doink

how do you do this? is it easy?, or would i have to go somewhere to get it done?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Look on the main page here for "YotaTech on the web" and click on it.

Near the bottom is a link to a local WA. state CB shop that has a 12 MB AVI file that show you how to do it.

With a metal antenna, you often have to cut them to adjust.
If you have a Firestik II antenna like I do, you simply use the adjustment screw on the top.

alanh

The one thing you need is the SWR meter. The rest is just being careful and remembering which way to adjust the screw so you don't have to repeat because you went the wrong way! With the adjustment screw about the only thing I think you would have to worry about is damaging your CB if you leave the mic keyed up too long with a bad SWR. You just want to hit the mike switch long enough to get a reading - don't try to be transmitting continuously while you're fiddling around. I have read the warnings, but never seen anyone say how long is too long transmitting into a high SWR. (seconds, minutes, hours?) If I had an antenna that required actual cutting to length, I think I'd want a pro who I know is competent to do it because if you cut it too short there may be no recovery from that mistake.

If you're going to add a spring or a quick disconnect, make sure they're installed before you do your tuning.

The local shop where I bought my antenna would have adjusted mine for free, but I got an inexpensive meter so I could tweak it if I change something and did it myself. Instead of trying for best SWR at the center channel, I adjusted for best compromise at ch 1 and 40 which gave reasonably flat SWR overall. (Although not the 1.1 Corey has apparently got - I had about 1.3 on both - of course, my cheap meter is hard to read and I doubt its that accurate to start with.)

The guys at the shop I went to did a couple of quick power output checks for me for nothing when I found I had no transmit even though I didn't buy the radio from them. I wished I had bought the radio there, because they would have just swapped the bad one for a good one instead of me having to send it in and waiting a month to get one back because I bought over the net. In the future I think I need to support local outfits like that a little more because they may disappear in the age of shopping for lowest price at giant discount outfits and internet shopping.

Alan