help with CB antenna tuning

[Mike (KC9IPV)]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by peter griffin:
if you want people on the highway to talk back to you ....you need to get it tweaked because they will not be able to hear you...you can listen...the cb and antenna you have will only work within sight distance of other vehicles on the highway...as for illegal ...there is no radio police driving around arresting people for tweaked cbs that ridiculous... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've never had a CB "tweaked". I have had a CB in my jeep for years and have no problems talking on the road or on the trails. I'm just using a $40 Midland rig with only squelch adjustments. I use a 36" firestick antenna mounted on a trail rack which isn't the best ground plane in the world and have tuned it to 1.2 swr. Depending on the terrain I can usually talk anywhere from 1 to 5 miles. No, the FCC isn't out there giving tickets for illegal CB but most peoples problems are poor installations and not underpowered radios. While its easy to install a radio and an antenna if you don't REALLY understand what your doing odds are you won't be happy with the performance. Antenna and feedline are the most important things. I recomend paying someone who knows what their doing for most people. Heck, I know a lot of HAMS who don't have a clue on antennas.

[rvten]

I hope when checking SWR you are not in a building or under the tree's. This not give you a good SWR reading.

[Mike (KC9IPV)]

Another way to look at it is to look at your s-meter on your radio. If the signal on the meter is s-3 in order for you to receive them at s-4 they would need to double their output power twice. So if they were transmitting at 4 watts they would need to increase their output power to 16 watts. Each time you double your power you only get 3db of gain or about 1/2 s-unit.