High SWR

[Slowmover]

New (newer, newish, late model and etc) pickups all seem to be a nice ride. Features in cars today blow my mind. Stuff that was only on the top end models is standard in the lowest of low “work trucks” now.

Im a fan of manual stuff. The ‘05 Dodge has crank windows (still haven’t failed). But the manual stuff is getting hard to come by. Even when I bought that truck, in Sep ‘05, they laughed that I wanted a manual trans. Lol...couldn’t make me one if they tried (so they said).

Funny, when I pull up to the base and they approach from the pass side wanting the window down for an ID check...these young guards have never seen a car with manual windows.

Only major component that has failed on the ‘05 Dodge so far: the original auto trans. There was a reason I wanted a shifter on the floor.

Here’s the first ball joint job....15 years and 180k miles. Did a whole front end job while in there.

View attachment 38276

The Man’s Trans is the best theft deterrent available at the Mexican border.

The New Venture 5600 and the Cummins ISB 555 is a marriage made in Heaven. Pretty much impossible to stall.

Every gear, every time. One doesn’t miss an auto.

That said, the 6-speed auto is (as with big trucks now) a part of the solution to best power & economy with variable-vane turbos.

The pickups have a ways to go. This Pete better in every way than an ‘04 model. Conversely, the latest pickups are no faster, and with the no better fuel burn than mine

Comparing RF Bond jobs and noise present ought to be enlightening; ‘04 to ‘18
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[2NC995]

Bed & Cab are isolation-mounted on every pickup ever made. The frame rail torsion would otherwise quickly destroy them.

Where's the isolation in the directly bolted arrangement shown?

There's pickups, flatbeds, stakebeds, tire trucks, beehive trucks, farm trucks, welding trucks, service trucks....and all other sorts all over the planet... that aren't being quickly destroyed by direct mounting.

 

[Nick hatz]

Wow we got off topic.
So found a guy and metered the antenna. Ended up cutting 2 1/8” off the Francis antenna. antenna is tune to the meter. SWR dropped to 1.4 on the radio. And on the meter that he had a drop to 1.1 to 1.
The whip antenna I forgot at the hotel so we were unable to test that one. Wondering why I said hotel I am out of town for work.

 

[Nick hatz]

It’s a great conversation now I love my Diesel‘s. 05 mega cab on 35’s fully built. 04 built.

 

[Nick hatz]

Same line knot finished.

 

[2NC995]

Wow we got off topic.
So found a guy and metered the antenna. Ended up cutting 2 1/8” off the Francis antenna. antenna is tune to the meter. SWR dropped to 1.4 on the radio. And on the meter that he had a drop to 1.1 to 1.
The whip antenna I forgot at the hotel so we were unable to test that one. Wondering why I said hotel I am out of town for work.

 

[Slowmover]

Where's the isolation in the directly bolted arrangement shown?

There's pickups, flatbeds, stakebeds, tire trucks, beehive trucks, farm trucks, welding trucks, service trucks....and all other sorts all over the planet... that aren't being quickly destroyed by direct mounting.

Sorry. I’m wrong.

Leakage from a different dimension having to do with imposed longitudinal forces. Suspension Q, not frame DC iso. (And have run short a prescription; so not a happy camper with recent dispatch).

I was thinking of (picture in mind; example):

MOPAR 68200184AB Cab Bushing (Hold Down Cushion)

Where with Dodge it’s (6 or 8) frame outriggers for the cab depending on model, year, etc.

Bed attachment differs (6 or 8 bolts to latitudinal rail under bed; captured nut; 18 or 21-mm).

(Other brands may differ).

Older pickups were isolated at bed bolts X 2. Bolt thru block. (Age: one foot in the grave, the other reverted to default 1950’s).

DC ground on mine a 1/4” woven strap at starboard bow of bed.

RF Bond recommended is Bed-to-Frame at each corner, and Bed-to-Cab both sides.

