The swr is high. How do I adjust it? - Galaxy Radios DX-95T Base CB Radio

When your needle is all the way in the RED, your swr IS really high. That's what the meter is telling you. You need to clean all of the antenna connection points and adjust the length of the antenna to reduce the SWR (standing wave ratio) which is basically resistance to transmitting signals.

the swr on the radio is not what you are thinking it is. You have to set the SWR to anything below a 2.0 and the meter will let you know when and if your swr gets to high.

You cannot lower the SWR via the radio. it has to do with the antenna. The length of the antenna is essential to transmitting properly. It must match the transmitting frequency.

To check SWR tune to ch 20. Flip the meter switch to CAL. Key the radio without talking into the radio. Turn the CAL knob up until the meter needle is at the CAL mark. Unkey the mic. Flip the meter switch to SWR. key the radio again, and the meter will show your SWR. We already know it is high because you are getting antenna warning, but we will have a base line now to work on.

What you did was calibrate the meter for that channel. that is necessary to check the SWR. So you must calibrate for each channel you check.

You should at least be under 2 swr. Ideal is 1.5 or under. the lower the better.

If your SWR is high, your antenna is either too long or too short. To find out here is what you do:

Check the SWR on ch 1 and ch 40 calibrating for each channel. Compare the difference of the SWR between 1 and 40. If the SWR is higher on 40 then 1, your antenna is too long. If your SWR is higher on 1 then 40 your antenna is too short. All CB antennas have a way to adjust the length.

If its a mag mount, its usually a set screw you loosen to raise or lower the whip. Fiberglass antenna's usually have something under the cap at the tip to adjust. It will either be like the mag mount, with a set screw and a small rod to raise or lower it, or a screw, that you screw in or out to make it longer or shorter.

make small adjustments. 1/8th or a 1/4 of an inch at a time. Each time you make a change, take an SWR reading on 1 and 40 again and compare the difference. The difference should be getting less. Do this until there is very little or no difference between 1 and 40.

Then you go back to 20, because it is the center channel and check the SWR there. It should now be low. If you did a good job it will be under 1.5 and you are good to go.

The meter will be more accurate and an external meter will be even better. If they show good disregard the ant light it is adjustable. It may have been set to sensitive from factory. These erroneous SWR reading can be the side effects of a PEAK & TUNE if the coils have been spread but that should also show on meter.
SWR meter calibrations

• Switch (S/RF SWR CAL) to the CAL position.
• Push and hold mic button
• While holding mic button adjust the SWR CAL knob so the meter needle swings to the CAL mark on the meter
• While still holding down the mic button, set the (S/RF SWR CAL) switch to the SWR position, to read the SWR reading. Note: When switched to SWR position the meter needle should ideally be as far to the left as possible. Anything over 3 is not acceptable.

1. You calibrate the antenna to match the CB rather than the other way around. Some antennas can be adjusted while others cannot. This should not cause a problem since the ones that cannot be adjusted generally don't need adjusting. The ones that can be allow for fine tuning to get a better match.

2.To match your antenna to your CB you set the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) to it's lowest possible setting. SWR is the ratio of power that gets out through your antenna versus the reflected power that gets sent back to the CB. You want to get the most power to go out, or forward, through the antenna as this drives the signal that others receive. To set your SWR;

3.Connect an SWR meter between the antenna and the CB using a short piece of Co-ax cable. Set the switch on the meter to Forward Power. Key the CB and adjust the dial on the SWR meter until the needle of the meter is fully forward. Release the transmit button and change the switch on the swr meter to Reflected Power. Key the mic again and note how high the needle goes. If the needle doesn't go into the red it's safe to use but the lower the reading the better.

4. To bring it down check your antenna. Some antennas have a telescopic tip that can be extended or reduced by loosening a nut near the top. Try extending it fully and repeat the procedure at paragraph 3 above. If your SWR rises then try reducing the antenna length and check again. It's a matter of finding where you get the lowest swr by making smaller adjustments from the best of the 3 settings above.

5. You'll probably find that when you get a low SWR on one channel it will be higher on other channels. This is because of the frequency difference. Unless you use one channel nearly all the time, it's best to set the swr on the middle channel so if you have a 40 channel CB set the SWR on channel 20. The further you change up or down the higher the SWR will increase but it should be still within the safe range. If you set the SWR on say channel 1 the SWR will be twice as high when you change to channel 40 than it would have been if you set it on channel 20.

6. Most people never check their SWR so if you're using a commercial CB antenna, rather than a home made one, it should be factory set to give a reasonable match so if yours cannot be adjusted it's probably matching ok. A more common problem to look out for is the connection from the antenna to the CB. Make sure that the screening wire and the centre core are not touching. Even a single strand of the screening touching the centre wire will cause screeching on your transmission and before long will cause your CB to stop working. 73s and enjoy your CB.

Goto channels 1 20 and 40 and do the following.... this a generic calibrate all swr meters have different buttons different style of meters etc...
set meter too the set/cal/fwd position. key mic adjust the meters needle to cal spot should have an arrow or red line etc. then change switch to swr/rev too show your reflected swr.

ch 1 is longer wavelength than ch 40.
if ch 1 is good swr and ch40 is high swr-- then make antenna shorter
if ch 40 is good swr and ch 1 is high swr-- then make antenna longer.
then try to get a good balance between the lowest freq and the highest freq./ch.
-- anymhz(dot)com ---- Radio Shop

Sorry, but each rubber duckie is cut to a specific frequency, with the actual antenna windings sealed inside the rubber/plastic outer shell. Because of this construction, there is no adjustment feature.

Hi, my name is John. ..On some radio,s that is normal, however, Have your SWR checked to be sure. They can do this at Radio Shack for free or some CB shack.... hope this was helpful...

not necessarily. it may be electrically short. if the swr is higher on channel one than it is on channel fourty, your antenna is electrically short. if the swr is higher on channel fourty than it is on channel one, your antenna is electrically long. no matter what anyone says, all antennas are tunable. just cut the shielding back at the top of the antenna and adjust if necessary. if it is a steel whip, it should have a set screw at the bottom. if you still have problems with high swr, ground the mount to your vehicle. if you still have high swr, you might have to try a non ground plane antenna.

If you antenna SWR are way out ( too high ) you may have burrned the final or driver up when you hooked it up to do the antenna adjustment. Also be sure to turn the high power switch on to adjust the antenna SWR or the SWR meter won't read correctly, if the RF power is too low. Good Luck
Ed
NC Electronic
Mills, Wyoming