Galaxy dx55hp set up troubles

[bh3048]

Good evening!

I have searched on here and the internet and have not found the answers to my question. Found plenty of troubleshooting that all pretty much say the same. I have followed them and am still not sure what my issue is.

Equipment:
Galaxy DX55HP
Steel whip & spring
Mirror mount mounted to the inside of the bed rail.

The issue:
This all worked two trucks ago, did not put it in my previous one. Decided to stick it in my new one last week. During tunning, with the use of a DMM, I found my coax to be bad. Swapped it out and got the SWR down 1.5 and 1.5/2 (using the meter on the radio itself). Went on a little trip up Interstate 40 and would occasionally pick up some chatter but it would quickly go away and was usually not understandable. So first red flag, I know CB is not as popular these days but there had to be more talking going on, or so I would think)

Today I finally met up with a friend and tried to see if I get out. Comes across a solid beep followed by my roger beep, no voice. My power meter hardly moves up while trying to transmit. Now he did mention that he thinks his system has issues as well so this information may be skewed.

Troubleshooting so far:
I believe my ground is good at the antenna, to be sure I added a ground strap to a bolt that goes to the frame rail.
All parts are there, including the little plastic isolator (its on top of the mount)
I've checked the new coax and the entire antenna system with a Dmm.
I ran power straight off the battery (was a cigarette plug) to eliminate that.

Next steps:
Going to see if a local truck stop has a SWR meter so I can confirm the meter on the radio is correct.
I did order a new antenna (coax and everything) as I am adding a bed cover and will have to remove the whip. It should be in next Friday. In theory that should help narrow it down to being a radio issue or I really suck at mounting and connecting coax.

So, thoughts? am I looking at an issue in the antenna system or is it inside my radio? maybe the mic?

I found a local shop on Facebook. His most recent post was about not having time to help people who can't help themself. So I'd like to have somewhat of an idea before calling him if it is indeed a radio issue and not set up.

 

[DeeEx]

What mic?

Could be as simple as a power mic with a dead battery.

Is the mic pinout correct for the radio?

Have you tried with Roger beep both on and off?

 

[slowmover]

Antenna mount is the usual culprit of where to start?

Pics of that would be good. Show details if different angles needed.

Can get you sorted at this subforum as you evince organizational mindset.

Radio is a List of Lists.

The install guide and intro to terms (which you will research on encountering them) is here:

KØBG.COM

A Web Site For Mobile Amateur Radio Operators

www.k0bg.com

— FWIW, there’s almost always something to be heard in daylight hours since a year ago due to Skip (see solar propagation). We’re in tne upswing of a cycle at present.

The biggest change in CB radios in fifty years are the NRC-integrated circuit board radios released starting last year. This is strongly recommended once antenna & power systems are sorted for best performance.

2023 Best Mobile CB

Via mobile experience as an OTR truck driver. Several thousand hours annual use. Earlier references to the Qixiang factory’s new circuit board elsewhere. Several brands. The above possibly the best known example at present. Paired with the equally new Driver Extreme DRX-9010 External Speaker...

forums.radioreference.com

I’d rather recommend to you that best antenna location with a shorter antenna of right quality will be a somewhat better performer than where you are with what you have.

An NMO34b + W640 whip (search those discussions; this may be best performance/longevity combo with a low-key appearance):




or (below) a BREEDLOVE mount with a SIRIO 5000 which will outperform a 102” whip mounted off-center.



Anyone who’ll run a quarter-wave won’t be put off by what’s pictured. (Antenna comes in slightly different configurations).

You “can” run a 102 on a proper bed rail mount if that’s the dream.

Get what you have working adequately, first, if emotionally invested.

Plan a better set of systems to enjoy what high performance can bring, later.

I don’t expect others to do as I did (below). But I wanted best location as the start so as to cut the burden of trying to find performance. And I can run any of a dozen antennas of different sizes & designs.



Antenna over center of mass of metal.

Make that the choice and the rest is easier (and there’s layers of details pertaining beyond it which is why k0bg linked above).

It’s fairly easy to get heard. It’s another thing altogether to have great ears.

