CB

I'm going to be getting a new CB set up for the up coming TSF trip but I have no idea how to "tune" it.. Anyone know how this is done?

There's a CB shop on hwy212 in Clackamas called D&R communications. Go down there and he'll take care of you.

Agreed, I have taken 3 CB's down to him, pick up a good antennae and have him tune the radio with the antennae.

The radio you have (thats junk..my bad) was the only one i didnt have tuned. and im thinking it got some moisture damage...

nw-xj-scott said:

Agreed, I have taken 3 CB's down to him, pick up a good antennae and have him tune the radio with the antennae.

The radio you have (thats junk..my bad) was the only one i didnt have tuned. and im thinking it got some moisture damage...

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No worries man crap happens

so can anyone explain how to tune with a swr meter? i just got my swr tuner from ebay and have no idea how to tune, i followed some kind of half-fast directions but its starting to piss me off!!!

You guys need to talk to Terry and have him do it.

I bought stuff from D&R and they said they turned it up and I paid an extra $30 for it. I get the radio and it was still in the original packaging and never touched. Then the fella working in the shop that supposedly tuned my antenna didn't no his a** from a hole in the wall when he was doing his "tuning". So all I have to say is spend your money wisely.

lol thats funny in a way I was told tuning them they had to be in the rig and hooked up so I wouldnt think it could be tuned with out your rig at least thats what I have heard anyways.

its $30 to peak and tune the radio, then once installed they tune the antennae with the radio in the rig

I had a cb peaked and tuned from D & R. Personally, the main guy seems a little shady, very nice, but just different. Kind of a hack-n-tap style. It works, but not very good quality ethics. Nothing solid feeling from them. I was told to check out Truck City by another member on ::. I couldn't find their phone number through Google, so if your able to locate them in Portland, please atleast let me know.

My CB after D & R peaked and tuned did work, but I just couldn't notice a difference for the extra 30.00 dollars.

From what I have read on the internet:

Have a swr meter hooked up, put the cb on channel 1, adjust the antenna to where the swr meter reads between 1 and 2. Then turn the CB to channel 40, adjust the antenna to where the swr meter reads between 1 and 2 again. This is all I have been able to pick up, so far off the web.

I kid you not, my packaging hadn't even been touched. I tried my best to remove the tape on the plastic without tearing it and it wasn't possible. Not to mention the packing still fit perfectly in the tiny box. When he was tuning the antenna he was having trouble getting it right and soon enough he just called it good. It was kind of a disappointment from what my expectations were from a CB shop.

SoreRunner said:

From what I have read on the internet:

Have a swr meter hooked up, put the cb on channel 1, adjust the antenna to where the swr meter reads between 1 and 2. Then turn the CB to channel 40, adjust the antenna to where the swr meter reads between 1 and 2 again. This is all I have been able to pick up, so far off the web.

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That's barely a nutshell.

Here's a good write-up on the topic.

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/Equipment/How-to-Tune-a-C-B-Radio-Antenna.htm

You do want to have it all installed in your rig when you tune it. When I tune mine I tune it to get an SWR close to 1 on the lower channels. Since Naxja always uses 4, I want to make sure I have good performance on that channel. I usually check 17, 4, and 9.

There are lots of good write ups, I would do some research. RF transimission is finicky, the more adapters, and junk you have between your CB and you Antenna the more power will be reflected back.. along with lost on its way to the antenna. If you have an antenna that has a screw adjustable tip, it makes is easier to play around with, since your not actually removing material.

I could help you out.

Also to clarify for folks: There's antenna tuning and there's radio tuning. Proper radio tuning uses an oscilloscope to measure components. If you don't know what that is then you're probably going to have to pay someone to do it.

nw-xj-scott said:

its $30 to peak and tune the radio, then once installed they tune the antennae with the radio in the rig

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ECKSJAY said:

There's antenna tuning and there's radio tuning.

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:gee:

ECKSJAY said:

That's barely a nutshell.

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Agreed. Here's the link I used. I wouldn't even bother mounting the antenna if it's obstructed by anything metal. Put it on the hood or on the roof with a good ground, then paint it to inhibit corrosion.

In my experience, proper routing of the cable has much more effect on the SWR than the antennae does. I actually went with a non-adjustable Francis antenna and was able to achieve an excellent match. From my experience alone, I think the 18' ideal cable length is a crock. My SWR was crap with 18' of cable in the Jeep, even with careful routing. Use only as much cable as you need. Moderately pinching the cable had a noticeable effect on the SWR, as did coiling the excess if you use 18' of coax. I used 9' of cable to mount my antennae on the drivers side, even with the factory location. Initially, I acheived an SWR lower than 1.5 on 1 and 40, parked in the open.

Currently my SWR is around 2.0. I talked to a CB guy at the Flying J on I-90 and my increasing SWR is likely caused by corrosion. Corrosion created by trapped water as a result of using a SO-239 connector like this. I should have used an open stud mount (the one with the bolt) so it doesn't trap water.

nw-xj-scott said:

:gee:

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Do they teach reading there at Union school? :dunce:

holy crap, dont get me started on DnR. if you want to get ripped off then go ahead and take it there. as los lobos was saying thay charge $30.00 for a "peak and tune" and they do there antenna matching inside an aluminum building. wich is why they couldnt get the SWR lower.

bigdog, come by sometime late monday mabie. give me a ring, we'll take a look at it.