UHF and SWR
Submitted: Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 20:14
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phillip owen
Hi all,
Just bought a new GME 3220
UHF radio, CP474S (fibreglass with spring base) aerial (4.5dB) and approx. 5m of coaxial cable to connect the two.
My question is, can I go ahead and install the unit (on a Suzuki XL7) and begin using it, or do I need to SWR the unit/aerial set-up? The aerial will be on a 'Z' bracket on the side of the bonnet and then mounted on a bull bar in a couple of months. Will I need to SWR the set-up again when moved?
Cheers
Reply By: Grungle - Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 09:24
Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 09:24
Hi Phillip,
If the ariel is one where you have to put the connector on yourself then
check the connector with an ohm meter to make sure it is not shorted (non dc grounded ariel) between the centre pin and outer connector. We see around 50% of all customer fitted connectors short or open in some way.
Also we have received 2 x 477MHz pre-tuned ariels from a reputable company in the past month that were out of tune and showing a VSWR of 2.6:1 (elevated feed so easily checked by swapping whips)
A VSWR
test will show up not just an out of tune antenna but stretched/damaged cable and incorrectly installed connectors. We do a VSWR
test as a free service on customer installed equipment so once you installed it, take it into where you bought the gear (if local) and ask if they would mind checking. It really is peace of mind.
I have seen some horrors.
Regards
David
AnswerID:
241140