— None of your acquaintances or CB shop techs know what the hell this truly means. Take that for granted, if high performance mobile CB operation is of interest.

.

 

[slowmover]

Here’s a 102 bed install that took awhile to get tuned properly as the initial learning curve plus test instrument use involved.

Mobile - Ram 1500 antenna

So I got so frustrated with mounting an antenna to the truck I pretty much gave up and went with a Wilson 5000 mag mount. SWR 1.3 to 1. My friend had a striker a 10 mag mount put that on my truck SWR down to 1.04 to 1. On the analyzer. That is with a striker 955HPC. Now I found a ranger 2970N4...

www.worldwidedx.com

Adjustments for resonance

So got the mount and the new 102” whip. Old one corroded on threads. Please see pics on antenna analyzer. Not sure what to do. Any help would be great. resonance frequency is higher than the 11 meter band so the antenna is to long? I’ve read k0bg several times. I understand x=0 but how to get...

www.worldwidedx.com

BREEDLOVE MOUNT



Trade-offs from roof center are real



To some extent one must enter the water of details. Tech. It pays every time in my experience.

Represents me most days



The smart guys will wander past your thread and offer fewer words, with worthy advice.

The Equipment Install sub-forum hides a 1,650-lb crocodile who finds even wildebeest-sized tech problems to be a light lunch. You rouse him and you’ll learn a whole lot in a hurry.

Do a cross reference search there.



.

 

[bh3048]

DeeEx,
It is just a plain cheap Cobra mic. The pin-out looks correct compared to the diagrams I have found. Also, the noise is there minus the roger beep when turned off. I have adjusted the gain/rf/power and the same result each time. I had considered the mic but have not troubleshooted it further. I may grab my buddies (given that it works with mine) and see if there is any change.

Slowmover,
So, I was thinking antenna but wanted to get a worse case and toss the idea of a radio issue out there.
I do not currently have a picture and my truck is not with me at work. If we are indeed leaning toward the antenna then I think I will go no further until the new one arrives. Other than curiosity of getting it figured out I see no point in messing with the current big whip.

The new one is a nmo mount just like the 640 you showed. It took a lot of searching and reading to sort out the correct nmo-style antenna. The current setup has the whip right behind the cab which I know is a bad location. So I was thinking of going to the hood. I did see a mount that uses the existing tailgate bolts and comes out over the tail light and would not interfere with the tonneau cover I am getting. It is a brand-new truck and my need for a CB setup is not high enough to justify drilling or using a magnet on the roof.

Propagation aside, running the coax is not an issue with either location. I do not see grounding being an issue in either place. I went with the hood option on 60/40 looks/signal. I can Amazon the tailgate bracket and likely have it here by the time the new antenna gets here next Friday if you believe the hood is going to be no good for my short-distance goals.

Also, I hate to admit it but once upon a time, I was a field radio operator in the corps. This process has shown that I have forgotten a lot and probably could not have an intelligent discussion about HF/VHF/UHV or satcom systems anymore.

Thank you both for the replies, I am going to dig my old comm school books out and do some refreshing while I wait on the amazon guy.

 

[slowmover]

It is a brand-new truck and my need for a CB setup is not high enough to justify drilling or using a magnet on the roof.

Permanent mount is a vehicle upgrade

The joke about factory installs on big trucks is that they’ll reach all the way across the highway.

With others it’s, if you can see him, he can hear you!

The guys with headache racks I might be able to hear a mile or two. (Export radios).

Stock CB and NMO roof-center on a pickup will do close to 5-miles.

But without DSP (internal or external module) no radio rig has good ears and thus isn’t worth owning.

Plenty to read & research. Won’t be in textbooks. Videos don’t convey the difference.

You can find it right here (k0bg guide plus experience per thread).

Mobile Citizen Band is men putting heads together to define, then solve problems while all are in motion.

Distance = Time.

Hear, and Get Heard really matters when it matters. Seatbelts and concealed carry are the same. (Don’t downplay intuition that sparked this).

Keep us up to date.

