CB SWR level is extremely high

[Chris]

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I am with communications can help me figure this out.

My CB radio works, but the range is really, really low. I’m talking about maybe 100 feet before it starts getting all static and cutting out entirely.

I ordered the following SWR meter:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ULN610/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I am 100% certain I have it hooked up right and I am following this video in regards to using it:

The issue is that no matter what I do, my SWR levels are extremely high, well into the red zone and just a hair under the “set” marking.

I suspect this is why the range on my CB radio is so crappy.

I am trying to troubleshoot this and have started with the antenna mount. I am not an electronics wiz, so I am hoping you guys can watch the video I made and tell me if any of these readings on my multimeter look wrong.

 

[Chris]

FYI I am using a Uniden PRO 520XL. It’s grounded to the negative battery terminal. I am using a Firestik coax cable with the Fire Ring end, and I have a Firestik 3’ antenna with a tunable tip.

 

[DEValken]

Have you double checked the mount ground? There should be an isolator between ant and the mount itself... also make sure the meter settings for the reference is correct.

 

[Mr. Bills]

Too much glare. Can't see the meter or a clear shot of how you put the antenna mount and cable together. How is the antenna mount grounded?

 

[DEValken]

Sorry, video was slow, just saw them, but can't see the meter

 

[MountaineerTom]

@Jerry Bransford was a big help for me when I had a bunch of questions.

I know the mount ground and the antenna ground to the mount is a very specific and important part.

 

[Chris]

Too much glare. Can't see the meter or a clear shot of how you put the antenna mount and cable together. How is the antenna mount grounded?

Ill make a better video. The mount is attached to the Exogate with two bolts like this:

 

[Chris]

The meter has no reading whatsoever when you touch any portion of the antenna or mount. It stays on 1 the entire time.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

An inadequately grounded mounting bracket will cause a high SWR. Is it touching bare metal underneath and are the two mounting bolts secured to bare metal?

Is that mount assembled exactly as in the illustration provided with it? As in the washers, spacers, etc. are exactly where they should be. I'm less familiar with that exact mount but similar mounts will cause a sky-high SWR if a even washer is on the wrong side of anything.

 

[Chris]

An inadequately grounded mounting bracket will cause a high SWR. Is that mount assembled exactly as in the I'll provided with it? As in the washers, spacers, etc. are exactly where they should be. I'm less familiar with that exact mount but similar mounts will cause a sky-high SWR if a even washer is on the wrong side of anything.

Jerry,

It is assembled identical to how Firestik shows in their photos:

Do I need to remove powder coating on the Exogate hinges for the CB mount to ground to?

 

[TurboTJ]

Ill make a better video. The mount is attached to the Exogate with two bolts like this:

View attachment 204940View attachment 204941

Make sure the FireRing is oriented so the the side with the nylon is facing down. The center conductor should not be shorted to the mount. Check with your Ohmmeter. It should be open-circuit from the center conductor on the other end of the cable to the chassis mount and short-circuit to that chrome bushing at the bottom of the antenna.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Are you certain the black plastic piece with the RG58 cable attached is right-side up? Between the photo and illustration it kinda looks upside down. Yep being upside down will kill it.

It's crucial that the mount has a large surface area RF ground connection to the Jeep. That's not the same as a simple ground that would make a light bulb work. Plus the washers and nuts on the backside need to be touching bare metal. The tire carrier of course must also have a similarly big surface are ground. A simple ground wire is inadequate as an RF (radio frequency) ground though a braided ground strap would do in a pinch.

 

[Chris]

The raised shoulder side of the Firering are facing down towards the mounting surface, so I would assume we can rule that out.

I am wondering then if I need to strip powder coating off the Exogate hinges in order to give the antenna mount better ground. That’s all I think of at this point.

Since all I am seeing is “1” on the ohm meter no matter where I touch on the antenna mount and base, I am assuming that means something is wrong.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

It looks kinda looks upside down to me, like the raised ground ring is on top instead of the bottom. It also looks to me like there's no gap between the bottom and the mounting bracket as there would be if the ring was resting on the bracket.

 

[Chris]

I’ll remove the powder coat from the hinges and see if that helps. That’s got to be me issue as I am 110% certain the parts are installed correctly.

 

[Chris]

It looks kinda looks upside down to me, like the raised ground ring is on top instead of the bottom. It also looks to me like there's no gap between the bottom and the mounting bracket as there would be if the ring was resting on the bracket.

It looks like that, but I promise that isn’t the case. I will say that after tightening things down, you can’t really see any gap from that shoulder washer however.

 

[TurboTJ]

The raised shoulder side of the Firering are facing down towards the mounting surface, so I would assume we can rule that out.

I am wondering then if I need to strip powder coating off the Exogate hinges in order to give the antenna mount better ground. That’s all I think of at this point.

Since all I am seeing is “1” on the ohm meter no matter where I touch on the antenna mount and base, I am assuming that means something is wrong.

I just watched your video closer. I can see that when you put the probe to the tub it reads 0.66 which is reasonable if the scale is such that that is 0.66 Ohms (but not so good if it is 0.66 MOhm). When you put the probe on the mount or the top bushing it shows a colon or maybe an exclamation which I am guessing is a default reading for open circuit. That means your mount is open circuit. Is the Exogate by any chance anodized? That is non-conductive. Maybe it is just a matter of removing paint or adding a grounding strap.

 

[Chris]

I just watched your video closer. I can see that when you put the probe to the tub it reads 0.66 which is reasonable if the scale is such that that is 0.66 Ohms (but not so good if it is 0.66 MOhm). when you put the probe on the mount or the top bushing it reads 1 which I am guessing is a default reading for open circuit. That means your mount is open circuit. Is the Exogate by any chance anodized? That is non-conductive. Maybe it is just a matter of removing paint or adding a grounding strap.

Yes, the meter just reads .1 by default. I don’t think the Exogate hinges are anodized, but they are definitely powder coated. I suppose I should start by removing that powder coating first?

 

[TurboTJ]

Yes, the meter just reads .1 by default. I don’t think the Exogate hinges are anodized, but they are definitely powder coated. I suppose I should start by removing that powder coating first?

Maybe but it looks like there is a path to ground first through the movable part the Exogate to the fixed part through a hinge. You’ve got to insure good conductivity through that path.

 

[Farmergreg]

Yes, the meter just reads .1 by default. I don’t think the Exogate hinges are anodized, but they are definitely powder coated. I suppose I should start by removing that powder coating first?

OR put a discreet ground wire to the chassis from the antenna mount.