CB Tuning with Amazon SWR Meter

Today we show you the easy way to tune your CB antenna. Here is the SWR Meter on Amazon that I used. amzn.to/2JyyZCv
Here are the instructions from Fire Stick. bit.ly/1Bb3ijF
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This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. For off-road use only. Slippery when wet. Batteries not included. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle, heavy equipment, cherokee XJ, wrangler TJ, wrangler JK, or any Jeep vehicle, especially the newer Fiat ones. How-to videos may be too intense for some viewers and children under 30 years of age. Please remain seated until the 4x4 ride has come to a complete stop. Studies have shown viewing these videos causes increased cancer risks in laboratory test people. I am not a professional, I have no training, I'm not even particularly good at horse whispering. Don't believe everything that you know. Please keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. Do not tap on glass. Do not eat anything that has been on the floor for more than 3 days. Keep your hands to yourself. Not to be taken internally. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Driver does not carry cash. Objects in Bleepinjeep mirrors may be farther than they appear.
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[@mikehartmann5187]

For someone who is not into radio I’d say you did fine, and I am not going to quibble over the finer points. One thing I would caution you and your viewers on is the when installing a new CB radio/antenna and testing for the first time - Keep your microphone key-down time as short as possible, and when you see you are in the red on the meter STOP transmitting. Red means you have high SWR and too much power is being reflected back into the transmitter, which is a transmitter killer. Transmit in bursts as short as you can make them while quickly adjusting the meter calibration knob. Never keep the mic button depressed for long if you see you have high SWR. As others have said - you really should test an antenna outdoors and away from large metal objects.

[@niccocowboymetoyer2972]

You’re supposed be in an open field or parking lot away from buildings and power lines to get an accurate reading.

[@xXThePointXx]

Yep! Even trees can affect readings.

[@ponch19821]

Was about to say the same thing about the tuning of it

[@rednex4404]

It's at least the process of how to do it. Just add a open field.

[@mikestacey6623]

Also on that antenna you should put the rubber tip back on each time you check the swr. Also all doors closed and nobody standing close to the car/truck.

[@Mike-bq3iy]

You must put the cap on every time you adjust the screw to get an accurate result.

[@craig_sez8534]

1..get out in the open.... 2..Dont hold the key down for more than a cpl seconds.. 3..swr is standing wave ratio not radio.. 4..Your ant tuner,needs to lock down the screw,reinastall antenna cover and get back in or well away before testing again,testing has to be done as if moveing. Seeing you did it inside,wait till you get out in the open and watch what happens..

[@rareearthfab5511]

I see people already said it but just to reinforce this you need to do this outside in a clearing. Being in a building will give you false readings. You also don't want any other metal devices near your antenna. Something like a hi-lift jack mount with the jack on it within 10 inches of your antenna will severely affect your match.

[@thenationalparksguy.1718]

You also need to put the weather cap back on the antenna every time you take a reading..

[@RicNaughton-tn5cn]

Wow, thanks a lot for this comment, as that's exactly how my FJ is set up. I'll try to move my hi-lift to the side of the rack, but the rack itself is gonna have to stay where it is. :(

[@scottieparkhurst9962]

I'm not disagreeing, but u need to be in a field with no trees or anything around, just you and the Cb. Buildings will make readings wrong

[@traditionalarcher5678]

Being in a building doesn't help the SWR readings.

[@Wooskii1]

Do you think you could consider doing an intro/ general overview to CB radios? for those of us who never touched one or know little to nothing about them. Just a simple; benefits and advantages/restrictions, what to look for in a product, what else to watch for or may be needed, and a general mounting/install overview.

[@alanwheelock1460]

good instructions. Ref is reflected energy back to radio. That's why people try to get it as close to one as you can .

[@MatthewBarras]

SWR = Standing Wave Ratio. It is tuning the antenna length + the antenna cable to the Radio frequency output wavelength.

[@arconeagain]

Not entirely true. Here we are just trying to present the radio and coax with a 50ohm antenna or load. The idea about coaxial length is a mix of principals. The reason why length of coax may change the SWR is because it is acting as an impedance transformer. This occurs when the radio and the antenna are of different impedances.

[@MrGarrettPearsonPhD]

I just bought this exact same meter! It came in the mail right before this video came out. Yessssss.

[@georgechambers3197]

Funny, I just found a Radio Shack SWR meter from the dark ages when I drove truck. Now I just need a CB and antenna. Thanks for showing how to set the SWR, I'd forgotten over the years.

