TJ,
i have tuned and modified more than a few grant XL's and i can tell you that without too much effort at all, you can make that grant key at 6 watts and swing to 18-20 no problem.
same with the washington, when it comes to the transmitter section they are all but identical. (there are some different filter bandwidths but that doesnt affect the output)
what im saying is that they are both capable of the same output.
yes, your washington has been tuned up most likely.
there's not too many people that would put extra channels in a radio without also turning up the power and modulation a bit.
still, you have to understand that if the washington puts out 5 watts and the grant only put out 1 watt; you are still only talking about little more than a 1 S-unit difference in how these radios are received on the other end.
im not making this up, that is the way it works.
you can figure your loss in your coax, but i can tell you right now that if one radio works and gets out using that coax, then any other will do the same.
remember too that your antenna is somewhat directional and is horizontal while most if not all of the stations you are talking to are vertical.
if you were to turn your dipole vertical, you would not only be omni-directional, but would get out a lot better to everyone except for the very few who are running beam antennas.
you say you have a cb in your truck.
try this, set the washington and the grant where you want them,on a clear channel, and show someone in your household how to switch the coax, and turn the power on.
then drive about 2 to 3 miles away, call them on the cell phone and tell them to transmit to you.
dont have them talk, just key the radio for a good 10 seconds and you note the reading on your mobile.
then while still on the phone, tell them to switch radios and do it again.
note the difference in the S meter readings as accurately as you can.
my guess is that you are going to find that the readings are similar between radios, but this problem has confused me so far, so who knows what will happen.
let us know.
LC
