On 31 Dec 2003 22:36:00 GMT, ojunk (Greg Doughty)
wrote:

I have a htx 10 and have limited funds. I bought a lil wil and tried to do swr
but could not get lower than 1.7:1. I think I have cut the antenna too short.
Can I replace it with the same diameter stainless steel piece from a hardware
store and cut it to 36" I have left something out. After trying to adjust a
little lower in swr, my meter just kept reading 3.0. That is why I think I
cut it too short. I should have left it at 1.7!

Thanks

73
Greg


Greg, I've got one of these on my Durango for my CB (Let the Flames
Begin!) & I had a misearable time getting a decent VSWR (~1.2:1)
with it,. If I left a door open during the check it threw the thing
way off. They seem to be very sensitive to placement, coax routing,
relative humidity, the phase of the moon & last Thursday's Dow Jones
level.

I finally gave up & just learned to live with whatever it feels like
giving me on any given day, 2:1 sucks but it's still good for what I
need.

Howard.

Thanks for the replies. I actually went out and bought a replacement whip.
Actually, I found out that I needed to cut A LOT off the whip. I got it tuned
on 28.700 to .8:1 My whip is only 30 inches long now so I can mount it on the
roof and not on the trunk. Does the roof act as a ground plane because when I
put it up on the roof, the swr dropped. Anyhow, it works like a champ; today
I talked to Texas on 15 watts.


73
Greg