Finally, place your radio on the highest number channel (40 on CB). Place the meter switch in the Forward (FWD) position, depress the microphone switch and adjust the meter to place the needle on the Set position of the meter face. Once in the set position, place the meter switch in the Reference (REF) position and note the reading. Release the microphone switch and write this value down to the nearest tenth of a point. Coaxial cable with holes in the outer insulation, severe bends, or door, trunk or hood caused pinches will cause performance problems. Treat your coax with care. The SWR meters built into CB radios are okay for general readings, but are rarely sensitive and/or accurate enough for fine tuning of antennas. Use them mostly to indicate serious high SWR problems only. No, you should not. That will be a wastage of power. Not only that, using such an amplifier will cause immense interference to telephones, radios, and televisions nearby. What that happens, be ready to greet some FCC officials who will be there to school you and impose a hefty fine on you. Your aim should be to buy an amplifier that has the minimum required power to achieve a distance gain that you desire. What is the ideal CB linear amplifier?

There is a lot to know about transmitting antennas. Even if you have your system installed by a professional, it is helpful for you to know what can effect its performance. The following list was compiled from 20 plus years of technical support files. It represents the areas where most of the performance robbing problems crop up. We highly recommend that you read it. The problems and solutions came from real life situations. Starting with knowledge is always better than learning from disappointment. A step by step SWR measuring and antenna tuning procedure follows this very informative list. THINGS EVERY CB’ER SHOULD KNOW If SWR is in the “red zone” on all channels, you probably have an electrical short in your coax connectors, or your mounting stud was installed incorrectly and is shorted. DO NOT USE YOUR RADIO UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM. So, you need to ensure that whichever amplifier you are purchasing has proper heat disposal features. There should be heat sinks and mounted fans to extract and dissipate the heat in the surrounding atmosphere. D. Advanced Features When tuning co-phased antennas (dual), it is best to adjust both antennas an equal amount to maintain equality in their individual resonant frequency.

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Ideally, your amp should not have more than 150 watts, and neither should it be below 100 watts. It is not uncommon to find amps that offer 250 watts or 300 watts or even more. Just because such high wattage is available, you don’t need to buy one. It may be the case that your antenna is set for handling only 150 watts. If you send 300 watts, you are bound to run into trouble. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a CB amplifier, go for a CB linear amplifier. That is what will give you the best performance. Use end of nail or other pointed object to unbraid the copper shield. Trim to approximately 3/8″ (10mm) long all the way around. The maximum practical gain that you can receive in the distance is when you use a 450-watt amplifier. It is pointless to opt for an amplifier of more than 450 watts. If you want to achieve that, a 500-watt amp should suffice. Should I use a 1000-watt or a 3000-watt amplifier? Keep your amplifier covered with a piece of cloth when it is not in use. This will prevent dust accumulation.

If SWR on the lowest channel is higher than it is on the highest channel, your antenna system appears to be electrically short. See the following section title “Adjusting Short Antennas”. How to read your results:If SWR on channels 1, 19 & 40 is below 2.0, your radio can be operated safely. In “no ground plane” systems, it is best to choose a system that terminates the coaxial ground at the radio end of the cable. These systems are far less reactive to cable routing errors and will almost always outperform systems that are terminated at the antenna base or antenna end of the coax.Before measuring and setting SWR, it is helpful to know some of the things that can cause problems. Spend a few minutes to read this entire pamphlet and you will go into your project with valuable knowledge. It could save you a lot of time, effort and possibly, money.