- A poor ground plane is of the cause of many high SWR issues. You should select a sound ground plane with an entire metal surface.
- It would be best to run the ground straps to as many parts of the vehicle’s chassis as possible. Your goal should be to keep them as short as possible.
- Improper installation and mounting of the antenna are other factors causing the problem. To avoid any ground loops, we advise you to mount the antenna exactly as instructed in the manual and ground every part of the CB system correctly.
- Use a voltage meter to determine the vehicle’s points that might hinder your system’s grounding, and then try to ground those parts to improve your ground plane.
- A damaged coaxial cable or PL-259 is a very common issue behind high antenna antenna SWR readings.
- A coax can get twisted, shorted, or pinched while routing through the vehicle. It might come damaged when buying from the market. Hence it is essential to check your coax cable thoroughly before purchasing. Use a 50-ohm coax for single antennas and a 75-ohm coax for dual antennas.
POOR CB ANTENNA MOUNTING LOCATIONS
If you have achieved an SWR reading somewhere between 2.0 and 3.0, your system needs to be tuned correctly and needs to be dialed in better.
Another major factor leading to such high SWR readings is the poor location for mounting your CB antenna. Your mounting location is a poor one if it has the following characteristics:
- I am keeping the antenna below the roofline.
- I kept it blocked or covered most of the time.
- Mounting the antenna too close to metal, the truck’s cab is a perfect example.
If your mounting location has these three characteristics, change it immediately.
Whip Length
IMake sure you are using the correct length whip.
If you have an SR-A10MM, the whip length should be 62″.
The SR-A10 Trucker uses a 49″ whip.
