Uniden bearcat 980 insane swr.

[slowmover]

With no test equipment you could unscrew the antenna and place the center pin of the PL259 on the radio end to the + terminal of the battery and see if it sparks, which it should not. Then place the ground ring of the PL259 at the radio end to the + side of the battery and it should smoke the coax. If it does, at least your antenna mount and coax used to be in good shape.

BTW, the antenna mount in the pictures looks like a Wilson, which is one of the biggest POS mounts I've encountered. The PL259 side doesn't use a regular connector and the center pin of your coax connector simply jams up into a Allen head cap screw with nothing to grip the center pin. It may not be the current problem but I would swap that out with another SO239 to 3/8 adapter. One of the best I've seen lately is the Sirio version here. SIRIO Heavy Duty 3/8-24 female / UHF-female (SO-239) Adaptor | eBay

That one is still under backorder. It’s not a filled connector.

This one looks better built. ROAD PRO RP-302Max

Amazon.com


Similar

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HH42H0M/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

 

[wjm1129]

I had one of those and couldn't get it tight. The insulator would slide inside the housing.

 

[slowmover]

I had one of those and couldn't get it tight. The insulator would slide inside the housing.

If I find the second listing (Pro Trucker) I’ll give them a try.

Here’s another candidate
Super Heavy-Duty CB Antenna Stud

And
CB Antenna stud mount Heavy Duty Right Angle - Original Small Version

Improved
CB Antenna stud mount Heavy Duty Right Angle

 

[prcguy]

Or as you tighten it the insulation inside the connector gets squished and eventually can short out the connector. Those mounts are ok for very short and light antennas but anything longer than about 3ft needs something stronger.

I had one of those and couldn't get it tight. The insulator would slide inside the housing.

 

[slowmover]

I’m game for quality. Just haven’t found it.

The Predator stud I’m using has an insufficient rubber insulator. I’ll try replacing that with something better.

 

[slowmover]

https://www.amazon.com/Sirio-SO-239...keywords=Sirio+Antenna&qid=1675320660&sr=8-42

Amazon.com

 

[slowmover]

SIRIO P/N: 2508106.00
Antenna Adaptor




GOT IT

DNJ RADIO
Sirio CB-HDS Heavy Duty 3/8 to SO 239 Adaptor

16mm or 13mm hole looks like (call)

 

[slowmover]

Cheaper than the feedpoint choke I’m using

Harvest RWSU Radio Wave Stabilizer- SO 239

 

[slowmover]

This to turn coax towards hood opening (manufacturer quality)

AMPHENOL

Amphenol RF 83-1AP UHF Right Angle Coaxial Adapters - Free Shipping on Most Orders Over $99 at DX Engineering

 

[slowmover]

Backed to a grocery warehouse dock door last five (5) hours. Accomplished something during the wait finding stud!

Stuck two (2) days in below-zero western Nebraska while IH80 was closed across Wyoming for four (4) days — with a thousand other trucks in NE & UT— got DSP Speaker moved, and dialed SWR down to 1.5:1 or so with KL-203 on 20. CH 1 still a tad higher than 40, so new stud and some more bonding hopefully help.

.

 

[slowmover]

Still wanting to try these in cophase. I’ve a selection of shafts at home, so the experiment may one day get started.

Sirio Performer 5000 3/8 10m & CB Mobile Trucker Antenna



You’ll never guess which antenna stud is recommended.

Beefing up the mount really ought to come first.

More low-key than a pair of Kales’ PREDATORS (stand out on your truck tempting thieves).

20” shorter than a 102” and without the high-speed gyrations. Tall enough to come close to clearing the trailer top.

Potentially, this DIY TLC vid one of the very few contributions to CB by Hard Drive:

..

 

[prcguy]

A choke like this will do pretty much nothing at CB frequencies, zero, nada. A single ferrite bead of #31 mix will have about 150 ohms of impedance at 27MHz and you need at least 500 ohms to notice anything and even that will do very little. The high performance chokes from MyAntennas and maybe Palomar will have over 10,000 ohms choking impedance and upwards of 15,000 for the MyAntennas version.

