Update

[Awz1287]

OK thanks.

The antenna came with both a gasket and an o-ring. The instructions say to use one or the other not both. What one should I use?
I'm figuring the gasket would make for a better seal. What's the reason for using the o-ring instead?

 

[mmckenna]

OK thanks.

The antenna came with both a gasket and an o-ring. The instructions say to use one or the other not both. What one should I use?
I'm figuring the gasket would make for a better seal. What's the reason for using the o-ring instead?

I've always used the gasket on those sorts of bases. Good question on the O-ring. I'd have to think about why you'd use the O-ring over the gasket, maybe if the base was small enough, like on one of the base station adapters.

A good habit to get in is taking the antenna off every month or so, maybe when/if you wash the truck. Cleaning under the gasket is a good idea, and making a visual inspection of the NMO mount to make sure water is staying out. I usually use some Armor-All on the gaskets now and then, just to keep them looking good. You can also use some Armor-All on the coil base.
I occasionally go as far as to remove the whip can clean the end and the innards of the cone and set screw assembly. Sometimes water can wick down inside. While not a problem, keeping it all clean just makes me feel better.

 

[Awz1287]

I am finally almost finished with the installation. The antenna is in, all that is left is the finishing touches. That will have to wait till next weekend.

I added pictures to the link:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3Z6oG2et7q-Uk83SDFHeFplTkE

Let me know how it looks.

I have a few questions.
1. Is it normal to get static when you tap/move the coax?

2. Does the bottom of the mount look sanded enough for proper ground?

3. The swr readings show up as under 1.5 for channel 1 and 19. And just over 1.5 for channel 40. Is this good or should I try to get it lower? This is with the external meter, the built in meter says 1 for all three channels.

4. How does the rf gain work with this radio? It isn't like other radios I have dealt with, which have a knob to adjust it. This just has a button, when pressed it just toggles the word "local" on the display. The instructions don't mention how to use it.

5. The squelch has to be turned up about half way to not get static. Is that normal?

6. Should I do any test to make sure everything is installed/grounded properly? I used a multimeter to test the vehicle grounds on the negative and radio chassis grounding.

 

[kf4eyr]

#1 where are you moving tapping the coax at?
#2 i couldnt tell by the pic,,
#3 that is about the best you can get for that setup,,, any lower and i would suspect a bad meter or something odd,, i have had bad coax give me 1.1 to 1 and still it was bad,,,
#4 rf gain is so you can control signals coming in,, on most radios turn it up to listen to far away or if some one is close turn it down,, in your case local if someone is close and distance for further away,,
#5that is normal,, most cbers dont use the squelch because distance sometimes wont break the squelch,,, persoanlly i have doing cb for 42 years and the hiss is something i have got used to ,,i dont even use squelch,,
#6 does radio power up? no smoke? i would take coax loose turn radio on do not key it if radio lights up that is good that means radio is not getting ground thru antenna,,,,be sure to replace coax before you key up,,,you said you tested with swr meter,, sounds like you are ready to go,,,,

 

[Awz1287]

#1 where are you moving tapping the coax at?

Behind the radio, the first few feet of coax that connects to the back of the radio.. At first I was just adjusting the coax routing behind the radio. I noticed as I moved the coax, the radio would break squelch for a quick second, once every once in a while. So I experimented with taping the coax. And it was doing the same thing.

 

[kf4eyr]

is fitting tight? is the coax in fitting good? might be shorting in the pl259,,

 

[mmckenna]

I am finally almost finished with the installation. The antenna is in, all that is left is the finishing touches. That will have to wait till next weekend.

I added pictures to the link:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3Z6oG2et7q-Uk83SDFHeFplTkE

Let me know how it looks.

Looks good! I know you've put a lot of thought and effort into this. I understand it's hard to drill that first hole, but I'm betting you are glad you've done it right. The second NMO mount is a lot easier once you get your first out of the way.
Rest easy knowing you've done it 100% correctly and didn't cut any corners. You didn't use consumer grade CB antennas, you have a professional antenna mounted properly, and it looks to me like you did it all correctly.

I have a few questions.
1. Is it normal to get static when you tap/move the coax?

No, it probably shouldn't be doing that. It'd help if you told us where you were tapping it when it happens. If it's near the antenna connector on your radio, you'd need to check your connector install.

2. Does the bottom of the mount look sanded enough for proper ground?

Yes, looks fine. You actually shouldn't need to sand the sheet metal. The underside of the NMO mount, where the cable leads in, has teeth that will bite into the sheet metal when you tighten it down. Since it's pretty common to not be able to get to the underside of the mount in most cases, the bases are designed for this. It won't hurt that you sanded it, but it wasn't necessary if everything is tightened down properly.

3. The swr readings show up as under 1.5 for channel 1 and 19. And just over 1.5 for channel 40. Is this good or should I try to get it lower? This is with the external meter, the built in meter says 1 for all three channels.

