Mounting on bumper.

[bodkin1]

On my '93 had the antenna mounted on the rear bumper, on the right side. Of course had to drill holes in the bumper to mount the thing. Reception was pretty great with my tweaked and peaked Uniden PC66XL.

 

[FX4OffRoad1992]

The biggest thing is to make sure the antenna is tuned for a good SWR (standing wave ratio) wherever you do mount it. Otherwise it could potentially damage your radio.
SWR meters can be had for around $20 last time I checked.

also, a lot of the newer CB's have a SWR meter built in. (just saying)

 

[86 slo-vo]

i had mine back there on my explorer and sort of back there on my ranger...had good reception and swr on both

 

[strvger]

also, a lot of the newer CB's have a SWR meter built in. (just saying)

used to be they all had swr meters on them. now it's more led's. however, there is a difference between having an swr meter on your radio and having a swr tuner built into your radio. most will be able to check your swr, but few will also allow you to tune your radio for the best swr. probably still best to have a professional do it. just my $.02.

 

[Bray D]

most will be able to check your swr, but few will also allow you to tune your radio for the best swr.

That's all you need to know; your SWR at the two extremes of the frequency band you use (ch1 and ch40 if you want to use all the channels). With that information, you tune your antenna so the SWR at the low channel is the same as the high channel (for 'average' performance on all channels).

How do you tune the radio to lower the SWR?

 

[4x4junkie]

How do you tune the radio to lower the SWR?

Some radios have what's called an "antenna tuner" built into them, though I've never seen that in a CB radio (it's usually HF ham rigs that have that feature nowadays).

It works by tuning the output of the radio so that it cancels out the standing waves coming back from the antenna (reflecting them back to the antenna again). However it's far less efficient running it that way than if the antenna itself were actually resonant on the frequency you're trying to use it on.

You can also buy external antenna tuners that go inline with your coax. It can have either manual operation (you tune the knobs until the SWR goes flat), or it can work automatically.

 

[02RangerXLT]

You can also get antennas with tune-able tips...

 

[strvger]

^^ that is how you trim antennas. you clip off the tip (in very small increments) until you are getting the lowest swr across your band width. the "tunable tip" models usually just have an adjusting screw at the end that does the same thing... shortening the length of the antenna.

 

[02RangerXLT]

And also, if your antenna is a "cut to tune" model, then I highly recommend you cut little at a time, and take your time doing it.

 

[Bray D]

You can also get antennas with tune-able tips...

^^ that is how you trim antennas. you clip off the tip (in very small increments) until you are getting the lowest swr across your band width. the "tunable tip" models usually just have an adjusting screw at the end that does the same thing... shortening the length of the antenna.

And also, if your antenna is a "cut to tune" model, then I highly recommend you cut little at a time, and take your time doing it.

Are you guys replying to me? I already said you can tune your antenna. My question was how to tune your radio.


Thanks for the info Junkie.

 

[strvger]

uh, you "tune" the radio by turning the channel (frequency) selector to the channel (frequency) you want.

if you mean having your radio "peaked and tuned", that should be done by a licensed tech.

 

[Bray D]

OMG man, you're killing me.

So you were talking about changing the radio channel when you made this statement?

used to be they all had swr meters on them. now it's more led's. however, there is a difference between having an swr meter on your radio and having a swr tuner built into your radio. most will be able to check your swr, but few will also allow you to tune your radio for the best swr. probably still best to have a professional do it. just my $.02.

 

[strvger]

i'm thinking you have confused antenna tuning and radio peaking/tuning. those are 2 completely different things. many radios did have an swr meter and tuner built into them as explained previously. that is NOT the same thing as having your radio "peaked and tuned". that is done to make sure you have the maximum (and sometimes more) allowable wattage being transmitted from your radio. it also improves the reception. does the same kinda thing the programmers for the computer controlled diesel engines you can buy. gets you the most you can get form your radio. all the previous posts seem pretty clear... to me. sorry if i confused you as that was not my intent.

 

[4x4junkie]

I dunno... I also read "tune your radio for best SWR" as like having an antenna tuner (especially when following the comment about radios that have built-in meters for checking SWR).

Peaking & tuning (aka peaking & tweaking) has absolutely no effect on your antenna SWR whatsoever.
When you tune a radio for peak output, you're doing so into a 50 ohm impedance. An antenna with a bad SWR is NOT a 50 ohm impedance, therefore the radio's performance will still be compromised.

 

[Bray D]

I don't think I was confusing anything. I was essentially calling you out, asking how you modify the RADIO to improve your standing wave ratio. I'm fairly certain that the radio and the antenna are two completely different entities, and the ANTENNA (height/mounting location/ground/etc.) is what determines your SWR. It has nothing to do with your radio.

I'll stop nit picking the technicalities, and allow you guys to continue your discussion (if there's anything to add). I do, however, feel it is important to use terms correctly when explaining a process. That's just one less confusing thing to overcome for the guy who's trying to learn something.