It depends on how bad the match is. There is a good chance that you'll
be OK. It takes a match of perhaps 5:1 or worse to overheat the
transmit output transistor in most CBs.

Professor
www.telstar-electronics.com

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?

On 30 Jul 2005 09:52:56 -0700, "Professor"
wrote:

+It depends on how bad the match is. There is a good chance that you'll
+be OK. It takes a match of perhaps 5:1 or worse to overheat the
+transmit output transistor in most CBs.
+
+Professor
+www.telstar-electronics.com
+
+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?


SWR alone will not destroy a bipolar transistor unless it is operated
outside the Safe Operating Area. The weakest part of a bipolar
transistor is the base emitter junction. Abuse that juntion and the
transistor will not forgive you.

I would venture to say that nearly all CBs on the market if operated
at the legal power levels and within voltage and currnet levels will
handle SWRs well beyond 10:1. At those SWR levels, one will definitely
know that something is wrong with a remarked lost of receive signals.

james