How To Tune A GMRS Antenna & SWR Basics
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2020
- How do I tune my mobile GMRS antenna? What is SWR? What does SWR do? What is "good" SWR and what is a "bad" SWR? In this video I answer these questions and talk about the basics of SWR on GMRS and UHF antennas including how to tune a mobile GMRS or UHF antenna.
Link for the inexpensive SWR meter we use: amzn.to/2GSzOqH
Link to the Browning BR-450 GMRS / UHF antenna we use: amzn.to/3lp4WwL
Link for the smaller, Tram GMRS antenna: amzn.to/3naC5g8
#GMRS #SWR #MobileCommunications - Авто та транспорт
Link to the inexpensive SWR meter we use: amzn.to/2GSzOqH
Link to the Browning BR-450 GMRS / UHF antenna we use: amzn.to/3lp4WwL
Link for the smaller, Tram GMRS antenna: amzn.to/3naC5g8
Amazing how better your videos were back then.
Quick tip. After setting the bolt cutter where you want to cut the antenna, throw a small rag over the top of the bolt cutters and antenna end so you don't shoot those little suckers all over the place. They'll drop right at your feet.
Just getting into gmrs and this channel is just what I needed. Great content !
I just wanted to thank you for all of your video's and the information you share. I have learned a lot for you. I look forward to each new video your produce. Thanks again!
Excellent video. I just ordered the inexpensive SWR meter you linked. Thanks! Once it arrives, obviously I'll check my SWR.
Thank you for all the great videos. Takes a real man to use a cute little vice like that in front of everybody, stay strong fellow girl vice user.
This was a much better tutorial on tuning than I've seen in the past. Thank you.
Great explanation. (Fun to see your early set up ... and persona.)
Thank you so much! I was able by following your video to get my SWR down to around 1.2!
What a difference a year has made! I've enjoyed your videos... Keep up the good work annoying SadHams.
Great video thank you so much love from Phoenix Arizona I’ve been enjoying your videos
Thank you very much for your videos dealing with GMRS radio. I will be tuning my antenna today and your video is informative. Have a great day.
Great explanation on SWR.
Thank you for this video. Very informative, helped me set up my GMRS antenna very easily.
I hope you realize that, in addition to your work here being very engaging (I like watching “some people” getting their chops busted), it is truly very informative. Particularly for someone like me who up to a few months ago thought the only part of a radio you had to know about was the O-N/O-F-F switch. Thanks!
Answer to newbie questions I had. Thanks.
Love it thanks for the INFO!
Great job, a very good description of what needs to be done and how to do it .And you touched on the other stuff that might be wrong, Thank you.
Thanks Randy,very well explained.
A Dremel with a cut off wheel is the easiest and cleanest way to cut the antenna down to size.
Great video Randy, But I missed your normal sarcasm. Best calibration video I have seen to date. Thank you for your always great information.
Perfect! Thanks for the link!
The whole Ohm's Law Vs RF boost Vs SWR is just....confusing. But as long as I can just plug in a meter and figure the SWR, I don't care. LOL
Great Video, Thanks for breaking it down.
I really love the topics your covering! Great intro for 4x4 folks who are looking for more out of their comms. I'll add there are plenty of antennas out there that come pre tuned. But don't think I'm suggesting to ever do any antenna install without at least measuring SWR just as you stated. Comet 2x4 is one of my personal favorites.
Great information. Thank you!
This was super helpful!
Thanks for the video.
Well done, I appreciate the humor, radio can be monolithic... you must be a teacher, if not, you should be. Thanks for the instruction.
Great Info. New to GMRS..
Great video😃
I was looking for a video like this
Great video thank you so much! Hello from Phoenix
Thanks Randy, good video.
The, best channel!
It’s about time someone addresses this issue ,, thank you 👍
great information...thank you!
It's hard for men to get over the longer is better mentality, I would have guys ask me "why are you cutting my antenna, it won't talk as far". Good job on the no bs explanation of swr and the need to tune an antenna.
LMAO "longer is better mentality". It's not about how longer your antenna is, it's about how you use it.
