I purchased this device because I wanted to use my CB antenna as my AM/FM antenna so I didn't have to have 2 antennas on my truck. I installed it on Saturday and I've been trying it out for the past 2 days.
Info:
walcottcb.com
AR-1A
Basically what this unit does is split your CB antenna signal into a dual-cable that hooks into the CB and stereo head unit for AM/FM signals.
CB Antenna -> Match-Maker AR-1A -> CB Radio/Stereo head unit
Installation:
Installing the unit was simple enough, and the instructions were very easy to understand. You disconnect the antenna coax from the radio and plug it into the Match-Maker, then you plug the coax cable from the Match-Maker into the CB radio and plug the standard antenna cable into the back of the AM/FM stereo head unit.
I should note a few things about tuning:
- Your SWR should be properly set for your antenna/radio setup BEFORE you even start hooking the Match-Maker up. For more info on tuning your CB radio/antenna, see Firestik's tech help section:
Setting the SWR of Your Antenna© - Firestik® Antenna Company
- Once you hook up the system, put an SWR meter in between the Match-Maker and the CB radio. Using the built-in tuning screw, you must tune the Match-Maker so that the SWR is below 2.0 on CB channels 1, 19, and 40. Make sure you remove the screwdriver from the Match-Maker when measuring SWR or it can throw off the reading. Make adjustments in no more than a half-turn at a time, as it is very sensitive.
These steps are very important because when I first hooked it up the SWR was in the red on all channels because the Match-Maker hadn't been tuned to match my setup.
Performance:
I don't use AM, so I haven't tested that, but FM seems to be very clear but the range seems to be decreased. I can't catch as many stations as I could before, but what stations do come in are much clearer. However, there is occasional static "blips" but they are not very noticeable. The one reason I think that I might not be able to catch as many stations is because I only have a 3' Firestik and it is mounted fairly low, so it does not stick up above the roof of my truck. Therefore, if you have a whip or taller antenna, you will probably get much better reception.
The CB TX/RX range does not seem to be affected and I hear no interference from using both devices (CB and radio) at once.
Overall:
I am satisfied with this unit but if you listen to the radio very often and you listen to a wide variety of stations, make sure you install this unit within your first 30 days of return policy to you can make sure it works for you. Otherwise, it is a great solution for someone like me, who only listens to the radio occasionally and didn't want to have 2 antennas on my truck
