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wilson 1000 swr issues

eagleeyes

Member
Aug 14, 2013
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Just got a new magnet in the mail for my wilson 1000 antenna. Its a wilson 1000 magnet. Ive tried cutting off a inch on the antenna and it doesnt seem to come down. Should I keep cutting some off the antenna? Or is the wilson 1000 core bad?
 

whats your swr readings? i have a wilson 5000 had to cut about a 1/4" is all i was a little long.
The swr reading on the radio is maxed out. When I have the amp inline and a meter hooked up between the amp and antenna the swr read 3 1/2. But is still maxed out at the radio
 
Are you checking on channel 1 and 40? What does the inline meter say with just the radio? I prefer using a seperate meter not the radio meter thats just me, if you have a good inline meter i would go by it if you know its good. Placement on the vehicle could make a difference also. Recommended is usually in the middle of the roof. My swr was 1.5 on 40 and i got it to 1.3 after adjustment.
 
Just got a new magnet in the mail for my wilson 1000 antenna. Its a wilson 1000 magnet. Ive tried cutting off a inch on the antenna and it doesnt seem to come down. Should I keep cutting some off the antenna? Or is the wilson 1000 core bad?
Antennas also can act unfavorably if they aren't mounted optimally. For example, they don't often do well mounted on a trunk lid. Or if is mounted on the bumper. Or if the whip portion is near a piece of sheet metal. Sorta like mounting it on the bumper of a van - that would be an exaple of a poor mounting solution. Usually the flat center area of the roof works best 99% of the time . . .
 
These factory built antennas aren't rocket science to the end user. Just need a SWR meter and a jumper coax that isn't shorted nor open. You might want to check the mag mount coax to be sure that it has continuity through as well. The other possibility is that you are testing incorrectly.

http://www.bellscb.com/cb_radio_hobby/swr.html

Some Wilson base coils can corrode inside - to the failure point. A local friend had a couple of Wilson 5000 base loads fail that way due to water intrusion. If you can take it apart carefully so that it can be re-assembled afterwards, then try it. But I would test it for for continuity first.
 
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You need to sweep all of 11 meters to see just where the lowest reflected power occurs, and go from there - lengthening if it's too short; cutting if it's too long. This is where an antenna analyzer pays for itself.
 
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Mag mounts can be a real Sumbeach I never liked or had much luck with one. The main issues is getting it to see the vehicle to establish a proper counterpoise with out that you will never get the SWR's under control. Because you do not have a mechanical ground the magnet is being hampered by the paint compounded more & more by the manufactures use of composite body parts. The best thing is to abandon that magnet & drill mount holes to establish a good antenna ground to achieve a proper ground plane not for the faint of heat but guaranteed to work.
 
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Mag mounts can be a real Sumbeach I never liked or had much luck with one. The main issues is getting it to see the vehicle to establish a proper counterpoise with out that you will never get the SWR's under control. Because you do not have a mechanical ground the magnet is being hampered by the paint compounded more & more by the manufactures use of composite body parts. The best thing is to drill mount holes to establish a good antenna ground to achieve a proper ground plane not for the faint of heat but guaranteed to work.
While I'll agree that a solid mount is better, I would not agree that mag mounts are not reliable. Been using both a 10/11m antenna and a 2m/70cm ham antenna on my vehicle for many years - both with mag mounts - without a single problem.
 
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The swr reading on the radio is maxed out. When I have the amp inline and a meter hooked up between the amp and antenna the swr read 3 1/2. But is still maxed out at the radio

With swr that high, you have a short somewhere. Have you checked it without the amp inline?
If so, check coax, mag mount, and load for continuity as robb said.
Just because stuff is new, doesn't mean it won't be bad.
 

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