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#11
July 30th 05, 09:30 PM
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On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 11:45:50 -0500, driver42 wrote:
Hi, If I'm not able to set the SWR in the trucks that I drive will it hurt the radio or just give me decreased range? I would set it first Vinnie S. |
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#12
July 31st 05, 02:21 AM
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"John Smith" wrote in
: driver42: Well, without seeing the webpage you are referring to (URL), I am just making an educated guess, I would think it would... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: As a side note, most antennas can handle a 100 watts without problem, however, if you are going to run BIG POWER, it would be good to check the specs on the antenna(s) and make sure they will not be damaged by large power input... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver: If the swr is over a 2 to 1, you get into danger of damaging the output finals in the equipment, will also decrease your range. There is always a method to decrease (tune adjust) swr... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... Hi, If I'm not able to set the SWR in the trucks that I drive will it hurt the radio or just give me decreased range? My problem is that I'll be moving from truck to truck so I wont have time to set the SWR correctly. Most of our trucks have factory installed double antenna's which I'm not too thrilled about. Thanks for your input. I dont want a "big" radio. I just want a quality radio. I'm looking at either the PC68ELITE or the PC78ELITE both from Uniden. I had a PC68 about ten years ago that I had tweeked and it was a great unit. I was just on a CB site and I seen that they sell a box that lets you set the SWR from your seat without touching the antenna. The box is plugged inbetween your radio and antenna and then you just use your SWR meter plus the knobs on the box to adjust to the desired level that you want. Are these things any good or are they a gimmick? Thanks, Driver42 John, I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? Thanks for your help |
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#13
July 31st 05, 02:55 AM
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driver42:
Yep. Flip of a switch and you can read the swr... flip the switch back, and you are back where you started... .... couldn't be easier ... But to use a real swr meter: 1) hook it in coax... 2) switch a switch to read forward power 3) adjust knob to full scale mark 4) flip switch to "swr" and read the swr .... as you can see, not all that difficult! all you need is the meter and a short piece of coax (foot or two long) with pl259 plugs on each end and you are in business... .... but, whatever suits you best... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: Well, without seeing the webpage you are referring to (URL), I am just making an educated guess, I would think it would... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: As a side note, most antennas can handle a 100 watts without problem, however, if you are going to run BIG POWER, it would be good to check the specs on the antenna(s) and make sure they will not be damaged by large power input... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver: If the swr is over a 2 to 1, you get into danger of damaging the output finals in the equipment, will also decrease your range. There is always a method to decrease (tune adjust) swr... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... Hi, If I'm not able to set the SWR in the trucks that I drive will it hurt the radio or just give me decreased range? My problem is that I'll be moving from truck to truck so I wont have time to set the SWR correctly. Most of our trucks have factory installed double antenna's which I'm not too thrilled about. Thanks for your input. I dont want a "big" radio. I just want a quality radio. I'm looking at either the PC68ELITE or the PC78ELITE both from Uniden. I had a PC68 about ten years ago that I had tweeked and it was a great unit. I was just on a CB site and I seen that they sell a box that lets you set the SWR from your seat without touching the antenna. The box is plugged inbetween your radio and antenna and then you just use your SWR meter plus the knobs on the box to adjust to the desired level that you want. Are these things any good or are they a gimmick? Thanks, Driver42 John, I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? Thanks for your help |
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#14
July 31st 05, 03:00 AM
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I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? No. It means that it will read the SWR ratio without you having to manually calibrate the meter. It does not correct the problem if there is one. If you move the radio from location to location just check the reading. If it's 2:1 or lower don't worry about it. |
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#15
July 31st 05, 03:01 AM
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driver:
I should have mentioned, you have to have the mike keyed while reading the swr in the first situation (the galaxie) and, keyed when "adjusting the knob for full scale" and again after flipped to "swr" to read it... .... you might have already guessed that... either way, it is NOTHING complicated or to be afraid of... John "John Smith" wrote in message ... driver42: Yep. Flip of a switch and you can read the swr... flip the switch back, and you are back where you started... ... couldn't be easier ... But to use a real swr meter: 1) hook it in coax... 2) switch a switch to read forward power 3) adjust knob to full scale mark 4) flip switch to "swr" and read the swr ... as you can see, not all that difficult! all you need is the meter and a short piece of coax (foot or two long) with pl259 plugs on each end and you are in business... ... but, whatever suits you best... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: Well, without seeing the webpage you are referring to (URL), I am just making an educated guess, I would think it would... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: As a side note, most antennas can handle a 100 watts without problem, however, if you are going to run BIG POWER, it would be good to check the specs on the antenna(s) and make sure they will not be damaged by large power input... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver: If the swr is over a 2 to 1, you get into danger of damaging the output finals in the equipment, will also decrease your range. There is always a method to decrease (tune adjust) swr... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... Hi, If I'm not able to set the SWR in the trucks that I drive will it hurt the radio or just give me decreased range? My problem is that I'll be moving from truck to truck so I wont have time to set the SWR correctly. Most of our trucks have factory installed double antenna's which I'm not too thrilled about. Thanks for your input. I dont want a "big" radio. I just want a quality radio. I'm looking at either the PC68ELITE or the PC78ELITE both from Uniden. I had a PC68 about ten years ago that I had tweeked and it was a great unit. I was just on a CB site and I seen that they sell a box that lets you set the SWR from your seat without touching the antenna. The box is plugged inbetween your radio and antenna and then you just use your SWR meter plus the knobs on the box to adjust to the desired level that you want. Are these things any good or are they a gimmick? Thanks, Driver42 John, I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? Thanks for your help |
