SWR Meter Question

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InADream
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SWR Meter Question

#43217

Post by InADream »

Hey guys, first off great site I have learned a ton so far... Now on to the questions, and please bear with me...

I have a cheap midland 1001z radio in my truck right now, it has a fiberglass 4' antenna attached in the rear... I have installed 4 grounding straps throughout the truck right now and will be adding more...

My question is this, I want to go and purchase a PDC5 SWR Meter and antenna matcher, now first is that a good one.. Second do i have to leave that in-line while the system is setup to gain the benefits of it... Also is their a better one to get or is that good..

Now keep in mind I am going to be purchasing a new radio and all new stuff little by little... The radio was first meant for the woods and now i am getting into Cb's more and want a more powerful setup... I am going to take it step by step right now covering all of my bases... Please any info would be greatly appreciated....

Dream
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Mr RadioActive

#43220

Post by Mr RadioActive »

I personally think your wasting your money. Borrow a SWR meter from a pal, and get your antenna tuned. Save the $ and invest it in other items you may want to get later.

Tuner Boxes are a joke by PDC. First a single band radio (which you have) on a single band antenna (which you have) theres no need for a tuner. PDC boxes are very poor quality.
There are expensive tuners made by MFJ etc, but they are for multiband antennas on multibanded radios.
Get your SWR checked/set, and have fun! Otherwise save your $, for the next investment.
WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!!!!
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InADream
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#43224

Post by InADream »

Unfortunately, I have asked around and nobody that i know that has a CB has an swr meter. believe me i have tried... I dont mind spending the money for the meter just need to figure out which is the best way to do this.... I am going to be purchasing a cobra 25 or 29 ltd from sparkys already tuned and everything hopefully this week or next...

Will i still be OK with the antenna i have or am i going to need to upgrade that to a better one... I want to stay with the fiberglass antennas because the whips are a pain ( but i know they are good antennas) and dont want to go as high as wilson or predator (power wise)...

Also which SWR is the best bang for the buck... if the pdcs are a pain and worthless which would be a good one... Sorry for all the questions just want to get it right...

Dream
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rayray1963

#43228

Post by rayray1963 »

Go to Radio Shack and buy a swr meter and a short jumper coax, they will run you about $40.00 and are pretty good meters, use it to set your swr's and then remove it from the system. As Mr Radioactive stated you will be spending money that could be better invested if you buy a tuner. They are usely only used on base radios and you would have to have be Transmitting on more then one band, to make use of it. As far as whip antennas go a Wilson 1000 magnet mount will out prefrom any fiberglass antenna by 100 fold, and runs about $30.00, your TX/RX will be better and swr's easier to lower.

Welcome to the forum
Hope this helps......
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InADream
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#43256

Post by InADream »

Thanks Ray Ray, I will definitely be getting a swr meter this week.. Now the Wilson 1000 antenna, can those be used on a mirror mount or only on a magnet mount...
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lonestarbandit

#43259

Post by lonestarbandit »

ummm wilson 1000 for 30 bucks? ummmm WHERE!! i just paid 65 for a trunk lip mount 1000 and the mag mount was at least 10 dollars more....
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buzzyt517
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#43266

Post by buzzyt517 »

They can be used on mirror mount/ called the trucker mount

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rayray1963

#43373

Post by rayray1963 »

lonestarbandit wrote:
ummm wilson 1000 for 30 bucks? ummmm WHERE!! i just paid 65 for a trunk lip mount 1000 and the mag mount was at least 10 dollars more....

My bad....that was a typo...meant to say 60.00.....Check with the sponors here....let them know your a member and they will give you good deal....sorry for the error on my part.....The mirror mount is call a trucker 2000.....
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SmallTruckBigRadio

#43382

Post by SmallTruckBigRadio »

Think hard about the direction you want to go on a radio. Don't sell yourself short on features. Changed minds, and resale includes huge depreciation. Postpone buying anything until you build your system on the forum.

You might quickly find yourself wanting more features, like variable talkback, extra channels, frequency counter, and more powerful finals.

The Cobra 29 has on board SWR meter, but I'm not sure if it can be trusted.

Don't be scared of the better antennas like Wilson and Predator.
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