SWR

[WSCU736]

I have put up a base antenna. Mounted to a 2x4x8 on my deck. Im using a HT connected to the antenna. Is there a way to tell if its in a acceptable SWR range? I dont have a SWR meter. I mean to tell if the SWR is too high.

[AdmiralCochrane]

SWR meter, nano NVA or some other expensive antenna analyzer

[WSAA254]

if you don't have a SWR meter or a nano vna to check, it gets down to "trust me".  if the antenna is a reasonable quality built for gmrs, and your using quality coax and connectors, connect it up and see if you can hit a repeater.  Does that antenna advertise any SWR results or do other folks use the same antenna etc.  Outside of that its "trust me"...   best of luck.   The antenna I use give a ~1.4 swr, I did no tuning etc.    used it "out of the box"

[WRQC527]

3 hours ago, Jasper said:

I have put up a base antenna.

What make and model? Also, what kind of coax are you using to connect the HT to the antenna, and how long? (RG-58, RG-8X, RG8, LMR-400, etc.) There may be folks out here who have the same antenna setup and can tell you how theirs performed "out of the box". 

[WSCU736]

7 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:

What make and model? Also, what kind of coax are you using to connect the HT to the antenna, and how long? (RG-58, RG-8X, RG8, LMR-400, etc.) There may be folks out here who have the same antenna setup and can tell you how theirs performed "out of the box". 

A Wouxun 935G+ and 30 feet of 400 coax.

[WRQC527]

Just now, Jasper said:

A Wouxun 935G+ and 30 feet of 400 coax.

What about the antenna?

[WSCU736]

17 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:

What about the antenna?

Oh sorry about that uayesok fiberglass GMRS antenna.

[WRYZ926]

30 minutes ago, Jasper said:

Oh sorry about that uayesok fiberglass GMRS antenna.

If you can afford to spend a little more, then most of us will highly suggest the Comet CA-712EFC base antenna. The Comet CA-712EFC will work right out of the box when fed with LMR400 or equivalent coax. They are between $135 and $140 depending on where you purchase. 

https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/base-antennas/gmrs-base-antennas/gmrs-omni-directional-base-antennas/1085-comet-ca-712efc-detail

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-712efc

 

[WSCU736]

7 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

If you can afford to spend a little more, then most of us will highly suggest the Comet CA-712EFC base antenna. The Comet CA-712EFC will work right out of the box when fed with LMR400 or equivalent coax. They are between $135 and $140 depending on where you purchase. 

https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/base-antennas/gmrs-base-antennas/gmrs-omni-directional-base-antennas/1085-comet-ca-712efc-detail

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-712efc

 

Oh the wife is going to love this. I am unable to put a antenna on our roof. So, is mounting a antenna on a 2x4x8 on our deck railing good enough?

[WRQC527]

39 minutes ago, Jasper said:

Oh sorry about that uayesok fiberglass GMRS antenna.

Well, the ratings look pretty good, the complaints say the hardware is junk but it looks like folks on Amazon are getting good SWR readings, so I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as your received signals are good and people can hear you. You can get yourself a relatively cheap Surecom SWR meter like this one for about $60 if you want to be more confident in the SWR. Lots of people here use it with good results.

https://www.amazon.com/Surecom-125-525Mhz-Digital-Antenna-connector/dp/B01MUZISB8/ref=asc_df_B01MUZISB8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693308325721&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9330456624222961711&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031587&hvtargid=pla-566905769976&psc=1&mcid=9a5732268fb53f9ab49d41ad31efb7cb&gad_source=1

[WRYZ926]

12 minutes ago, Jasper said:

Oh the wife is going to love this. I am unable to put a antenna on our roof. So, is mounting a antenna on a 2x4x8 on our deck railing good enough?

Yes that will work fine too. Just try to keep it attached to a rail as far from the house as possible. Most base stations have radials and do not require anything else for a ground plane.

[WSCU736]

14 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:

Well, the ratings look pretty good, the complaints say the hardware is junk but it looks like folks on Amazon are getting good SWR readings, so I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as your received signals are good and people can hear you. You can get yourself a relatively cheap Surecom SWR meter like this one for about $60 if you want to be more confident in the SWR. Lots of people here use it with good results.

https://www.amazon.com/Surecom-125-525Mhz-Digital-Antenna-connector/dp/B01MUZISB8/ref=asc_df_B01MUZISB8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693308325721&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9330456624222961711&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031587&hvtargid=pla-566905769976&psc=1&mcid=9a5732268fb53f9ab49d41ad31efb7cb&gad_source=1

I will keep this in mind. Thanks

[WSCU736]

5 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Yes that will work fine too. Just try to keep it attached to a rail as far from the house as possible. Most base stations have radials and do not require anything else for a ground plane.

Thank you. The antenna is far away from the house. Oh and is grounded with a grounding rod.