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 !

This was a much better tutorial on tuning than I've seen in the past. Thank you.

What a difference a year has made! I've enjoyed your videos... Keep up the good work annoying SadHams.

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!

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!

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.

It’s about time someone addresses this issue ,, thank you 👍

Thank you so much! I was able by following your video to get my SWR down to around 1.2!

Great explanation. (Fun to see your early set up ... and persona.)

Excellent video. I just ordered the inexpensive SWR meter you linked. Thanks! Once it arrives, obviously I'll check my SWR.

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.

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

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.

@ewicky

2 жыл бұрын

LMAO "longer is better mentality". It's not about how longer your antenna is, it's about how you use it.

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.

Well done, I appreciate the humor, radio can be monolithic... you must be a teacher, if not, you should be. Thanks for the instruction.

A Dremel with a cut off wheel is the easiest and cleanest way to cut the antenna down to size.

@petek1pml746

2 жыл бұрын

Great video Randy, But I missed your normal sarcasm. Best calibration video I have seen to date. Thank you for your always great information.

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.

Great explanation on SWR.

Great video thank you so much love from Phoenix Arizona I’ve been enjoying your videos

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😊

@CWfist

3 жыл бұрын

Put it in your shopping cart anyway,,, when it becomes available it will be there

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

Thank you for this video. Very informative, helped me set up my GMRS antenna very easily.

Answer to newbie questions I had. Thanks.

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.

Love it thanks for the INFO!

Awesome video and info for the meter!.. Check the antt grounding, that's the biggest problem

Thanks Randy,very well explained.

Great Video, Thanks for breaking it down.

Thanks for the video.

Great Info. New to GMRS..

Thanks Randy

Great information. Thank you!

This was super helpful!

I trim mine on a bench grinder. Slow and steady and mark a line where to stop.

Great video thank you so much! Hello from Phoenix

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).

Great video😃

Thanks Randy, good video.

Well said, spot on.

I was looking for a video like this

The, best channel!

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.

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 information...thank you!

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

You are AWESOME!!!!

Yeah, finally watched a video of yours with no bitching. Thank you! Thumbs up!

@TheNotaRubicon

2 жыл бұрын

People that dont like the bitching are usually who I am bitching about.

Really good video, thanks for explaind clear and easy.....also do you recommend the MIDLAND MXT400? Thanks and have a nice day.

Thanks for de-mystifying the closed World of radio, and love the verbosity and de- pussification of language

Good video, thanks!🇺🇸

Very informative! Just thinking... shouldn't you check for any bent, or coiled coax cable, and check for proper grounding BEFORE cutting your antenna?

@txbob5978

2 жыл бұрын

That's exactly what I was thinking when he talked about trouble shooting the adjustment.

Thank you.

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.

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

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.

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.

Thanks

Great video. Where did you get the white wire that connects to the GMRS?

thx for the vid

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 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?

Are you recommending to not coil, or loop, up the extra antenna coax cable to avoiding unwanted high SWR readings? Thanks!

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

Great video, Randy. """Some" "people"""" sent me

Watching your channel definitely gave me a lot knowledge keep up the good work !!!!!

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

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’m going to get one of those SWR power meter but where did u get the tow lp-259 adapters?? Plz let me know

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?

You can also use a grinder.

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

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

@BigGoad

3 жыл бұрын

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?

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 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?

On the BR-450 antenna if you know...... would my big old magnet mount from my Wilson 2000 accept that antenna?

What are the exact fittings I would need to test my midland mxt500 thank you.

Good video, but have you made one on a Dual Band Antenna (UHF/VHF)

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

OLD school makita!!

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

Recent facts shows a high swr DOES affect receive..I personally have shown it on a manual tuner on hf or uhf..

Lmao. “The instructions... that you didn’t throw away.”

How does this unit compare to Surecom SW-102 Digital Is it worth paying a bit more for the more expensive unit?

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.

@TheNotaRubicon

Жыл бұрын

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.

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.

@TheNotaRubicon

3 жыл бұрын

"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.

Does anybody know what the magnetic mount & frame mounts are compatible to the MXTA26 & BR-450?

After watching your videos, I'm going to make the swap from CB to GMRS (already have a license for GMRS) in the Jeep. Out of curiosity, are you using an NGP antenna? Any issues with your antenna in terms of the ground plane (or lack thereof)? I have an existing CB antenna mount point on the tailgate and am wanting to re-utilize that point (although I'll have to manufacture something to accommodate NMO). Thanks.

@TheNotaRubicon

3 жыл бұрын

We use Browning BR-450 UHF antennas which require a GP, mounted right where our CB antennas were mounted.. not the best GP on the tail but we still get good SWR and have no issues transmitting 30+ miles, ~75 miles to repeaters.

@ocabj

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheNotaRubicon Update: I got the KG-1000G a few weeks ago and got around to installing it last weekend. I couldn't find the BR-450, but ended up trying the Tram 1173 and could not get it down below 1.6 SWR. I ended up getting a Nagoya NL-770G and out of the wrapper was SWR of 1.02 and 1.09 for the 467 and 462 freqs, respectively. I used the same mount my CB antenna used to be on (I sold the Cobra 75 WX ST).

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.

Are you familiar with the BT462 Tuned Stubby UHF GMRS Antenna for BTECH V1? would a tuned 771 nagoya be better?

Very informative video thanks Randy 6:53 @NotaRubicon Productions

👏👏

I ordered the SW-33 but it did not come with the adapter cords. Any idea where to get them?

Nice layman’s explanation. Many people would benefit by listening to these tidbits. I cringe every time I hear myths about SWR, co-ax lengths, etc. Many radios will reduce power at high SWR, luckily.

Do you stop once you get below 1.5:1 or keep going until you get closer to 1.1:1? How do you know when to stop cutting, or more importantly, what if you go too short looking for the best ratio?

@Texas1FlyBoy

3 жыл бұрын

Trim only a very small amount at a time, and only if moving the whip in/out of the base doesn't give you good enough results. If the SWR lowers as you move the whip farther in, but the whip bottoms out, then cut a very small amount and try again. "Rinse and repeat." If the SWR starts to go up - STOP cutting and move the whip back UP just a small amount and the SWR should go back down.

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.

@TheNotaRubicon

2 жыл бұрын

2.58:1 is not a "great" SWR, but I would not bother messing with it.