Can’t get swr down on Channel 40

[bloggerstomper]

Boy am I in a pickle. I went ahead and installed my uniden 520xl on my truck.

This wasn’t a small feat. I had to desolder the faceplate from the body and solder it via wires to the body.
Once that stupid feat of stupidity was finalized, I installed it in its hopefully permanent home, and proceeded to try and tune it.

I got a too loaded firestik antenna with the tunable tip on it, and I just can’t get the swr below 3 on channel 40.
Channel 1 is at 1, but I can’t get the antenna any shorter!
Do I have a bad antenna ground? Are the swr gods smiting me for my insolence?

Any help would be appreciated!

[jessejamesdallas]

What kind of truck, and where are you mounting the antennas?

If it were me...I would just go with one antenna...allot less headache tunning.

[bloggerstomper]

Thank you for your reply!
It’s a toyota tacoma. And I’m only using one antenna. It’s on a beacket in between the cab and the bed

[Bozo]

Well said @jessejamesdallas! One antenna is better in this case.

What kind of truck, and where are you mounting the antennas?

If it were me...I would just go with one antenna...allot less headache tunning.

Hello @bloggerstomper
I had the same issue with my Chevy Silverado and I tried to mount the antenna off the truck bed above the cab. I ended up having to drilling a hole in my cab to get the SWRs down. You can see in the low image where I tried to mount it just behind the cab, but there just wasn't enough reflect. Need that ground plane!!!

[jessejamesdallas]

Thank you for your reply!
It’s a toyota tacoma. And I’m only using one antenna. It’s on a beacket in between the cab and the bed

maybe the choice of antennas, or maybe your mount isn't grounded enough...(I'm leaning towards it being the antenna just picking up too much reflect or just not a tall enough antenna)

Here's my Tacoma with a Monkey Made "Big John" antenna...SWR 1.0-1.1 across the band.


Same truck, only with a Predator 10K...SWR still 1.0 to 1.1

[bloggerstomper]

Thank you @jessejamesdallas and @Bozo
I have a top loaded firestick antenna.
I think I’m going to dig deeper to get some better reception!

[Bozo]

Thank you @jessejamesdallas and @Bozo
I have a top loaded firestick antenna.
I think I’m going to dig deeper to get some better reception!

@bloggerstomper
You're welcome

[bloggerstomper]

@Bozo also, I would love to see more about your antenna mount’ where/how did you get that?

[Bozo]

@Bozo also, I would love to see more about your antenna mount’ where/how did you get that?

It's called a stargun antenna made by Troy tullos. I don't think he's still making them.
Now I'm using monkeymade antenna. Made by Mike.


Fun fact. I built both their websites. Neither website is still up though. I think

[bloggerstomper]

@Bozo also, I would love to see more about your antenna mount’ where/how did you get that?

It's called a stargun antenna made by Troy tullos. I don't think he's still making them.
Now I'm using monkeymade antenna. Made by Mike.


Fun fact. I built both their websites. Neither website is still up though. I think

Oh!
I meant the mount on the tacoma that extends behind the cab

[Bozo]

The Tacoma is @jessejamesdallas ride. Jesse does look like a clown also so I can understand how you got us confused with each other.


Mine is the Silverado. Mount on mine was costum job by Troy.

[bloggerstomper]

The Tacoma is @jessejamesdallas ride. Jesse does look like a clown also so I can understand how you got us confused with each other.


Mine is the Silverado. Mount on mine was costum job by Troy.

Oooops! Too many wobbly pops
Question stands tho!

[MDYoungblood]

The issue is a capacitance problem because of location. It probably could be solved by bringing the mount closer to the cab height like you see in Jesse’s Tacoma pics. If this can’t be done then try a quality center loaded antenna like Jesse’s or similar, say a hustler 27q, Amazon has them.
@Bozo, I wish Troy was still around, he made some of the weirdest looking antennas I’ve ever saw and most of them actually worked well.

3’s

Greg

[jessejamesdallas]

Troy Built were Tinker-Toy antennas...least thats what they looked like!

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Post Merge Complete

Added 17 hours 23 minutes 20 seconds after previous.

@Bozo also, I would love to see more about your antenna mount’ where/how did you get that?

It's called a stargun antenna made by Troy tullos. I don't think he's still making them.
Now I'm using monkeymade antenna. Made by Mike.


Fun fact. I built both their websites. Neither website is still up though. I think

Oh!
I meant the mount on the tacoma that extends behind the cab

It's just some scrap 1" square tubing and cut up pieces of angle iron I had lying around the house I made the riser out of...(you can get it at Home Depot)

Originally I had the coax running in the middle of the tube, but last time I replaced the coax I got lazy and just used some plastic tie straps to hold it down.




Built this about 4 or 5 years ago, and been using it ever since with no problems...I didn't want to drill holes in the roof on this truck, which is why I went with this...It puts the antenna "roof-high" so there's no reflect from the cab.

[bloggerstomper]

Now it’s doing this fun thing!

[jessejamesdallas]

Now it’s doing this fun thing!

most likely that problem has to do with dissecting the radio and reassembling it to install it like you wanted...

high swr won't cause a radio to do what yours is doing...something didn't go back together right.

[Bozo]

Looks like the radio is possessed. LoL

Merry Christmas

[bloggerstomper]

Now it’s doing this fun thing!

most likely that problem has to do with dissecting the radio and reassembling it to install it like you wanted...

high swr won't cause a radio to do what yours is doing...something didn't go back together right.

Yeah…
It’s a Christmas miracle! Not…
Oh well… back to the drawing board