[@carter4627]

Another tip is to make sure the firestik cap is on the antenna when testing swr. I checked mine and there was a .2 difference that was solvable by tightening the adjustment screw more.

[@dragonboypayne21]

This helped. Using a Uniden Pro 505XL with a old-school Tempo RBF-1 CB Tuner.

[@MrRmga420]

This is the first time I’ve seen someone use channel 20 in the tuning process! Channels 1 & 40 are the only two channels I’ve ever used.

[@porkfatrulz9337]

Back in the day, I used channel 1 & 23. That’s all the channels we had.

[@ronzek3207]

@@porkfatrulz9337 YEP LOL

[@PL-fg2du]

I'm sure you are getting a very accurate reading in that building. you may have better luck outside in a field no obstructions.

[@rondellschuyler7074]

The workman swr meter does a good job. I try for a 1.5 swr or less. Firestick makes a good antennae. They are made in North or south carolina. American made.

[@brmcain]

It's great to see a video about radios. It's a dying art I think. People don't do it near like they use to

[@MrMrsregor]

damn cellular telephones, electronic mail, and the book of faces have been taking over the good ol communication waves

[@porkchop94]

Great video, just tuned my 510xl uniden with the same swr meter and antenna. Really easy with the help of ur video. Thanks for sharing 😊 👍

[@joflem123]

Thanks for your video. I am gonna take it into my ride so i can follow along to tune my antenna.

[@Realgrande]

You gave the best procedural instructions on how to tune the CB Antenna. Other videos were confusing and had way too much information. One stated that you had to drive hundreds of miles to the Boonies so you get no obstructions; no thanks. I don't like videos with long intros (subscribe/like/join/donate/marry your sister/sue ex's lawyer, etc.) Thanx

[@SoCalJeepGladiator]

You HAVE to test with the weather cap on, and like others have said, NOT inside a building. As little obstacles as possible. Good basic information though.

[@georgeeads8689]

That was interesting. Lengthening the antenna 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch made that much difference.

[@robbienoon7227]

And they say length dosent matter...this proves it!!

[@pro2am]

It's a decent little SWR meter. I use one to tune my antenna's every time I put them on for a trail ride.

[@hectorltorresramirez8199]

To check your swr you need to be outside in open area not I side of the garage and away from building

[@MrGigaHurtz]

Standing Wave Ratio not "Radio"

[@rocklickranch2804]

The FWD and REF abbreviations are for Forward and REFLECTED as in how much power is reflected back to your radio. As mentioned in other comments, your not getting a true reading inside a garage. Good video

[@jeffsheets9389]

I think you did a very good job on your video all the basic facts are there thank you 👍❤️

[@tango-bravo]

Nice vid, I have the same meter. One thing I heard another guy say was that when you are setting up to measure forward power, always turn the calibration knob down most of the way before you key, then, ease up to the SET point and flip to REF while still keyed. Something about you don’t want that needle slamming out past the red as it can damage the calibration. I don’t know if the guy was right, what do y’all think? It seems to make sense to me though.

[@jeffsheets9389]

Got mine down to 1.2 on channel 40 and 1.3 on channel 1 .!!! Thanks

[@chetmakowski463]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@earlmills3786]

It's crazy you can buy this to do it yourself for cheaper than my local shop charges to check it even after spending hundreds of dollars on equipment. Good to know.

[@joereeser3810]

Better results when performed outside of a building and away from metal structures, trees etc.

[@williamcook8463]

Question; Why is the built-in SWR rearly trusted? Almost every user and all techs claim external SWR meters are more accurate.

[@bayouboattrash]

Ok, the guy did this inside. I get it, for accurate readings and adjustments it should be done outside. Maybe he did it this way to just do the video and forgot to mention the outside part? I'm sure it will also state that in the directions he mentioned.

[@trucker18944]

It's not called reverb sir. When you're using a swr meter, you're looking for the lowest amount of swr because you want the least amount of reflection going back to the radio. The higher the ratio the more reflection of energy going back to the radio can cause it damage. The less amount of reflection energy will allow the maximum amount of energy to go out to the earth

[@jimwhitman5805]

I drove for trucking outfit that put in the cheapest radio's they could get a deal on. They didn't stop drivers from putting in their own radio's but then when things went missing they didn't cough up a new one either. Running an Audio Voux CB (1980's) and cheap fiberglass antenna's some of these would hardly cross the freeway. Well one running the right lane in some eastern state I hit the roght antenna off a tree branch and it folded back 45 degree's. That little cheap radio woke up. Seams the tips of the antenna's matched a full wave(??) and it could get out and receive triple the distance. So if anyone running 2 antenna's,try moving the tips apart to see if you can get them to match up like Nate was doing.

