Hey guys. I just hooked up a cb in my truck. It says i need to tune it for optimal performance and I need help tuning it. Give me some knowledge on tuning please. I dont have an SWR meter. Is there any other way for me to tune it without it? Please help me.

 

If the CB does not have a built in SWR meter then you need one to tune the antenna. Really the only way. If the antenna SWR is to high it can burn out the transmit circuits in the radio.

SWR meters are cheap $20-$30. You can look for a local CB installer to do the tuning. If you have any big rig truck stops in the area ask them for local CB installation people.

 

cb guy would be the best way they dont charge too much

 

It has some sort of meter in the top right corner but i dont know what it is. Course i havent looked at it that close neither.

 

Sorry its a signal/rf meter.

 

What brand/model of cb is it?

 

That won't help you to tune the radio.

You need an SWR meter or a CB tech to look at it.

The radio transmits in a certain frequency range (CB 26.965 - 27.405 MHz). The frequency of a signal determines it wavelength, how long it would be if physically measured. The antenna needs to be adjusted for the wavelength of the signal, and here is why :

In all radio systems, the signal is transmitted down the antenna cable (feedline) and out the antenna. A small portion of the signal is reflected back towards the radio. The ratio of forward (transmitting) power to reflected power is know as standing wave ratio (SWR). All transmitters are designed to operate at or below a specified SWR. Typically it is 1.5:1. To adjust SWR on a CB you have to adjust the length of the antenna while using an SWR meter to "tune" it. If the SWR is too high you can damage the amplifier in your radio.

Hope this helps.

 

Uniden PC66XL.

 

some of them have a built in swr tuner but then you need to tune your antena. their should be cb off of 45 that could do it for you