CB radio grounding issue help!

[Noel Willhite]

Radio fully installed ,
SWR reading is slightly over 3 for all channels , and when i scab it just scans through all 40 channels and doesn’t stop or pick up anything
I have grounding strap (see pics) running from between ditch mount and coax ring cable to where i think is best ground option near by (under the fender aluminum but over the chassis steel..)
Is there a better grounding spot?
Is there a better option for running a longer strap to a designated spot?
Any help appreciated !
As of now this radio is useless since i don’t get any channels, I’m hoping it’s just grounding issue
I read the other threads and haven’t found anything that answers this SWR issue or could it be a different issue ?
It’s a uniden off-road CB

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[P. A. Schilke]

Radio fully installed ,
SWR reading is slightly over 3 for all channels , and when i scab it just scans through all 40 channels and doesn’t stop or pick up anything
I have grounding strap (see pics) running from between ditch mount and coax ring cable to where i think is best ground option near by (under the fender aluminum but over the chassis steel..)
Is there a better grounding spot?
Is there a better option for running a longer strap to a designated spot?
Any help appreciated !
As of now this radio is useless since i don’t get any channels, I’m hoping it’s just grounding issue
I read the other threads and haven’t found anything that answers this SWR issue or could it be a different issue ?
It’s a uniden off-road CB

Hi Noel,

Looks like you sandwiched the ground between two painted surfaces....Likely not a good ground. Do you have an OHM meter? You should be able to find a gound and touch to the ground strap...if any resistance is noted... Ground strap is not grounded. I would not be surprised if the ohm meter showed it completely open. Where is this body bolt? Are you close to the engine where you could pick up a good ground or to the the battery negative post?

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Msfitoy]

Radio fully installed ,
SWR reading is slightly over 3 for all channels , and when i scab it just scans through all 40 channels and doesn’t stop or pick up anything
I have grounding strap (see pics) running from between ditch mount and coax ring cable to where i think is best ground option near by (under the fender aluminum but over the chassis steel..)
Is there a better grounding spot?
Is there a better option for running a longer strap to a designated spot?
Any help appreciated !
As of now this radio is useless since i don’t get any channels, I’m hoping it’s just grounding issue
I read the other threads and haven’t found anything that answers this SWR issue or could it be a different issue ?
It’s a uniden off-road CB

Looks like my set up except for the ground...I'll have to take a look and see what you're doing wrong...in the mean time, don't turn it back on...if you're not properly set up you could fry your CB...are you using SWR meter?

 

[Noel Willhite]

Tha k you Phil!
I called uniden and it looks like i had a faulty mic upon delivery so i have another on the way,
With that said, i wonder if i somehow fried the unit by trying to use it when not properly grounded !
I grabbed my multimeter , which i have never used before , and sure enough there was no ground at all in the spot i had it before , whereas the big metallic screw (looks like a grounding screw LOL) registered .001 on the meter when grounded with the mounted end of the ring coax!
I hope this fixes the issue!
I’ll give it a go when new CB arrives , should be a five minute job since the install is done,
I will report back in case anyone is following this thread or maybe years down the road someone googles the same problem and stumbles here ...

 

[Noel Willhite]

Looks like my set up except for the ground...I'll have to take a look and see what you're doing wrong...in the mean time, don't turn it back on...if you're not properly set up you could fry your CB...are you using SWR meter?

I was mimicking your rig basically ,
Would love to see where you grounded yours, since proven correct I’ll move mine to that exact location
Wish they made these grounding straps longer , but i think maybe hopefully i found a solution!

 

[Msfitoy]

I was mimicking your rig basically ,
Would love to see where you grounded yours, since proven correct I’ll move mine to that exact location
Wish they made these grounding straps longer , but i think maybe hopefully i found a solution!

I ground the paint off where the antenna makes contact with the ditch bracket then from under the hood tethered a ground cable to ground...the SWR meter confirmed that it was working and antenna adjustable...

Looking at your setup, I'm not sure how you're making contact...do you have instructions for your antenna?