[@Stephen-carr]

Jim Whitman rule for duals is 4 foot separation. However duals cost you output power

[@jimwhitman5805]

Stephen Carr I would rather run a good single stainless antenna than the dual type. I run a VHF radio too and you have to watch how close you are with the 2 antenna's. Just figured it was something I sort of ran into and it worked on other company units. Look stupid with one bent back but function over form.

[@Rx7man]

@@Stephen-carr What's the point of duals then?

[@dafroh73]

Rad dude. Thanks for the process.

[@bobhunt3197]

Get a VHF radio, they'll reach 20 plus miles, and you can monitor live logging roads.

[@ipdjbt]

Awesome! I’ve always wondered how to do this.

[@RicNaughton-tn5cn]

Thanks much

[@301steady]

I learned a lot by watching. Learned even more by reading the comments. Now, I'm wondering if it's advisable to calibrate near where I live? Adjacent to a busy airport; where I can hear the control tower, trying to listen to tunes, on the FM dial. I don't have a CB, aside from my cheap hand-held; but, this is something I would like to do.

[@301steady]

But yes, this is definitely a video that needs to be spread out there. At Tierra del Sol, I could hear guys fine with my hand-held; but, they couldn't hear me; because of all the static they were experiencing. Their radios sucked.

[@alexdavis9696]

nice job nate love your jeep

[@unioncreek]

I have a Firestik on my Uniden CB. The needle jumps around while tuning, doesn’t stay steady like in your video. Could that mean my SWR meter is bad?

[@thedoorider]

Thanks. simple and easy!

[@StevenRamirez-w4o]

Does the swr need to remain on the cb after tuned or can it be removed

[@arconeagain]

I found that with my firestick, when I replaced the rubber cap, the SWR changed. So I'd be measuring that again. I think that's a variable inductor and it is sensitive. I ended up tuning it with the cap on and then removed it to lock it off. And I wouldn't be touching the tip of the antenna while transmitting.

[@davidbrunner]

Huge reason as to why i starting pushing out more content keep it up!

[@yamahondarider]

This may be a stupid question, but once this is done can you simply remove the meter and plug the antenna in? Or is this something you'd leave in place and adjust regularly?

[@bleepinjeep]

remove the meter

[@Khorsathedark]

cool, I didn't even know this was a thing.

[@davidbrunner]

haha same

[@AGreedyTree]

My SWR is 1.5 on 40 and below 1 on channel 1. The antenna is as short as it gets. Something doesn't seem right and I can't hear anyone unless they're within 2 miles of me.

[@turboomni848]

Doesn't your proximity to other objects muck with your reading? You are in a building full of metal. Shouldn't you be in an open area?

[@ragstudios7385]

question? is the sw meter suppose to say connected to the cb all the time or is it just to tune the antenna?

[@joetripi3255]

You cannot check the s w r meter inside of a building

I guess any decent antenna will be adjustable?

[@Nothingtoya]

Iñigo Zapata theres a few different kinds and a few different ways you tune them. People like firestik because they're strong and easy to tune.

[@f1y7rap]

No, there are plenty of decent antenna that are fixed length (non-tunable) Firestick & Wilson are reputable names with tunable fiberglass whips. There are some on Amazon where you can remove the end and cut back the wire wrapped around teh fiberglass shaft. However those you need to be very careful you don't cut too much wire off.

Nice information, thanks!

[@Stacker_Actual]

What’s the jumper cable I keep seeing on amazon? I have a radio and antenna already in my truck. I can’t use those cables ?

[@George-tf5hc]

signal communications .inc if your in VA

[@rw3al]

Use Bill Jordal all the time. This man is a perfectionist and if you want quality work go see Bill at Signal Communications

[@jonnydoeson5562]

You didn’t even mention about the calibration knob.

[@coryboyd7958]

Having a problem with my Galaxy DX 2547 base. When I turn it on it goes right back off then 3 seconds later goes back on and then back off and keeps doing it. Worked fine yesterday and today the new problem just started out of the thin blue sky. Any help would be appreciated.

[@Mark-cj9ju]

I followed what you did and thank you. Only issues is channel 40 is at 3 and the other two are fine at around 2. I can’t shorten any more. Should I go the other way and lengthen the antenna?

[@garyaubrey4096]

If ya haven't figured it out yet, ya can cut a 1/4" off the end to shorten further. Sorry so late, I just stumbled upon this.

