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C.B. pro's....i need some help

gill41083

gill41083

NAXJA Forum User
Location
sedro woolley, washington
i just installed a uniden pro 538w, with a cheapo mag mount antenna, i took it off the magnent and mounted it where my stock radio antenna goes, i put it all back together exactly how it came apart and didnt cut the wire or anything
its supposed to get the wheather stations but i cant get those to come in, i have not tuned the antenna yet but i moved the adjuster and it made no differance, i have not been able to hear anyone talking all i can get is static. i have not had a chance to check it with another cb at close range to see if it works at all.

HELP!!!! I dont know what to do or where to start!
 
If i unplug the antenna so just the pin in the middle is touching i can hear people but they cant hear me, i tested it with a buddy that lives about 2 miles away and he came in loud and clear but all he got was static from me.

We are both stumped but we are both pretty clueless when it comes to c.b.'s
 
Well, the shield should.

A friend had an issue like yours. The CB cable with some quick assembly setup at the antenna end of the coax. The cable had broke off the cannector when he tightened it down.

Get a ohm meter and check for continuity between the center pin at the CB and the antenna conductor (If a stick antenna, that would be that hex part at the bottom. Also check that the connector ring at the CB side has continuity to ground.
 
check the s.w.r's for that radio you will need a meter or if your buddy has a radio with a swr meter on it then just use his to tune in the swr's they need to be in the 1.0 to 2.0 range on the meter the lower the better to tune the antenna raise or lower you might have to trim LITTLE off at a time to get the right setting you should check the swr's on channel 1 and 40 when setting and if that dont work then move the antenna i put mie on the of side and bolted it to the fender using a half of a mirror mount or just put the magnet back on and put in center of the jeep
 
Your posting is not really very clear, did you remove all the am/fm antenna parts and installed all the CB antenna parts ? You can't use am/fm antenna cable for a CB antenna.

Do you have any pictures of your antenna set-up ? I am going to guess that you have a short circuit in your set-up.

Cheap CB antennas are cheap for a good reason. You will get much better transmit and receive results and longer antenna life if you purchase good quality parts and install them following the instructions. Firestik, K40, and Wilson are the best brand names to use. Go to www.Firestik.com and read ALL of the Tech and FAQ information, it applies to all brands and types of CB antennas. While you are there, find an antenna mounting system and antenna that meets your needs.
 
Last edited:
jasonsxj said:
check the s.w.r's for that radio you will need a meter or if your buddy has a radio with a swr meter on it then just use his to tune in the swr's they need to be in the 1.0 to 2.0 range on the meter the lower the better to tune the antenna raise or lower you might have to trim LITTLE off at a time to get the right setting you should check the swr's on channel 1 and 40 when setting and if that dont work then move the antenna i put mie on the of side and bolted it to the fender using a half of a mirror mount or just put the magnet back on and put in center of the jeep
Click to expand...
:eek:!!! Punctuation please! I read through that and couldn't make heads or tails of it.
 
Tim_MN said:
Your posting is not really very clear, did you remove all the am/fm antenna parts and installed all the CB antenna parts ? You can't use am/fm antenna cable for a CB antenna.

Do you have any pictures of your antenna set-up ? I am going to guess that you have a short circuit in your set-up.
Click to expand...

I was still asleep when I read his question and didn't read the mag mount dissasemble part. It appears he just used the hole.

I'm guessing assembly problem since he is bastardizing a mag mount antenna (Which uses a capacitive coupling to ground).

I'm personally big on baseload type antennas. Their durability Off-Road can not be matched.
 
I pinched a wire when i tightened the mount down, so both wires where touching. It doesnt work worth a crap on the fender in my stock antena location anyway so i just put the magnent back on it and put it on the roof where it should be.
If i put out a little money on the proper mount and a good antenna i think it would have worked in the stock hole, but all i need it to do is transmit a mile or 2 at the most, just for trail runs or for when we are camping with friends. I bought the cheap one cause i have broken 2 antennas (from improper mounting) so i didnt want to put out any more money than needed, and if i hit something with the mag mount it will just fall off and i can pick it up and put it back on and keep going on my merry way!!

Thanks for all the help, now to get my antenna tuned with an swr!
I appreciate the input and suggestions on what to do and look for, thanks again!
 
This is some great information. Thanks
 
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