Wilson 5000 SWR issue

Take the Wilson base off and shake it...If you hear a rattle inside, or water shakes out...time for a new antenna...next time try a Sirio 5000...

 

It's not too long since the SWR is higher on one than it is on 40. This normally would indicate it should be shortened a little.

If it were mine, I'd put a little grease in the stinger hole, place the stinger all the way down in the base, turn the stinger a little to make sure there is no corrosion preventing good contact, and check out the SWR. It is curious that the SWR rose just from removing the stinger.

I don't think it's unusual for the SWR to vary a little when driving. It could be caused by the antenna flexing in the wind, nearby objects such as cars and signs, etc. momentarily affecting the values.

About Jessie's water comment. It has been noted that occasionally a user will find that some water has intruded into the base and has caused some corrosion. To prevent such a possibility, I dab a little silicon sealant around where the stinger enters the base and around where the coax enters the base.

 

It’s subjective, but I don’t consider 1.6 to be high at all.

 

If channel 1 is 1.5, and channel 40 is 1.4, but channel 20 is lower at 1.3...that's probably just about as good as your going to get... and not bad at all!

 

Quote: When you say shortened your meaning cut some of it off at the bottom or lower it down in the base?

Either way will do it, but I always like to lower it down in the base for the most secure fitment. I.E., the base gets a better grip on the stinger and the overall balance is best when the stinger is lower in the base, versus higher.

However, as others have noted, your SWR is quite good, and any efforts to make the SWR lower will yield no measurable or meaningful benefits to the radio or the quality of its communicating ability.

 

Are you using the same meter you used last time? It is pretty easy to get a little variance, and that's all you really have, if you are looking at the meter from a different angle when you calibrate it. Drill a hole in the roof and mount it, then you won't have this problem again!

 

Is it bolted to the roof or is it sticking on the roof with a magnet?
If you take a stinger from a magnet mount and try to place it into a roof mount it will probably be too short.

 

Quote: "Drill a hole in the roof and mount it, then you won't have this problem again!"

And tests have shown that the gain from drilling a hole in the middle of a roof compared with plopping a mag mount there is about 0.1 dB. Wouldn't want to give that up :-}