[@JRock403]

You need to set that in a open area free of electrical interference.. but good tutorial 👍

[@raybarnes6304]

That video was good except for one major thing they are doing the swr inside a steel and concrete building, that's no good they need to be outside in the open!!

[@jefflaiche9228]

You should be outside in an open area to set the SWR's not in a shop.

[@cdlthelion6034]

I wouldn't use that antenna on my truck or car, I have a 102 in stainless steel whip with a ball mount and spring on my car on the center of my trunk. I run a LMR coax 400 18 ft and I can get a 1:1 match on my antenna which is damn near perfect, the way you adjust 102-in stainless steel whip is by the length of coax if you run 9 ft you get 1:1 match if you run 18 ft you still get a 1:1 match. Every 9 ft is a one-to-one match with a stainless steel whip antenna I've seen flat match but you can't get no better than that. then your radio will work good 100%, efficiency. 102-in stainless steel whip is a full 1/4 wave antenna. You get good receive and good output, the best you can get for a vehicle or truck antenna. The antenna is kind of big. but it works the best

[@clos1764]

Once it's tuned, how often should I re-tune?

[@Stephen-carr]

Always 1.5 or less. 2 or higher will burn finals out. And fir those talking about being in open field to set. No your not getting a false signal. You checking reflection from the radio to its exit Lots of ants are adjustable. Fire stick Wilson and more. Now here is my thing. When we are wheeling we are in the woods many times away from cell signal. So why go cheap with what could end up being a life line. Buy a good radio. Something with power. My preference in radios is galaxy's. Any 2 digit galaxy can be putting out over 100 watts easy. My galaxy 47hp is putting 250 out. Match that with a good antenna again preference but I run browning, and peaked and tuned system can talk 20 plus miles on a bad day. Thus giving you a chance to radio for help. But thats just me. I'm old school CB radio and trucker with alot of them laying around lol.

[@mikehartmann5187]

This is not a rule and people installing a CB radio should follow the manufacturers recommendations for SWR limits. 2::1 SWR is typically ok for a good quality rig in terms of not damaging final power transistors so long as you are not continuously transmitting for long periods of time. However, anything above 1:1 SWR.means not all the power is getting to the antenna. The goal should always be to minimize your SWR to as close to 1:1 as possible in order to maximize the power output of the radio. CB power output in the USA is restricted to 4 watts AM and 12 Watts “PEP” for SSB. 100 Watts output in the USA is illegal, though the chances of being caught by the FCC are slim to none unless you somehow draw attention to yourself - like bragging about breaking the law on social media for example......

[@elesjuan]

A very smart man I know always says... "if it's under 10:1, call CQ!" -.-. --.- -.-. --.-

[@Stephen-carr]

Mike Hartmann 4 watts is dead key. 40 watts is what the reg limits it at and hardly enforced unless you start going into restricted frequencies

[@Stephen-carr]

Mike Hartmann and yes 2 swr will burn out a good quality radio final out in less than a year with normal use

[@mikehartmann5187]

Stephen Carr - not that I am infallible, far from it, but I offer this up not to be confrontational but to educate. As far as I can see from searching the interweb, the below is the current US Federal regulation: § 95.967 CBRS transmitter power limits. Each CBRS transmitter type must be designed such that the transmitter power can not exceed the following limits: (a) When transmitting amplitude modulated (AM) voice signals, the mean carrier power must not exceed 4 Watts. (b) When transmitting single sideband (SSB) voice signals, the peak envelope power must not exceed 12 Watts. If you have a more recent version of the CFR that says something different, please share it with us.

[@davidbrooks4285]

CB tuning or Antenna tuning🧐🧐🧐

[@anthonyp2544]

I beleive Its reflected not reference.

[@LostEmt]

How bout a vid on how your buddy did his seat in the back?

[@the0prynce]

Shout out to your buddies Daniel Bryan shirt

[@rafp4502]

Tunning a CB radio inside a building… wow

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

Never knew how to do this. Doesn't look hard at all

[@bjleis809]

Inside a building??

[@zducer]

inside the garage. LOL

[@joegates1193]

Your antenna looked to be to long. Remember: if SWR is higher on 1, gotta lengthen some; if SWR is higher on 40, you gotta make it shorty SWR 1 > swr 40

[@southgajeeepers2416]

If I knew what a fire stick was it would help know what the f is going on. Is that some type of amplifier or something

[@bleepinjeep]

Antennae brand

[@claja28]

REF = reflected power what gets reflected does not get out the antenna

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

Yep it just starts to burn up your radio because there is nowhere for it to go.

