Tuning my Wilson 1000

[NCWrench]

Should I tune the Cb as it says in the manual and then tune the antenna according to its instructions or vice versa? I dont want to screw up my radio and I want to get the most out of the radio and antenna. Any suggestions?

[Twink]

what do you mean by tune your cb? the only way to tune it is to open it up and mess with the electronics. are you referring to swr calibration? all that does is tell you what your swr is, it doesn't "tune" the radio.

as far as the wilson, it shouldn't need to be tuned at all if you followed the installation instructions carefully, but follow the wilson tuning instructions.

[NCWrench]

I meant tuning te antenna to the car....In the CB manual it has instructions for the SWR calibration. The antenna also has instructions for SWR calibration, but the two are different. That is the part that has me confused. Thanks

[quickdraw83]

i just move my swr calibration knob all the way to the left and then never touch it again.

i then tune the antenna as the wilson instructions tell you too.

thats what i did on my cobra 29 with my wilson 1000. radio talked fantastic and achieved great SWR's

[Twink]

calibrating the swr doesn't do anything really... all it does it calibrate the meter so it will tell you your swr's correctly. "turning the knob all the way to the left" does nothing to change your swrs. it will tell you they're great, but that's because the meter is not calibrated correctly. wilson tells you how to "tune" your antenna, to change your swr.

to sum it up, nothing on the radio will change your swr, you can only calibrate the meter for a correct measurement. only tuning the antenna will change your swr.

[127]

Why not just follow the tuning instructions that came with the antenna?

[redneck330]

I would follow the antenna instructions.

[quickdraw83]

just to clear things up with my previous post, i didnt use the SWR meter on the radio to tune the antenna, or ever for that fact.

I did in fact use a external SWR meter when tuning my wilson 1000. I would only suggest that you'd do the same.

['Doc]

Unless you really know what you are doing, I would follow the tuning instructions that came with the antenna. Even if you do know what you are doing, reading those instructions is a very good idea .
SWR is a measurement that determines how close that antenna is to a 50 ohm input impedance, so that it matches the rest of the system (50 ohm coax, 50 ohm output impedance of the radio). NO antenna is pre-set to provide a 'perfect' 50 ohm input impedance. That's just impossible because of all the variations in where that antenna will be used. So, checking and correcting any mis-match is a very good idea.
The SWR meters built into most radios are not exactly the most 'perfect' things in the world. Especially if that radio has been modified in any way, and the SWR meter recalibrated after that modification (don't count on it!). An external SWR meter, that hasn't been messed with, and that has been calibrated correctly, tends to give a more usable reading.
Lot's of "if's", "ands", and "but's" with all that, but all generally true. None of this comes naturally, you have to learn about it, and everybody has gone through about the same 'stages'. Some of us more than once...
- 'Doc

[NCWrench]

Thanks for the info Doc. It was very helpful. I did take my car by the local CB shop. I had the antenna tuned and he set the SWR with his meter. Thinking about having him peak and tune the radio....What do you think. Is it really worth it?

[Tinman590]

Its def worth it for the peak and tune if he is a good tech, you also may have to re-tune that antenna once that is done though.

[Twink]

oh my god oh my god.... yes peak and tune.... that was the first thing i did to my radio, and instead of talking across the street i was talking across town! definately on the of the best investments and mods to do to your radio. i got a swing put in with a variable knob, cost me $30.

for performance gain versus cost.... you can't beat it.

['Doc]

Is it worth having a radio 'peaked' and 'tuned'? It's about the same as 'tuning' your car. Getting a tune up isn't a bad idea, but a lot of times it's just not needed. If you think you can take an average radio in, have it 'peaked & tuned' and come out with a Maserati, forget it! Just ain't gonna happen any more than taking your Ford Escort in and coming out with a 'Vette' just by a tune up. Now, if you wanna pay for jacking that Escort up and sliding a 'Vette' under it, sure! I don't think I wanna see the bill though...
- 'Doc