Good video, thanks!🇺🇸
Well said, spot on.
Awesome video and info for the meter!.. Check the antt grounding, that's the biggest problem
You are AWESOME!!!!
Thanks Randy
I lucked out , I had a pro that works for public safety doing radios . I have a Motorola cdm 1250 with a team 1480 6.5 db gain with 50' lmr400 .he got 1:1:1 match .wow does it get out too .our club has 3 large repeaters . We all check out not a these videos great tips for our new people and us ole timers as well . Great videos keep em coming .73s nysgmr
The swr meter is out of stock at Amazon until November 24, i hope I remember to come back here and click thru your link when I get ready to buy😊
Put it in your shopping cart anyway,,, when it becomes available it will be there
I use a fine triangular file to score the antenna then use pliers to snap off the antenna at the scored mark. I have found that that works very well.
thx for the vid
I trim mine on a bench grinder. Slow and steady and mark a line where to stop.
Thank you.
Really good video, thanks for explaind clear and easy.....also do you recommend the MIDLAND MXT400? Thanks and have a nice day.
I found your channel a few months back and can relate to your sense of humor, but the visual of a toe nail flying into you eye... hahahaha, sorry, that's just funny
First let me thank you for all the information you have made available. It has helped tremendously. I am a total noob. I have 3 radios on order from (affiliate link below). And have been researching, but I can’t find much on antennas, mounts, wire, connectors ect.. Any suggestions on where to look? I’m thinking of contacting we’re I purchased my mobile unit for my truck to ask for suggestions. But I thought I’d ask you first. And maybe give you video(s) idea(s).
Thanks for this video. I went out and got the SWR meter you use and I just love it. Works fantastic. On trimming the wire, I bought a Nagoya NMO-200C that they advertise as not needing any tuning for GMRS... Well, I put this up and the SWR without touching it, on channel 1 was 1.9 and 22 at 2.6. So yea, didn't think that was true. So I've taken a half inch off of the top rod and have it down to 1.86 and 2.0 respectfully. So while it is coming down, do you just keep trimming until it comes down? I don't ever recall trimming that much off an antenna but guess so.
And I trim using the grinder too. Works fast.
Thanks for the great information about the antennas.
Great video. Where did you get the white wire that connects to the GMRS?
Pro-tip: @ Randy Notarubicon Productions
For tuning replace the Stainless Stinger (SS) with a piece of wire that is about the same diameter, & length as the SS one.
Trim or lengthen the tip of the wire, until you get the best SWR, then remove it and cut the SS to match. Install the SS, and your done.
I've been doing it this way for many years. It saves a lot of time and frustration of pulling the stinger in and out, especially on taller vehicles.
Thank you for the video. Great production and clear cut information.
I'm just getting into GMRS. My knowledge comes from CB (years ago). Do you have videos regarding grounding antennas? And coax lenth? F150 are all aluminum now (not conducive to magnetic mounts 😂.
Thank you.
Great video, Randy. """Some" "people"""" sent me
Thank you for another great video.
Questions. The browning antenna you show obviously requires the purchase of a base for it to screw on to?
What about the length of the antenna wire does it effect the SWR?
I just purchased a UV9G ( and made sure you got credit for the sale) and want to use it at home with an antenna on the roof. What kind of antenna do you recommend for that?
I have been told to use a Discone is that the best idea and what about a ground plane?
If I use one of the mobile antennas do I have to mount it on a cookie sheet like you did?
When the OEM antenna is mounted directly to the radio what is the ground plane then?
Thanks for your help.
Thanks for de-mystifying the closed
World of radio, and love the verbosity and de- pussification of language
Watching your channel definitely gave me a lot knowledge keep up the good work !!!!!
Thanks
I noticed my antenna mount is solid metal. Also my antenna base is metal. Assuming it electrically becomes the same when connected to the mount. Does does the antenna mount need to be chassis grounded?
