I just bought a Uniden 520 CB and 3' Wilson fiberglass antenna. I have the antenna mounted on the antenna tab of my ARB bar. My SWR meter reads 1.5 (the lowest that I could get) after tuning the tip.
My question is: why can't I raise anyone on the radio? I can hear some conversations, though they are garbled. I did a radio check while on the highway and the other guy told me that I was all garbled.
Often times the powder coating needs to be ground down on the tab of ARB's to make them work... you need to allow that antenna to ground and the thick powder coating may be causing problems. You may also try adding a grounding strap to the frame, but that's getting more of a ham setup than just a CB.. I bet a minute with a file will make a difference. You use that little plastic insulating washer?
Thanks for the replies guys. I do have the plastic washer and I ran a grounding wire to the frame. Despite this I still have poor range. Maybe this is a function of the small antenna? I got this CB for wilderness use and was hoping for more range. Should I get a longer antenna?
Thanks for the replies guys. I do have the plastic washer and I ran a grounding wire to the frame. Despite this I still have poor range. Maybe this is a function of the small antenna? I got this CB for wilderness use and was hoping for more range. Should I get a longer antenna?
The signals are for the most part line-of-sight, so the higher above your roof line your antenna is the better your range will be - but at only 4 watts of power, there is a limit to range no matter how good or tall your antenna is. If you want range in the wilderness, get your license and a ham radio. You can get a 2 meter ham radio with 75 watts of power, or almost 20X the power of a CB.
I have the exact same setup with good range. I haven't checked the swr in years but it was low when I installed it. On the trail I take off the 3' antenna and use a 18" flex antenna and it still performs well. Are you sure your swr meter is good. I once spent a frustrating day trying to figure out wth I had high swr only to find out the meter was bad. Check the ground with a meter. It's also common to receive signals from long distance high power transmitters and you'd of course not be able to transmit that distance. Have you checked it on the interstate or other high cb traffic area?
