Owner's Manual
HighGear Tips
Antenna Assembly
Loosen the set screw from the
top
of
the antenna mast. Insert the whip into the mast until
it touches the bottom. Lightly tighten the set screw.
Antenna Mounting
The metal body
of
your vehicle serves as the ground plane for the antenna. The ideal
location for the antenna is on the center
of
the roof
or
trunk lid, as far away from any
structures like luggage racks as possible. Make sure that all hardware and connections
are tightened securely.
Checking The
SWR
(Standing Wave Ratio)
Make sure your vehicle is in an open area
at
least 30 feet from any metal objects and
with the doors, hood and trunk closed. Connect an SWR meter in the coax line between
the radio and the antenna (unless your radio has a built-in SWR meter). Check the SWR
on both channel 1 and channel 40. Readings under
2:1
are considered acceptable, with
1.5:1
or
lower being desirable.
Note An SWR reading
of
over 3: 1 on both channel 1 and 40 generally indicates an
open
or
shorted coax
or
a
poor
ground connection. Re-check these conditions
before proceeding. Do
not
use the radio until the problem has been corrected.
An SWR reading between 2.0 and 3.0 generally indicates a problem with
coax
quality
or
length,
or
an inadequate ground plane.
Tuning the Antenna:
If
the SWR on channel 40 is higher than channel 1: Remove the
whip
from the mast and
trim it
by
1/8"
to
1/4" using a bolt cutter
or
hacksaw. Re-insert into the mast, tighten the
set screw and again read the SWR. If the
SVVR
reading is still higher than channel 1,
repeat until the
two
readings are approximately equal.
If
the SWR on channel 1 is higher
than channel 40: Loosen the set screw, pull the whip
up
1/4", tighten the set screw and
read the SWR again.
If
the SWR is still higher than channel 40, repeat until the
two
readings are approximately equal. Then firmly tighten the set screw.