When you trim it a little too far you can regain some length by putting the antenna below the set screw but not bottoming it out
I have the Browning like you have in the video it's 5/8 ths wave by 5/8ths I don't have the meter or the list to trim it I use gmrs c
Yeah, finally watched a video of yours with no bitching. Thank you! Thumbs up!
People that dont like the bitching are usually who I am bitching about.
Are you recommending to not coil, or loop, up the extra antenna coax cable to avoiding unwanted high SWR readings? Thanks!
I’m going to get one of those SWR power meter but where did u get the tow lp-259 adapters?? Plz let me know
What are the exact fittings I would need to test my midland mxt500 thank you.
I was wondering if you should tune using 465.1437 as your center frequency to account for the higher frequencies that the repeaters use? (low ch. 1 at 462.5625 and high of 467.7250 for highest repeater freq)? Considering the higher repeater frequencies are the frequencies that allow up to 50 watts, would it be better to make sure these have the lower swr readings? Oh, and thank you for posting this video. I know its a little bit dated, but i just discovered it and it shows how easy it is to tune your antennas.... hopefully it will encourage others to tune without being afraid of destroying their antennas. Great video.
So if I have a antenna that came with my radio and it was a 144 - 430 mhz. From Factory and or another antenna That's rated that megahertz could I still tune the antenna
Question I have a new Uniden 980 SSB. And I have a older adjustable type antenna.Like you showed in the beginning of this video .Can I use that or is it not any good for the new technology? Thanks, Len
I newbie question. For the handheld GMRS radios that have removable antennas - are the antennas that are included with a Baofeng GMRS-9R (Upgrade of the UV-5R) pre-tuned out of box? And, if you buy a longer whip antenna that can screw into the radio, are they pre-tuned? In other words, is it necessary to check their SWR readings the same way you would for roof-top mag mount antenna?
On the BR-450 antenna if you know...... would my big old magnet mount from my Wilson 2000 accept that antenna?
I have been shopping around and just starting to learn about GMRS. Noobie question, what about the Ghost antenna from midland? How is something like that antenna tuned?
So am I able to adjust the swr on a 3G stubby antenna?
Very informative! Just thinking... shouldn't you check for any bent, or coiled coax cable, and check for proper grounding BEFORE cutting your antenna?
That's exactly what I was thinking when he talked about trouble shooting the adjustment.
I have a President radio that may have been modified to open up the CB bands. (So it's a CB, 10 AND 12 Meter radio.) I also have a President Antenna that has a couple of tuning rings. 2 questions: with GMRS radios, do they have any that have a build in SWR meter? And, do they also have an antenna with such tuning rings?
I just received my GMRS license, what would you recommend for a base station antenna. I plan on using the Btech 50X1 radio. I hope to hear from you. Thank you
Good video, but have you made one on a Dual Band Antenna (UHF/VHF)
I ordered the SW-33 but it did not come with the adapter cords. Any idea where to get them?
Problem I'm having is i have a mix of business band 450 up to 469 my antenna is rated for for that Spectrum I can get 1.1 swr on some channels then when I take it to my main Channel I use all the time I'm getting high swr 469.550 antenna is rated from 450 to 470 so if I get 1.1 on one of the frequencies and 1.5 on the rest is that fine also I have the same Pantano you're using in the video what section do I trim the lower or the top section
Great instructional video. One question. I used your link to purchase the SWR meter and it arrived a few days ago and I'm finally getting a chance to use it but the adaptors it came with dont fit onto my antenna nor the back of my GMRS unit. What other adaptors do I need to buy? Thanks
Depends on what radio you have. Amazon and ebay have a ton of kits for different adapters, or you can search specific. Some common connectors are PL-259, BNC, SMA male, and SMA Female. I have the same little meter, or one like it and it had everything I needed except for one to go to PL-259. What model radio do you have?
Does anybody know what the magnetic mount & frame mounts are compatible to the MXTA26 & BR-450?
Could you elaborate on your justification on why its not necessary to use the CB method of comparing SWR's on low and high channels? You state that because the antenna instructions give the recommended length, we can just trim the antenna till we get the lowest SWR. I don't see how that would work because we wouldn't know that it is the lowest achievable SWR until the ratio starts to go back up, but at that point the antenna is already cut too short. Is the method of checking on low and high frequencies still applicable to GMRS the same as CB?