 

[slowmover]

DeeEx,
It is just a plain cheap Cobra mic. The pin-out looks correct compared to the diagrams I have found. Also, the noise is there minus the roger beep when turned off. I have adjusted the gain/rf/power and the same result each time. I had considered the mic but have not troubleshooted it further. I may grab my buddies (given that it works with mine) and see if there is any change.

Slowmover,
So, I was thinking antenna but wanted to get a worse case and toss the idea of a radio issue out there.
I do not currently have a picture and my truck is not with me at work. If we are indeed leaning toward the antenna then I think I will go no further until the new one arrives. Other than curiosity of getting it figured out I see no point in messing with the current big whip.

The new one is a nmo mount just like the 640 you showed. It took a lot of searching and reading to sort out the correct nmo-style antenna. The current setup has the whip right behind the cab which I know is a bad location. So I was thinking of going to the hood. I did see a mount that uses the existing tailgate bolts and comes out over the tail light and would not interfere with the tonneau cover I am getting. It is a brand-new truck and my need for a CB setup is not high enough to justify drilling or using a magnet on the roof.

Propagation aside, running the coax is not an issue with either location. I do not see grounding being an issue in either place. I went with the hood option on 60/40 looks/signal. I can Amazon the tailgate bracket and likely have it here by the time the new antenna gets here next Friday if you believe the hood is going to be no good for my short-distance goals.

Also, I hate to admit it but once upon a time, I was a field radio operator in the corps. This process has shown that I have forgotten a lot and probably could not have an intelligent discussion about HF/VHF/UHV or satcom systems anymore.

Thank you both for the replies, I am going to dig my old comm school books out and do some refreshing while I wait on the amazon guy.

In general, the battle is with forces determined to deny us use of CB in local comms.

SKIP Problems in Noise Abatement.

The discourtesy of screwing up AM-19. The understood Truckers Channel. Got 39 to 119 other channels before we consider freeband. The thread is not to whine and moan, but to introduce others new to CB how to deal with Skip overwhelming local comms. The exigencies of the road. Your experience...

forums.radioreference.com

This is where almost all mobile operators give up. “Can’t do anything about it”. (Wrong).

FCC removed 155-mile limit. (No enforcement of interference; by design).

I’ve a good number of radios at home, including some double-digit Galaxy’s among my favorites. Obsolete.

You find yourself disgusted and turn off the radio . . you let “them” win.

This puts a bur in your saddle then it’ll be like the not-for-family-viewing language of my GWOT USMC son or my late WWII USN father.

Listening to a Galaxie all day was the definition of a nice radio rig. Just not once Skip rears its head. Same with my fathers, Johnson. Or my same-era Robyn.

One can add an outboard DSP module to counter it, but the latest Qixiang circuit board radios have that combo trumped not only in cost, but in phenomenal SSB operation.

Reliably 20-30 miles SSB big truck to big truck despite terrain.

.

 

[slowmover]

third brake light antenna mounts / ground plane

I'm getting ready for a antenna project on my GMC AT4 and it was suggested to me to go with the Third brake light mounts. The concern I had was about a proper ground plane. I really did not see any real comments about it when I researched previous posts. Am I going to suffer alot of...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[bh3048]

So the new setup came in early and I just installed it.
SWR is above 3 on 1 and 40. 40 is slightly higher than one.

I did add the ground strap and ran it to the bottom side of the hood hinge.
I am going to get my meter out and verify it is a good ground before moving on.

Since 40 is higher that would mean too long... It is already set as low as it will go.
coax is not coiled or kinked. I will also check it with the meter while I'm at it.

 

[bh3048]

So, ground checks out.
Coax checks out.
I guess I need to trim down the antenna?

 

[slowmover]

“Bad mount”, in the sense it isn’t well-connected for RF purposes to the hood, much less to the majority of vehicle sheetmetal. It also may be too close to cab.

DC Ground not the same as RF Bond. We need the latter. “Ground” is a term used in several ways.

Leave antenna alone for now. That SWR is too high.

Here’s a compendium of good beginner articles:

Learning Center

www.rightchannelradios.com

Read them all. The relationships will become clearer.

.

 

[slowmover]

Howz it comin’ along?