Need tips on how to best setup everything for optimal performance

Just a few things that may help. Not sure why you said you get out farther with the Galaxy 929 vs the President Walker. Both radios should be running the legal 4 watts, unless the Galaxy had the final upgraded to a Mosfet final. I assume this test was made with the same truck and antenna system. The key to a good radio system is mainly two things... The antenna system itself (coax,antenna,mounts, RF ground, etc.), and of course band condition. Speaking of coax, you said you are using Astatic coax. Most Astatic products today aren't built as well as they were many years ago, and I assume their coax isn't any better. I tried to find some info on the coax specs, but didn't find anything, which makes me think they don't want people to know. When it comes to coax, you want at least 95-97% shielding, and the center conductor needs to be stranded. Bouncing around on rough roads will break the single center solid core conductor that cheaper coaxes use. You ordered a Stryker 447HP radio, just to let you know, the 10 meter export radios have a lot of IMD (which is commonly known as splatter) as a stock radio. Many guys spend even more money having them converted and hopefully aligned properly. This isn't a put down, just FYI. As far as SWR readings, most swr meters in these cb radios aren't very reliable, especially Cobra radios. You need to use an external SWR meter, and better yet, spend the $$'s on an antenna analyzer, they are a very valuable tool and cheaper than most export radios. Something like the Rig Expert AA-35 or AA-55 Zoom, very well worth the money, and it sure takes the guess work out of adjusting the antenna. Your on the right track with the bonding. A rule of thumb is to use 1/2 to 3/4 inch flat braided grounds straps, no longer than 10 inches long. Hope this helps.

 

Ah okay. Well both radios (President and Galaxy) that you have are good radios. It looks like your coax is 95% shield, so it should work fine for you.

 

This is the one I've used for years. Never let me down. Very tough. Mine has bounced around in several trucks I've driven for over a half million miles and still works like a charm. It's not cheap but it's a really nice meter. It will also do RF power which is nice. I have my radio hooked to a little amp and I can adjust the power output of the amp by adjusting the output of my radio, as the McKinley has built in RF power adjustment down to 1 watt.

https://www.amazon.com/DELTA-PSM100...ocphy=1018010&hvtargid=pla-591617620938&psc=1

 

Always use an external meter.
Astatic has 2 very good meters.
Use a short 1 foot coax to connect the external meter.

 

Astatic PDC1.

 

The accuracy of the SWR meter is generally determined by the phase angle of your test cables. Any of them should work just fine assuming your cables are the proper phase angle