Great channel btw. You have a good attitude. Just discovered your videos and also just getting into GMRS after being on CB for a few years. 4x4 club is transition to GMRS so its time to get on the bandwagon.
I have a side by side with a plastic roof, if I mount a 12x12 steel plate to the roof, should I install a ground strap to the roll bar? I am going to use the 6db gain midland antenna with magnet mount so it will give me a break away point if it hits low trees. I really appreciate your videos.
Connecting it to the cage with a strap (not a wire) wouldn't hurt, but probably not necessary as long as you have at least 4-6 inches of all around the base of the antenna.
How does this unit compare to Surecom SW-102 Digital
Is it worth paying a bit more for the more expensive unit?
THANK YOU FOR TIPS ON TUNNING A GMRS ANTENNA! WELL DONE,SIR! YOU MAKE MORE SENSE THAN ALL THESE GUYS THAT I HEAR
ON 2 METERS. OF A TRUTH? GAVE UP ON HAM
RADIO AFTER WATCHING
YOUR VIDEO ON SAD HAMS. GET THAT HERE
FROM TIME TO TIME, WITH SICK ATTITUDES
ALSO! THEN THE POLITICS. GOOD GRAVEY
GONNA BIDE MY TIME AND SEE WHAT INDUSTRY
CANADA DOES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. 73 VA6CJC
Are you familiar with the BT462 Tuned Stubby UHF GMRS Antenna for BTECH V1? would a tuned 771 nagoya be better?
You can also use a grinder.
Pretty new at this but unfortunately at my workplace you gotta take initiative to get shit done sometimes.
Anyways we have kng-m150, with the MWV1365S, permanent mounts on the roof of the vehicle for most and others having a longer antenna from the hood. Having PA VSWR issues some will go into low power others wont allow transmit at all.
So try antenna, grounding, and then the coax cable?
For example, we swapped antennas and still got vswr fault so thatd rule out antennas. Then a swr meter would help me confirm a coax cable problem is that correct?
Also our frequencies range from 154 to 171.5, our most used channel is at 166.9. Thatd put the middle at around 162, but itd be quite a bit of work to change our 171.5 repeater channels. I imagine we could just aim for our 166.9 channel to have the least swr since our 154 channel is hardly used either.
First I want to thank you, your videos have been very helpful for me since I just got into GMRS. I have a video suggestion!! Can you make a video where you show and test different antennas, an antenna shootout if you will. Btw I just order me a Wouxun KG-1000G thank you your recommendations.
Lmao. “The instructions... that you didn’t throw away.”
The FCC advised me today that the fee for GMRS has NOT been reduced by Congress. They suggest waiting until the last date for renewal to see if Congress has approved the $35 fee. They suggest waiting at least 30 days from May 7.
What's the best placement on a vehicle? Installing one on a Nissan Frontier and undecided if I should mount on tool box, roof, or hood of vehicle.
"Best" is always highest spot, center.. But any place will work with little noticeable impact.. Mine is mounted in pretty much the worst possible location (low, rear corner) - the experts say it wont work at all - yet i can talk to my wife in her jeep, also with a bad antenna location, over 30 miles away.. So what I have learned from this is that the "experts" are idiots.
Are there better antennas then others?
OLD school makita!!
My SWR is 1.3 but if I Whistle in it it goes way up like 3.5 is that normal
Great video, great content.
I'm curious if those antennas have a base coil.
I have a radioddity 20 watt that I use as a base station. I have a laird 5db xs 2 1/2 wave ant set up on the second floor of my house. I have not trimmed it and on repeater channels I get a swr of 1.01. on my simplex channels I get 2.58. I only use my repeater channels. SHould I bother adjusting my ant or am I good to go.
2.58:1 is not a "great" SWR, but I would not bother messing with it.
is the rat tail counter poise help the antena to increase range of the radio .
it can, in many cases.