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Because the coax runs out the bottom of the antenna mast pipe you cannot just cram the thing down inside another pipe in a Tri-pod stand just because the coax will clear in between the two pipes. I would guess it possible that the whole weight of the setup, the bottom of the mast pipe (a sharp edge), may be setting right down on the coax inside the base adapter mounted to the roof.

If you were able somehow to stop the antenna mast pipe from going all the way to the bottom of the Tri-pod pipe, then you may be alright and not hurt the coax yet, but it is still a bad way to install. The wind pushing the antenna around will surely cause a grinding on the coax between the two pipes and if it is sitting down on the coax then the wind motion can cause the sharp edge of the mast to cut the coax.

You must in all cases do what is necessary to protect your coax and running in up, in between two pipes, one inside the other is a very bad idea.

You need to get a good book and some insurance.

Yeah, it sure sounds like you have damaged the coax somehow and may not have the connectors (PL-259s) on good enough either. If you ended up smoking the final transistor in the radio (that's the one that produces most of the power output) then you'll never be able to get that swr calibration to work until you get the radio fixed. I would be very careful about using the second radio on the setup until you get the antenna installation straightened out.

Inspect the coax carefully. If you've smashed it somewhere, pinched it, chafed it, etc, that section is no good. Check the connectors again to make sure they're on properly. You shouldn't just screw on those PL-259s and run with 'em...you need to solder the center pin. Without that, you could get an intermittent connection and ultimately damage the radio.

Do you have a shop or tech around you that can check the radio?

im ot being a smart arse here at all, but why would you need to solder it ,if it says solderless ??
and you say you cant depend on it makeing a good contact , i slid the center of the coax all the way threw the tip of the connector and the cut it just above the tip then folded it over seeings how there is nylon inside i figured it would make great contact, and again the conecters say solerless , so i just figured they would be fine,,, i guess ignorance is the easy part of this hobby ..

as a side note , the mass does not go all the way in ( sorry if i made it seam that way ) but i can move the cable around easily and also hear it moveing around inside the pipe when i jiggle the outside cable ...


(You need to get a good book and some insurance.) i have many books ( just too bad there not about cbing ) and i have great insurance. lol

but again like i siad i dident do anything permanent beacuse i do want to move the antenna higher , i just dident want to mount it all the way up there if i was just going to have problems ...


there is a shop around here , i will take the radio there , but what is weird is that last night wile on the radio that seams to not calibrate , i seamed to talk fine in the mobil setup , only a few miles , but that was on a Wilson 1000.

ok , tomorrow i will take down the antenna , check the coax for any areas that might have been damaged , and cut to correct length ,, solder the center pins .

but i want to ask this ! it seams that the second radio is tuneing fine . do you guys just think im getting lucky at the moment or are the readings i posted earlier not like they should be .. yes even if they are like they should be i will be changing the set up ...

also i never was like screw it this is good enough ( about the set up ) , i just diffident get reception with the antenna low to the ground , so i was worried the antenna wasn't a good one , so i temporarily thew it on the roof to see if i could get a better signal . ignorance is bliss

To answer the question about the connectors: Yes they are solderless, but most people just don't trust them. It's a cheap insurance sort of thing. Most people that have been in the radio hobby for very long have tried them, had them fail, and cussed at them.

Do you know anyone that has an antenna analyzer? That would be the most helpful tool in determining whether or not your antenna and coax is installed properly. As you can tell, it's a little difficult troubleshooting something like this online, but we'll keep trying.

It's possible that everything is installed OK and it's the first radio that has something goofy with it. That could be because of the work that was done previously, or some other problem. One thing I just thought of: you mentioned that this radio had an echo board installed. Are you 100% sure that the SWR CAL still controls the SWR CAL? A lot of people use that control for the echo board control, which disables the SWR functionality.

I was wondering the same thing but CRS prohibited me from posting. Maybe the CAL switch (if intact) is actually a variable power thus causing the erratic readings and lack of range? This would account for the meter not going all the way to the CAL position "IF" the S/RF meter is properly calibrated. Most fly by night shops these days don't think about setting the meter properly. The more it show........the more it does.

BC

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BC

hay guys , thanks for the reply's i was worried that i might have came across as getting smart or something , but that wasn't it at all , im just trying to learn .

about the radio , the swr knob does in fact adjust the needle when in the cal mode . and before it would go to the cal mark .. i believe they took out the delta tune knob . and used it for the echo. it has two knobs where delta tune is . one on top of the other ,, from what i gathered the outer switch is a on and off switch and adjusts the speed of the echo and the knob in the back is for the volume of talk-back .

as aways thanks guys for the advice , i am still trying to get up there today and get the coax right and solider the fittings .

ok today i went up on the roof and drilled a hole at the middle of the tube on the mass and fed the wire threw it and made sure there is no way for it to start touching or rubbing . i also cut 15 feet off the cable . and soldered both ends od the coax . i seams to do like it should on the swr meter 1.2 - 1.3 on channels 20 and 40. i just dont think im getting out like i should ,, i can get out like 6-7 miles , is that normal for a barefoot 4watt cb , even with a starduster mounted ??

most people say they are useing things they shouldent around here ,, i dont really want to go that rout but i would like to get at least 20 miles.. if i can

as a side note , i had a rubber grommet in a tool box , that was just about the size of the hole i drilled , i went up there and it fit great so i also had a ruber gromit protecting the coax where it leaves the tube ..

If your SWR reads OK, then give it a try for a while like it is. Remember, part of how far you can "talk" is how far they can "hear". The point is, give it a longer test so you can get some tests from more stations. Over time you may decide you want to try different antennas or antenna height to get the performance you're looking for. I would think you could have farther range with that setup, but it's hard to say for certain without being there and testing everything.

would my antenna being higher help me out ? or i guess what im asking is what are some suggestions i could do to get out there more ?