Cheaper than the feedpoint choke I’m using

Harvest RWSU Radio Wave Stabilizer- SO 239

View attachment 135578

 

[slowmover]

A choke like this will do pretty much nothing at CB frequencies, zero, nada. A single ferrite bead of #31 mix will have about 150 ohms of impedance at 27MHz and you need at least 500 ohms to notice anything and even that will do very little. The high performance chokes from MyAntennas and maybe Palomar will have over 10,000 ohms choking impedance and upwards of 15,000 for the MyAntennas version.

Keeping as much outside the vehicle is the right approach. Something beats nothing even if the offering could be bettered.

I agree about effectiveness. Why the MYANTENNAS item is on my short list.

For a truck driver even cheap DIY toroid chokes are a help at the antenna feedpoint. Whatever you can afford, try it.

Build or buy: x2 this is where I started five years back on cophase. Wrapped the excess coax at the ring per formula.

Pre-made

Jumper Chokes - Antenna Products - Palomar Engineers®

The MyAntennas choke at the transceiver end of the coax harness will do the most, granted. Where to fit it for the install is the usual problem (hooks over upper edge of windshield console plastic, zip tied is my guess). A pair of quality 3’ coax jumpers.

Big trucks are awesomely noisy. Keep at it.
.

 

[slowmover]

Sitting due to the weather disaster up north on the Plains.

1). Added an RF Bond around lower part of stud to a mount bolt itself bonded to truck metal with some braid. Used thrust washer bearings to hold braid against outer coax shell.

This put SWR to where it’s now slightly higher on 40 than on 1. Near/around 1.5 or so.

Will move tractor out to middle of yard after dark to move tuning nail down a bit. Sure enough, a touch more “quiet” in the receive after this latest piece of braid.


2). Used the 86V on the bunk with external speaker to again test (4) different mics, but, sort of as expected, the Astatic 636 is still winner by a slight margin.


3). Audio & power for W-M DSP Speaker are up to 14’, will have to have them at 20’ it looks like to have best out-of-the-way routing.


4). Now time to shorten the POS, and lengthen the NEG main power. Best routing.


— The above done it’ll be easier to build custom replacements of best length & type once at home.


Where I’m parked doesn’t ever have much local chatter on AM-19. But I found some locals on the lower channels to balance out SQ & RF. Mobile & Base. It’s flat not easy to find what works for hearing local without being overwhelmed by Skip.

— Except those screwing up AM-19, it’s fun to hear those enjoying Skip, and to hear talk of local problems from hundreds of miles away.

.

 

[slowmover]

Rebuilt the TAC-Comm Radio Carrier third time. Each component shown fitted to its own bracket. Other items bolted or zip-tied plus industrial Velcro.

— Added Morgan 411cb Bandpass Filter (always surprised how well this works).

— Three (3) new coax jumpers and some coax andapters after making a 100-mile roundtrip to Ham Radio Outlet in Plano. Also some POWERWERX Andersen PowerPole supply was needed. (Hard to get out of Santa’s Workshop and not have burned $300).

— A new MFJ 945e Mobile Tuner added. Dead flat SWR now (antenna mount and RF Bonding not yet ideal).

— Space created for MyAntenhas CMC-130k Choke (still need to order).

— Better antenna stud prior to ordering SIRIO pair.

In a rural area, hash is gone. With the exception of late afternoon (and especially in metros), it’s layers of voices, overall.

Guess I’ll try the PRESIDENT Lincoln II+ again that I’ve had two years now. (The new DIGIMIKE is said to be a good addition).

I have my doubts about listening to a “digital” radio all day based on that earlier big truck use, but the level of quiet achieved with the current radio rig is greater than previous configurations thus makes it worth the experiment (again).

 

[slowmover]

DIAMOND ANTENNA MAT-50

Diamond antenna MAT 50 For 7 to 50 MHz band Magnet earth sheet | eBay

HRO had these then dropped them. Figure they’ll be a worthy addition as the lower windshield is a big metal plate. If so, then some DIY with copper flashing type material and refrigerator magnet sheet to make a pair for both antenna mounts as that’s a non-flexing RF Bond.

