Crash1 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 Hello, I just got the Gam3Gear SURECOM SW-33 Mark II Power/SWR meter. I've checked both antennas that came with the HT and I cannot get below 2! Most are Higher! The radios were a 2 pack so I even tried the other antennas with the same results. Did I get a bum SWR or are the stock antenna crap (and yes I know these are budget radios....) I do have a mobile antenna arriving today (Bingfu Ham Radio Vehicle Car Mobile Radio Antenna Dual Band VHF UHF 136-174MHz 400-520MHz Magnetic Base PL259 Male Antenna for BTECH ICOM Kenwood Midland Yaesu TYT AnyTone Amateur Radio Two Way Radio and it says "FRS GMRS Radio"....... I was hoping to test that but if my test equipment is bad....... Suggestions? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sshannon Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 15 minutes ago, Crash1 said: Hello, I just got the Gam3Gear SURECOM SW-33 Mark II Power/SWR meter. I've checked both antennas that came with the HT and I cannot get below 2! Most are Higher! The radios were a 2 pack so I even tried the other antennas with the same results. Did I get a bum SWR or are the stock antenna crap (and yes I know these are budget radios....) I do have a mobile antenna arriving today (Bingfu Ham Radio Vehicle Car Mobile Radio Antenna Dual Band VHF UHF 136-174MHz 400-520MHz Magnetic Base PL259 Male Antenna for BTECH ICOM Kenwood Midland Yaesu TYT AnyTone Amateur Radio Two Way Radio and it says "FRS GMRS Radio"....... I was hoping to test that but if my test equipment is bad....... Suggestions? Thanks for the help! An SWR of 2 on a handheld radio is nearly meaningless. I wouldn’t worry about it at all. All the power will still go out the antenna. Crash1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash1 Posted April 15 Author Report Share Posted April 15 Well that was the lowest on the mid channel around 16....others were higher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash1 Posted April 15 Author Report Share Posted April 15 Gotta run for a while wifey calling....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash1 Posted April 15 Author Report Share Posted April 15 So while getting Doggie and wife help in the kitchen..... Found this that I didn't see before....good stuff https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/3221-gmrs-swr-meter/ Need to find someone with a good SWR to confirm my SWR and that the duckys not showing correctly...?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXR255 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 Seems like the stock antennas on the budget radios are hit or miss. I think perhaps the QA on the cheap antennas is probably the lowest they let slide by. Last order of UV-5R radios I got (4), were identical, but one of the antennas was completely dead. Not a problem for me, I usually spend the money as well and get some decent quality but on a budget Nagoyas (701G) and they in comparison to stock, cannot be touched in my testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
back4more70 Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 1 hour ago, Crash1 said: I've checked both antennas that came with the HT and I cannot get below 2! Are you using a ground plane plate to help measure the SWR? Measuring HTs can be tough from what I have read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffRoaderX Posted April 15 Report Share Posted April 15 It is nearly impossible to get an accurate SWR reading on a HT antenna without specialized equipment... But even if your reading of 2 was accurate, an SWR of 2 is perfectly fine. Stop overthinking everything and just use your radio. wrci350 and Sshannon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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