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#16
July 31st 05, 03:04 AM
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driver:
The other poster is correct, NOTHING will set the SWR automatically for you, that is always an adjustment of the antenna and/or feedline, sorry about that! John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: Well, without seeing the webpage you are referring to (URL), I am just making an educated guess, I would think it would... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver42: As a side note, most antennas can handle a 100 watts without problem, however, if you are going to run BIG POWER, it would be good to check the specs on the antenna(s) and make sure they will not be damaged by large power input... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... "John Smith" wrote in : driver: If the swr is over a 2 to 1, you get into danger of damaging the output finals in the equipment, will also decrease your range. There is always a method to decrease (tune adjust) swr... John "driver42" wrote in message 5... Hi, If I'm not able to set the SWR in the trucks that I drive will it hurt the radio or just give me decreased range? My problem is that I'll be moving from truck to truck so I wont have time to set the SWR correctly. Most of our trucks have factory installed double antenna's which I'm not too thrilled about. Thanks for your input. I dont want a "big" radio. I just want a quality radio. I'm looking at either the PC68ELITE or the PC78ELITE both from Uniden. I had a PC68 about ten years ago that I had tweeked and it was a great unit. I was just on a CB site and I seen that they sell a box that lets you set the SWR from your seat without touching the antenna. The box is plugged inbetween your radio and antenna and then you just use your SWR meter plus the knobs on the box to adjust to the desired level that you want. Are these things any good or are they a gimmick? Thanks, Driver42 John, I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? Thanks for your help |
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#18
July 31st 05, 03:38 AM
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Thanks,
I have an SWR meter from radio shack that I've used in the past. I know how to use it. My problem is that I'll be in a different truck everyday and wont be able to set the SWR the way I want to. On Monday I'm gonna call the cb shop that I saw online and ask them about the SWR match box. Below is a cut and paste of this product. Let me know if this will set the SWR without having to mess with the antenna's. "Don't "Live with" High SWR Readings! This Matcher will tune your SWR very low, simply insert inline between radio & Antenna. Has 2 Adjustment knobs. Perfect for Radios with wide channel coverage, indoor antennas, non-tunable mobile antennas, or for using 10 thru 12 meters off 1 antenna. Handles 80w pep. Requires either an SWR meter built into radio, or an optional SWR meter between Radio & Matcher." Don't be anal about SWR. If you have an SWR of between 1.5 to 2, don't worry about it. If you must have 1.0:1 on every channel, you'll need a tuner to "fix" it. SWR is a ratio of impedance. It is only one of a multitude of important parameters. I like high field strength. It shows you how well your antenna is radiating. |
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#19
July 31st 05, 04:54 AM
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If you move the radio from location to location just check the reading. If it's 2:1 or lower don't worry about it. Thanks, I have an SWR meter from radio shack that I've used in the past. I know how to use it. My problem is that I'll be in a different truck everyday and wont be able to set the SWR the way I want to. On Monday I'm gonna call the cb shop that I saw online and ask them about the SWR match box. Below is a cut and paste of this product. Let me know if this will set the SWR without having to mess with the antenna's. "Don't "Live with" High SWR Readings! This Matcher will tune your SWR very low, simply insert inline between radio & Antenna. Has 2 Adjustment knobs. Perfect for Radios with wide channel coverage, indoor antennas, non-tunable mobile antennas, or for using 10 thru 12 meters off 1 antenna. Handles 80w pep. Requires either an SWR meter built into radio, or an optional SWR meter between Radio & Matcher." This is a line flattener. They can be problematic in that one of the knobs can be bumped and give you an abnormally high SWR reading. Much higher than the antenna itself. You also will double the possibility of a loose coax connector, and don't forget that moving the setup will require more time and care. |
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#20
July 31st 05, 05:22 AM
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driver42:
Yes, such a device will allow you to adjust the swr under adverse conditions and is good to have, at least if the swr is high you can adjust it down and use the darn radio--now that beats sitting there with a darn useless setup!!! Since you can voice your concerns, and have awareness that swr is important--I take it for granted you have the common sense how to read instructions properly and use it--if not, someone which knows how should be consulted--some of those truckers are savvy to swr and such, if not, large truck stops always have a radio shop close, or usually do... So, I'd give a thumbs up to the matchbox (use in combination with your SWR meter)... there is some "insertion loss" from the matchbox, and a bit of a power loss, this is almost always negligible and not enough to worry about--just make sure you don't run a linear into it, that match box says it will handle 80 watts pep (that is only about 55 watts rms) so don't burn it up AND the radio/linear!!! (you could use a 50 watt linear, or less, with it safely, or have BIG finals in your cb which puts out 50 or less watts.) Hope all of this helps and I didn't get too "wordy." John "driver42" wrote in message 5... wrote in : I just was reading about this radio. http://www.galaxyradios.com/cb/959.html says it has an "Automatic SWR Circuit (no complicated calibration procedure)" Does that mean the circuit sets the SWR automatically? No. It means that it will read the SWR ratio without you having to manually calibrate the meter. It does not correct the problem if there is one. If you move the radio from location to location just check the reading. If it's 2:1 or lower don't worry about it. Thanks, I have an SWR meter from radio shack that I've used in the past. I know how to use it. My problem is that I'll be in a different truck everyday and wont be able to set the SWR the way I want to. On Monday I'm gonna call the cb shop that I saw online and ask them about the SWR match box. Below is a cut and paste of this product. Let me know if this will set the SWR without having to mess with the antenna's. "Don't "Live with" High SWR Readings! This Matcher will tune your SWR very low, simply insert inline between radio & Antenna. Has 2 Adjustment knobs. Perfect for Radios with wide channel coverage, indoor antennas, non-tunable mobile antennas, or for using 10 thru 12 meters off 1 antenna. Handles 80w pep. Requires either an SWR meter built into radio, or an optional SWR meter between Radio & Matcher." |
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