 

[slowmover]

Above idea per @prcguy

Post in thread 'Why is my antenna analyzer lying to me?'
Why is my antenna analyzer lying to me?

The Big Truck Problem is mainly the antenna mount(s) with factory or aftermarket mounts at the side mirror mount or on that arm (Cascadia, former, T680, latter; 579 has several types).

The antenna is alongside the body, not atop any mass of metal, per se.

RF Bond isn’t easy. Composite body, so bonds not excessively long to connect to the metal structure under the skin is the game past doors, exhaust & cab/sleeper to frame (air-ride isolation).

Thinking of a long roll of copper flashing to connect port & starboard antenna mounts along the windshield base (steel) mounted on mag material.

Correction to post above: mount is on the door, so a short run of braid to the flashing from a ring connector.

Diamond Antenna MAT-50


@prcguy example

 

[slowmover]

Shown with Palomar Engineers feedpoint choke; Hustler Q/D since removed; PROCOMM stud added; Skipshooter 7’ topload antenna on PROCOMM 4C tilting mount (3-bolts + spacer replacing OEM.

Windshield base is accessible thru cosmetic panel (“Cascadia” call-out).

At this early stage was running a single braid bond to same base as in above. Door hinges jumped. (Have added another bond since).

The MFJ-945e makes dialing-in VSWR a breeze . . but those door mounts are a distinctly limiting factor.

Glad winter is over even in the northern reaches of our runs. Corrosive salt season pretty much ended. (Have to take it all apart anyway).

Will be back home in a few days to give this HF aid a try.

.

 

[slowmover]

A big truck is a pretty decent test of a mobile tuner for CB Radio. While there’s not really a replacement for “best ground” (bond) for the antenna mount, a mobile tuner gets that last bit squared away for things behind the tuner once the mount is best as can be.

The problem for most of us (truck drivers) is that these trucks are a bear to get right and that they aren’t ours (ownership) to do as we please. Experimentation yields results, and it’s never-ending.

Try it if you want . . it’s not the miracle wanted by most. It’s a piece of insurance given one wants to keep slogging along. Like a BPF, it’s a help (a surprise).

The MFJ instructions are more than adequate, and the first vid adds perspective on the what/why. Least inductance is the path I’ve used.

.

 

[slowmover]

Problems with the DX-959 have sidelined it for now. The President Lincoln now in the saddle. (Digi Mike needed).

DIGIMIKE - Accessories - President Electronics

DIGIMIKE - Accessories

president-electronics.us

Not convinced the receiver is as good, (and miss the audio tone controls), but there’s something to be said for a “modern” radio. Ham Radio, Jr is a much more capable unit versus being a dedicated 11M rig.

I need to come up with a stationary antenna to better utilize it.



Skip problems most days make differentiating local from distant difficult. That the Linc tends to make everyone sound the same volume level now has its place since I can’t use the 4-Types of RX guide. Comes to a form of clarity.

The chain hardware stores had no copper sheet rolls (6” x 10’ looks about right), so that job shelved for now.

New power cord in. Have to R&R the distribution panel (will jumper to 4005 RigRunner) due to crowding. Need five outlets, not four plus input. Built a Y-connector for two lowest power draw items, but this makes for a rats nest behind the Tac-Comm RC.

If not mentioned above, component case grounds to Neg side of panel worked out.

Have second antenna mount (broke an older one) and second 6’ Skipshooter to work a pair of those cophase. Running a BELDEN/AMPHENOL harness will be some work, however.

More bonds to do so brought along that supply bag.

A second word of thanks for using the cross-needle MFJ-945e. Any changes made — or road vibrations loosening things — show up immediately. (It’s the antenna system beyond it now needs the work).

That, and making new power lines for items in T-C Radio Carrier to keep them “inside” to the greatest extent. (Quick disconnect from Power & Coax to move the R-C off of passenger seat).

.