Weird CB problems 2022 Kenworth T680

I’m not new to radios. Been driving for 10 years and have always had radios, I know what all the switches and knobs do on the radio. Yes in s/rf the needle doesn’t move on both radios, or in swr mode but I know it shouldn’t move in swr mode. Rf gain all the way up, mic gain all the way up, squelch off, rf power different levels, am mode. It’s none of the controls on the radio. I will have the shop change the coax and stud/antenna mount and see if that changes anything. I’ve just never seen a radio where the needle wouldn’t move at all even before tuning the antenna

 

And yes I know one antenna is better than 2. I’ve only ever run one antenna. But this truck is ran for 2 antennas already and it is not easy to change the coax in these t680s, have to take all kinds of stuff off the truck. So that’s why I got 2 new antennas, the guy at the cb shop also thought it was just the cobra 29 was messed up as to why the meter wasn’t working and why people could barely hear me. Swr was good with old antennas but I wanted a new radio and the old antennas were in rough shape so I got new ones.

 

I don’t think this truck has the multiplexer where it shares the antenna for am/fm radio also. The guy at my company shop told me they ordered these trucks without that, and that they put better coax in them, it does say made in USA in the coax so I’m guessing it’s not stock lol. The connection that connects to the back of the cb radio has 2 cables coming out of it. I took both antennas off and it didn’t change the am/fm radio at all. Everything still came in perfectly fine. I’ve been in trucks that have that and know what you’re talking about where it shares with the am/fm radio. But yes I am just doing one antenna on the drivers side.

 

Yes I will try that. Cobra radio says 2018 on the back made in china. And it doesn’t make any sense to me at all either.
and yes both radios the green/red light changes in receive/transmit

 

Yes I pull an end dump hauling clay, gravel, lime, sand, etc so it is in a dirty dusty environment but the radio looks brand new. I don’t think it’s the switches because the new radio does the same thing. And I know for sure the new radio works like it should, needle moves and everything because the guy showed me at the cb shop. Ya I’m not sure if it’s a power issue or maybe the coax/stud. I’ll see what the new coax and stud does if it changes anything. If not, might have to have them run a power wire from the batteries. I don’t see how it could be anything else other than the coax/studs or power issue

 

I bought the new radio from Appalachia cb shop at the TA in Knoxville TN, looked up reviews on the place and they have good reviews and everyone says the guy (Jersey) knows what he’s doing. I told him exactly what the cobra was doing. I went out and hooked it up and then went back in and told him it’s doing the same thing. He came out and looked at it, he took the radio back into the shop and hooked it up again and it was working fine. He said he thinks it’s the coax, that these t680s are horrible with the coax because of all the bends and joints it goes through. He gave me new studs/antenna mounts for free and told me to have the shop at my work change the coax. I stopped at the TA in Greenville TN a few days later and they had a cb shop. So I explained to that guy what was going on and he also agreed that it’s the coax. He also said the guy I got the radio from (Jersey) was a good honest technician.