CB Radio issue - help please?

[Gary Stockton]

I know there are some radio fundis here - I've a President Walker CB that's doing strange stuff - I can hear folk fine but can't broadcast very far ver checked SWR and its almost off the scale. Antenna is fine - same reading using another, tuned antenna, and earth is good too. We extended the antenna length and it made pretty much no difference ...

So - any thoughts anyone? All radio settings seem to be fine and it's not been opened and 'fiddled' with ;-)

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I'd say there's a problem with the cable, plugs or mount, unless you've swapped it for another e.g. mag mount with the same result in which case maybe it's where you're putting them? Maybe someone at your local radio club has an antenna analyser you can use to see what's going on instead of relying on your CB which won't like it and might get damaged if there is a fault...

 

[Gary Stockton]

We used a SWR for load and power and multi-meter for resistance and earth so it seems coax and antenna is ok (but more checks needed -agreed) but no matter what we did it was off the scale. Mounted to proper mount on ARB bumper so a bit concerned radio may be fubared.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

A multimeter will detect some obvious DC conditions like a broken wire or dead short but there are all kinds of RF problems it won't detect unfortunately so I still say cable, plugs or mount are faulty. Do you still have your mag mount? If so, hook that up and see what happens. Whatever's wrong may have damaged the radio, depends what's wrong, but if you are getting full deflection of the needle on the SWR meter that suggests it is still pumping out RF so should be ok at the moment.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Cheers Jon - l'll check it on th

 

[Gary Stockton]

Sorry - will check on a mag mount and get my own SWR meter on it too (got to get one).

TBH thinking of dumping it and the Kenwood VHF and getting a Yaesu 857D and wide banding it

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

The 857D's are a nice radio, bit fiddly, but will only cost you an arm and a leg not both arms and both legs no comment on the wide banding

 

[Gary Stockton]

cheaper than an icom though!!