Yeah. Marconi noted that when he added a ground plane on the A99(I think), that the A99 indicated that it had a more pronounced swr/vswr(?) curve whereas before the ground radials where added it pretty much had a relatively flat swr curve. That right there tells me that ground radials are supplying the A99 with a nominal but more effective ground plane than if it was using the coax shield,mast pole,or neighbor's occasional wandering dog.
I intend to adjust my A99 to one resonant frequency and if I want to go band surfing in the neighboring free bands then I'll use my MFJ-971 just for that. I'm pleased with the results I have so far after erecting my A99. You see my stated radio checks I've gotten a few posts back and here's another radio check. Later last night another CB base operator 18 miles away gave me a 5 1/2 s-unit reading.
Again I sounded good and clear to him.
Last night I and my brother had a discussion over the airwaves about the possible variance of S/RF receive meter readings on different radios. He tried three different radios as he gave me dead key and pep readings that I sent using my 4 watter Galaxy DX-959 coupled up with my A99(tuning rings at 37').
His radios he used in the test and S/RF readings
Cobra 89GTL: 5 1/4 s-units dead key
Royce base station(find out model afterwards) 3 1/2 s-units dead key
Royce 1-604 NOS/NIB(DTB RADIO tuned): 8 1/2 s-units dead key.
His first two radios haven't if ever been under the care of a reputable,good tech. I don't think they've ever been tuned. I do know that the his Cobra 89GTL has been hacked half to death by a self appointed radio technician(sounds awful/AMC clipped). The Royce base station's receive doesn't receive that strong.
The Royce 1-604 he has that I gave him that I had DTB tune,I feel confident that the 1-604 is tuned to perfection. The 1-604 has a auto RF AGC circuit in it so I don't know if that will change his readings on different distance OP's. I know that my 959 that is DTB tuned and has the receive mod done to it. My 959 shows my brother's radio signal on my Galaxy's S/RF meter at an average of 7 1/2 s-units for all three of the radios he used that I described. There people in my neck of the woods that think that radios come tuned and aligned from the factory. I am quick to try and educate them that the factory ballpark tunes them and/or hamstrings them such as in the case of my Galaxy DX-959 but are't tuned for optimum efficiency.
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him recite Shakespeare.
