realize how well matched the antenna system is.

A lower swr reading is better than hi.

 

I run Wilson Silver loads and they have been really good to me. I have a Galaxy DX48T Big Rig Series too. Its a good radio if everyone else has a big radio... it doesn't pick up smaller radios too well.. which is odd because I pick up skip 80% of the time. Mostly CB shops from TX, OK, and TN. The furthest I've picked up skip was a few drivers on I-55 in Ill. and I picked up a guy in Galveston, TX the other night. I'm just 30 min south west of Little rock, AR.

 

no idea the distances between those places, im out on the east coast.

So you think wilsons are a good choice?

 

Yeah wilsons are good stuff in my opinion.
The distance on my skips.. well oklahoma is about 350 miles away.
Illinois border is about 500-550 miles away
Galveston TX is about 450 miles away. I definately can't get out that far for sure. But these people are running huge setups with towers.

 

the radios normally dont.

you need to buy an SWR meter and hook it up, and then adjust your antenna accordingly, or if you are lucky enough to have bought a SWR meter with a tuner on it, you can always tune it through there. but your radio wont have the SWR meter built in...