You could chase it a bit, but no one would be able to hear the difference. I'd be happy with that.

5. The squelch has to be turned up about half way to not get static. Is that normal?

That's a good sign. If it's getting a strong signal, it's normal to have to crank up the squelch to cut out the crap.

6. Should I do any test to make sure everything is installed/grounded properly? I used a multimeter to test the vehicle grounds on the negative and radio chassis grounding.

Sure. Remove the antenna and disconnect the radio.
1. Check for continuity from the center pin of the mount to the center pin on the connector. There should be continuity. If there isn't, you've probably got a bad connection on the radio end of the coax.
2. Check for continuity between the outer ring of the NMO mount to the outer shell of the connector. There should be continuity. If there isn't, check the connector on the radio end of the coax.
3. Check for continuity between the center pin of the NMO mount and the outer ring of the NMO mount. There should NOT be continuity. If there is, there's a short circuit between the shield and the center conductor, probably in the connector at the radio end of the coax.

Important thing to do is to remove the antenna and disconnect the radio. These antennas are "DC grounded", which means if you check for continuity at the radio end of the coax with the antenna installed, you'll see a short circuit. This is normal, but it would throw off the testing.

If you really get stuck and the issue is in the connector, don't be to proud to take it to a radio shop and get them to crimp on a new connector for you. It's easy to make a mistake on these.

 

[Awz1287]

Looks good! I know you've put a lot of thought and effort into this. I understand it's hard to drill that first hole, but I'm betting you are glad you've done it right. The second NMO mount is a lot easier once you get your first out of the way.
Rest easy knowing you've done it 100% correctly and didn't cut any corners. You didn't use consumer grade CB antennas, you have a professional antenna mounted properly, and it looks to me like you did it all correctly.




No, it probably shouldn't be doing that. It'd help if you told us where you were tapping it when it happens. If it's near the antenna connector on your radio, you'd need to check your connector install.



Yes, looks fine. You actually shouldn't need to sand the sheet metal. The underside of the NMO mount, where the cable leads in, has teeth that will bite into the sheet metal when you tighten it down. Since it's pretty common to not be able to get to the underside of the mount in most cases, the bases are designed for this. It won't hurt that you sanded it, but it wasn't necessary if everything is tightened down properly.



You could chase it a bit, but no one would be able to hear the difference. I'd be happy with that.



That's a good sign. If it's getting a strong signal, it's normal to have to crank up the squelch to cut out the crap.



Sure. Remove the antenna and disconnect the radio.
1. Check for continuity from the center pin of the mount to the center pin on the connector. There should be continuity. If there isn't, you've probably got a bad connection on the radio end of the coax.
2. Check for continuity between the outer ring of the NMO mount to the outer shell of the connector. There should be continuity. If there isn't, check the connector on the radio end of the coax.
3. Check for continuity between the center pin of the NMO mount and the outer ring of the NMO mount. There should NOT be continuity. If there is, there's a short circuit between the shield and the center conductor, probably in the connector at the radio end of the coax.

Important thing to do is to remove the antenna and disconnect the radio. These antennas are "DC grounded", which means if you check for continuity at the radio end of the coax with the antenna installed, you'll see a short circuit. This is normal, but it would throw off the testing.

If you really get stuck and the issue is in the connector, don't be to proud to take it to a radio shop and get them to crimp on a new connector for you. It's easy to make a mistake on these.

Thanks, I am happy with how the install went. I was nervous till the hole was done, But it wasn't as hard as I was thinking. I'm glad I went ahead and did it properly.
I will try those continuity tests.

The coax that I was touching was Behind the radio, the first few feet of coax that connects to the back of the radio. At first I was just adjusting the coax routing behind the radio. I noticed as I moved the coax, the radio would break squelch for a quick second, once every once in a while. So I experimented with taping the coax. And it was doing the same thing. The connection is the larsen factory fme connection, do you think it would be a bad connection from larsen? Or maybe the larsen fme to pl259 adaptor?

One more thing. How tight does the antenna have to be screwed down onto the mount?

 

[mmckenna]

The coax that I was touching was Behind the radio, the first few feet of coax that connects to the back of the radio. At first I was just adjusting the coax routing behind the radio. I noticed as I moved the coax, the radio would break squelch for a quick second, once every once in a while. So I experimented with taping the coax. And it was doing the same thing. The connection is the larsen factory fme connection, do you think it would be a bad connection from larsen? Or maybe the larsen fme to pl259 adaptor?

Do the continuity testing, that'll tell you whats going on. Could be a bad connector, could be a loose connection. Maybe try the continuity tests while someone is tweaking the coax to see if you can recreate the issue.

One more thing. How tight does the antenna have to be screwed down onto the mount?

Just tight enough so it doesn't move and the gasket seals. Hand tight is fine. Just make sure the NMO mount is tight.