 

[Noel Willhite]

New unit arrived and it didn’t work..
Took it to an auto electronic shop and he said the antenna has center and outside running well with no grounding issues ,
He suggested a new base unit that the units may all be faulty (uniden cx760 off-road)
I don’t know what to do at this point and I’m very frustrated, he said the set up looks like it was done correct..
Any help would be great, does anyone have a grounding suggestion or something else i can check?

 

[Msfitoy]

New unit arrived and it didn’t work..
Took it to an auto electronic shop and he said the antenna has center and outside running well with no grounding issues ,
He suggested a new base unit that the units may all be faulty (uniden cx760 off-road)
I don’t know what to do at this point and I’m very frustrated, he said the set up looks like it was done correct..
Any help would be great, does anyone have a grounding suggestion or something else i can check?

I'm trying to recall the tricky installation of the antenna stud to the ditch light bracket (ground) but I recall that the "positive" which is attached to the cable is spaced off from the mounting...other wise they would short out...can you see the gap?

Then the positive "stud" is spaced off by the nylon spacer...

Sorry I can't go further without dismantling my set up but you should refer to the cable assembly instruction...

 

[Noel Willhite]

I'm trying to recall the tricky installation of the antenna stud to the ditch light bracket (ground) but I recall that the "positive" which is attached to the cable is spaced off from the mounting...other wise they would short out...can you see the gap?

Then the positive "stud" is spaced off by the nylon spacer...

Sorry I can't go further without dismantling my set up but you should refer to the cable assembly instruction...

Looks similar , i don’t see grounding cable ? Did you attach the grounding cable to the bolts under hood that hold bracket and then run to body ground?

 

[Msfitoy]

Looks similar , i don’t see grounding cable ? Did you attach the grounding cable to the bolts under hood that hold bracket and then run to body ground?

Like I mentioned previously, I ground down the contact area (ditch bracket) of the antenna ground contact then I wired a ground cable from under the hood to the bracket...know what I mean?

 

[Noel Willhite]

Like I mentioned previously, I ground down the contact area (ditch bracket) of the antenna ground contact then I wired a ground cable from under the hood to the bracket...know what I mean?

Ok i understand ,
I watched a few videos that helped me,
And the upper half with double coupling nut positive and below the mount is grounded ,
My tests show the upper half with continuity also so that is a big problem !
2 things , i think i need to move the ground to under the bracket where you stated (makes sense since i grounded the stud nut which connects direct to antenna) but i may also sand off the powder coat on that area bc when i tested the mount it shows short unless i press into it with tip of meter needles so i wonder if the bracket causes a faulty connection as well
Something to try in the morning !

 

[Noel Willhite]

Ok i understand ,
I watched a few videos that helped me,
And the upper half with double coupling nut positive and below the mount is grounded ,
My tests show the upper half with continuity also so that is a big problem !
2 things , i think i need to move the ground to under the bracket where you stated (makes sense since i grounded the stud nut which connects direct to antenna) but i may also sand off the powder coat on that area bc when i tested the mount it shows short unless i press into it with tip of meter needles so i wonder if the bracket causes a faulty connection as well
Something to try in the morning !

Ah
“Ground down” contact i bet means you also removed the coat
Makes perfect sense now
Sorry for the Confusion
I really hope this works

 

[Msfitoy]

Ah
“Ground down” contact i bet means you also removed the coat
Makes perfect sense now
Sorry for the Confusion
I really hope this works

Yes, you got this one...good luck

 

[Noel Willhite]

Sanded off the powder coat
Worked like a charm
One week of troubleshooting only to find the easiest solution
Getting 1-1.5 SWR all channels and i haven’t even tuned it yet ,
Thank you for your help !

 

[Msfitoy]

Sanded off the powder coat
Worked like a charm
One week of troubleshooting only to find the easiest solution
Getting 1-1.5 SWR all channels and i haven’t even tuned it yet ,
Thank you for your help !

Sweet! Very happy you got it figured...here to help

BTW, what antenna are you using? I tried a 2' Firestick with a spring base but it was too heavy and shook my lamps too much so I went with a cheap whip from Amazon...

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