CB Tuning

[AaronsX]

I got my 2ft coaxial cable in today so I'm tuning my CB after months of static channels. I had a 5 minute video uploading onto youtube and it told me it would take 78 minutes so I said screw that ill just type it all. Sorry I took screenshots from my video!
Here are my readings... Well never mind in the pics the right needle doesn't move over the 3 different channels but the left needle does
Channel 1= 2.8

Channel 19=2.2

Channel 40=2

Also all my channels have static like none of them are just complete silence...its fuzzy.
Im about 2 miles from I-65 if that would effect it and I'm in a neighborhood if that effects it?
Help...is this right, wrong or what.

 

[Ricel]

http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/Setting_SWR.htm

 

[AaronsX]

Thats the link I used....

 

[AaronsX]

Bump...Anyone? Is it normal for all channels to have static. Do the readings look right?

 

[Muadeeb]

Where _exactly_ were you? It is possible that you were near a traffic light using a failing SCR, or power lines with broad band noise coming off them.

 

[Ricel]

If SWR on channels 1, 19 & 40 is below 2.0, your radio can be safely operated on any channel without causing damage to the radio's circuitry. -you are above 2.0

If SWR on all channels is above 2.0 but not in the "red zone" (normally over 3.0), you may be experiencing coaxial cable reaction (bad quality, wrong length, etc.), insufficient ground plane, or have an ungrounded antenna mount. -you are above 2.0

If SWR is in the "red zone" on all channels, you probably have an electrical short in your coax connectors, or your mounting stud was installed incorrectly and is shorted. DO NOT USE YOUR RADIO UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM. -NA

Your radio has prob bad ground out. You need to find the issue. How is your setup? What antenna? Antenna? Radio model? Wiring? What length wire? What kind of wire?

Little more information is required.

 

[Ricel]

Also have you adjusted your squelch, every cahnnel with have a little noise. Your car sends out minute radio waves, lights semd them, anything electric does. Squelch tunes thoes out. Turn the squelchknob all the way to left, then slowly tuen it back right till noise stops. Should be maybe a max of 1/4 of total rotation.

 

[Boogyman]

^ You will have noise. Try tuning in a parking lot away from everything. Did you do anything with the antenna? If not it's a fair starting point. What kind of antenna do you have? That will depend how you get your tune. Being close to the highway will help you see if people can hear you, ask for a radio check on Ch 19 and someone will usually respond.

 

[AaronsX]

Ok my antenna is the 3ft firestik tunable tip. I first adjusted it but now it is ALL the way shortened. Im going to go out into a field where I work during the summer and re-tune it. Then I get on the highway and see if anyone will respond. If it still doesn't work ill come back here and ask more questions
Also i have a 18' coaxial cable RG 58A/U and a cobra 19 ultra III

 

[Muadeeb]

Can you get a shorter cable? There's a lot of loss in RG58. (Me who runs RG11 for a 150ft satellite down link).

 

[AaronsX]

I might be able to but it would have to be a straight shot from the cb to antenna which is hard with the cb on the passengers side and the antenna on the drivers side.
My friend runs the same set up but with a 10' whip on his dually...he never even had to tune it...it works like a champ.

I have the same cb and cable but yet I'm having problems. The extra cable I bought for the swr meter is a 2ft.

 

[dhyde79]

Ok my antenna is the 3ft firestik tunable tip. I first adjusted it but now it is ALL the way shortened. Im going to go out into a field where I work during the summer and re-tune it. Then I get on the highway and see if anyone will respond. If it still doesn't work ill come back here and ask more questions
Also i have a 18' coaxial cable RG 58A/U and a cobra 19 ultra III

where's your antenna mounted? I ran into a similar issue, and had someone point out something extremely useful to know.

any distance your antenna travels near a metal surface is wasted antenna length. Mount it as high as you possibly can...if you keep having to fight the antenna you have, switch off to one of the midland glass mount CB antennas, it's what I had till I broke the inside part and it worked like a champ...

 

[Ricel]

18' is actually found to be optimum
For a CB. Gota remember, those tunable tips are designed to be run with the firestics 18' firering cable. Don't think your going to have to cut the cable.

 

[KChurch86]

One thing to throw out there, is your CB radio using "dirty power"? I've heard both positive and negative should go straight to the battery to avoid picking up interference from other electronics that ground to the body.

Mine is grounded to the body and it does pick up some static and fuzziness from it, it's especially noticeable when I have the CB on and move my power mirrors. Sometimes the channel goes complelety silent and all I can hear through the CB is a fuzzy hum from the mirror motor. I plan to re-wire in the spring.

Sent to you from my very own piece of East Coast paradise.

 

[dhyde79]

hmm....I hadn't thought of running straight to the battery to eliminate vehicle noise...I may have to do that...except I'll run it to my bluesea that I'm installing and run the bluesea to the battery...

 

[Muadeeb]

It also won't hurt to put a ferrite core around your power leads close to the CB. Clamp-on's work, but it's better to get an actual toroid and wrap your leads around it; two turns is plenty.