Uniden Pro 538W Question
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DOGHOUSE
- Mud-Duck Sr.
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Jun 19 2011, 20:41
- Real Name: Phil Daniel
- Antenna: Firestik II
- Radio: Uniden Bearcat Pro
- Contact:
Uniden Pro 538W Question
Hey Fellow CBer's, I am not sure if I have a problem with my Uniden Pro 538 or not. I am using a Firestik II on my motorhome. I have a SWR of 1.5:1 on channels 1 and 40. Most of the other channels are flat out 0 when keyed. My digital meter on the radio goes into the red when keyed on any channel, yet my SWR meter shows about 10 Watts ouput when keyed. Does this sound right? Also, if I don't ground the braid side of the coax at the antenna (antenna mount is grounded to motorhome framework) I can't get the SWR out of the red zone on the SWR meter. I don't know if I am getting out or not as I can't seem to make contact with anyone. I read somewhere that you are absolutely not supposed to ground the antenna end of the coax on a NGP antenna but that is the only way I can get a decent SWR. Would appreciate any input. Please PM with any replies.
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Night Crawler
- Wordwide & Qualified
- Posts: 3,836
- Joined: May 15 2007, 09:03
- Contact:
The Firestik 2 IS NOT a NGP antenna and does require a metallic ground plane which your motorhome supplies so the shield of the coax needs to be grounded which you've done.
It seems that the antenna is tuned properly with the swr readings that your getting and I would disregard the readings on the digital rf meter on the radio since it shows only relative output and with an internal adjustment make inside the radio you can get it to read anything you want.
The length of that antenna is only 2ft so I wouldn't expect it to perform that well most likely that's the cause for you not able to make any contacts.
I'm sure if you were to use a better antenna length wise you would see a dramatic improvement in your reception and transmission range.
It seems that the antenna is tuned properly with the swr readings that your getting and I would disregard the readings on the digital rf meter on the radio since it shows only relative output and with an internal adjustment make inside the radio you can get it to read anything you want.
The length of that antenna is only 2ft so I wouldn't expect it to perform that well most likely that's the cause for you not able to make any contacts.
I'm sure if you were to use a better antenna length wise you would see a dramatic improvement in your reception and transmission range.
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DOGHOUSE
- Mud-Duck Sr.
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Jun 19 2011, 20:41
- Real Name: Phil Daniel
- Antenna: Firestik II
- Radio: Uniden Bearcat Pro
- Contact:
Thanks NightCrawler----I am getting ready to order a new antenna right now. Since my RV roof is metal I am going to order a mag mount, probably a K30 or Little Wil. I am also having a problem with engine noise. The radio even picks up the noise of the buzzer if I open the driver door with the keys in the ignition. I tried a noise filter and it did nothing. When engine if off radio is quiet except for the usual atmospheric noise.