[@Pioneer936]

Not true, reflected power is not all lost and does not burn up your radio

[@boiibee2851]

Can a SWR metre like this be used to tune a HF-UHF radio like we have in Australia?

[@mattlenz4187]

Boii Bee I would say yes. It will tune a ham or cb style radio. The only difference between a cb and a ham(HF-UHF) is the frequency you are running on.

[@mikehartmann5187]

Ok so hang on ... the answer may be no. These cheap SWR meters are likely tuned very narrowly to the US 11 meter band. So if Aussie CB is also on 11 meters, then yes it will work. It is very unlikely that this cheap SWR meter is broad-banded enough to give you accurate readings in the uhf spectrum & and I would say if you value your radio, don’t try it unless the specs for the SWR meter (aka SWR Bridge) say it will cover UHF frequencies.

[@mattlenz4187]

Mike Hartmann I would have to agree with you. I was just going on a “like this SWR meter”. Not sure where you are from, but I have took a ten meter ham radio and had it converted to run the cb band frequencies. I say this cause I live in Alabama in the USA.

[@michaelcanto6175]

Besides being in a wide open area, you're suppose to replace the rubber cap to get an accurate measurement guys...

[@1onegear]

The concept is correct. Everything else about the video is highly inaccurate.

[@dansharp8042]

The only thing I learned is you do not know how to set the swr on a radio.

[@stephenm6019]

standing wave RATIO.... not radio

[@mrkultra1655]

👍🏻

[@Pioneer936]

A low swr does not mean all your power is radiated

[@Mike_E_44]

I have the same antenna and I raised my screw all the way up and it's still at 3. What can I do after that?

[@CarterEdison777]

So is mine! Did you find a solution?

[@Mike_E_44]

@@CarterEdison777 I did actually. The bracket I mounted the antenna on was painted with bed liner type paint. I sanded the paint off on any part that contacted the antenna. It was perfect after that. Is your on a Jeep? Mine is on a Jeep and mounted on a bracket on my tailgate. Hope this helped.

[@CarterEdison777]

@@Mike_E_44 Thanks! I checked and I used an extra washer on the antenna side of the firestik-mount and it was touching the shaft causing the antenna to be grounded out. Now I got channel 20 pegged to the low side of my workman meter(1.3) and Ch40 & Ch1 at 23.0. Appreciate your input

[@Mike_E_44]

@@CarterEdison777 No problem. Glad it worked out!

[@nr3rful]

Did he really say "standing wave radio" ...?

[@StrainingDingelberry]

Idk if you knew but you aren’t suppose to do this inside. That was suppose to sound sarcastic.

[@bryan_9288]

You should really have the set under 1.5. The closer to 1 the better

[@Pioneer936]

Rubbish

[@W5KJD]

@@Pioneer936 Why?

[@paulm0hpd319]

​@@W5KJDbecause swr doesn't determine efficiency, a 10.1 swr can be just efficient if using open wire and matched at the transmitter

[@OldRancher]

Don't adjust inside a garage :-/ and put the cap back on it then re-check

[@serg7861]

Gotta get outside

[@fishhead6349]

Am I the only one that noticed dude adjusting tightened the lengthening screw back in about 2 turns before he realized and tightened lock nut? Oops! Lol

[@andrewchavalia5839]

Your swr is still crap check it again in an open area not the garage.

[@truckinglife7199]

1.1- 1.3 is perfect 1.4- 1.5 barely acceptable.

[@jeffsheets9389]

I want to be an expert ❤️

[@arconeagain]

You better hit the books then. This guy hasn't.

[@robcoffin2587]

open area needed.lol

[@ricdonato4328]

Oh wow, how cool are you with a backwards hat? D'oh, a backward hat looks goofy as hell. Also, the sun leaves that weird sun tan on your forehead. Not-right-bright.

[@bobmclemore]

You're inside a metal building it's not going to work great at all you can be out in the open away from metal structures

[@llxranger01]

Maybe shouldn’t do it in your garage. Going to get an entire different reading when in real world.

[@bucktadlock5258]

I hope you know you did everything wrong, if you read those instructions it'll tell you to go to a huge open area with no tree's and no powerlines to set swr, people please dont do it like this guy, your radio will be doomed to die,

[@user-ix9sm9kt5p]

inside a garage .... no good

[@weswilliams6107]

So many things wrong.

[@Pioneer936]

Myths are spread like this 👍