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[Tokin]

I’m going to get the Analyzer.
Removed all the paint from under the mount bare metal. Grounding strap was added earlier,And bonded the frame to the bed in four corners. No change.

without an analyzer or decent equipment I’m at a standstill. I don’t want to cut the antenna until I have the analyzer.

like I said I can transmit and receive people all over the country today.

Sweet, im glad you found access to an analyzer, knowledge is power. Im getting too old to waste time guessing and banging my head.

 

[Nick hatz]

I ended up buying one anyway. RigExpert AA-55 that way I can do anything I want to later on. Also know a lot of people that I can help out in my area. I’m learning every day on how things are done. The guy who helped me had a cheap meter but got it close. Can’t wait to tune everything to my specs. Clean audio tuned to my area of operations. I don’t like not doing it RIGHT. I guess that’s what 20 years in the military has thought me. Now that I’ve been through it I can help others that need it. thanks to all that posted.

 

[2NC995]

Very nice!!

 

[Tokin]

I ended up buying one anyway. RigExpert AA-55 that way I can do anything I want to later on. Also know a lot of people that I can help out in my area. I’m learning every day on how things are done. The guy who helped me had a cheap meter but got it close. Can’t wait to tune everything to my specs. Clean audio tuned to my area of operations. I don’t like not doing it RIGHT. I guess that’s what 20 years in the military has thought me. Now that I’ve been through it I can help others that need it. thanks to all that posted.

Good choice!

 

[M0GVZ]

I wish I had the experience on the topic to quantify the value in thoroughly bonding a vehicle, but I simply don’t.

It ends up being quite simple in the end. Being sat out in the countryside with the engine running and seeing S0 on the S meter on an empty channel even with the pre-amp on and actually being able to understand what people are saying with any signals you hear which are at S0 and the only interference as you drive down the road being the RFI spewed out by passing vehicles. It's being able to talk to someone 30 miles away with 4 watts whilst your friend struggles to make it 5 miles with 100W.

 

[M0GVZ]

Wow we got off topic.
So found a guy and metered the antenna. Ended up cutting 2 1/8” off the Francis antenna. antenna is tune to the meter. SWR dropped to 1.4 on the radio. And on the meter that he had a drop to 1.1 to 1.

You're welcome. Told you it was good news and because you have a good RF ground.

Chapter 3 of the ARRL Antenna Book on RF grounding has a nice chart showing how as you improve your RF ground the resonant frequency of the antenna drops for a fixed length of antenna. So for anyone wondering if the bonding they're doing is actually achieving anything that's what you need to look for, that without adjusting the whip length the SWR rises and is lower on Ch1 than Ch40 indicating you need to shorten your antenna to bring it into tune where you want. If you can take a mobile antenna out of the box, put it on the vehicle and it's either low SWR right out the box or you can get it there with the half inch of adjustment you have that's telling you your RF ground ain't that great because mobile antenna manufacturers make the lengths of whips assuming a poor RF ground.

 

[Slowmover]

I ended up buying one anyway. RigExpert AA-55 that way I can do anything I want to later on. Also know a lot of people that I can help out in my area. I’m learning every day on how things are done. The guy who helped me had a cheap meter but got it close. Can’t wait to tune everything to my specs. Clean audio tuned to my area of operations. I don’t like not doing it RIGHT. I guess that’s what 20 years in the military has thought me. Now that I’ve been through it I can help others that need it. thanks to all that posted.

I can see out ahead of my pickup, ol’ Lightnin’, that someone is coming down the Interstate entrance ramp at a good clip . . and gettin’ faster.

No need to slow or change lanes.
A rare thing, these days.

.

 

[Slowmover]

You're welcome. Told you it was good news and because you have a good RF ground.

Chapter 3 of the ARRL Antenna Book on RF grounding has a nice chart showing how as you improve your RF ground the resonant frequency of the antenna drops for a fixed length of antenna. So for anyone wondering if the bonding they're doing is actually achieving anything that's what you need to look for, that without adjusting the whip length the SWR rises and is lower on Ch1 than Ch40 indicating you need to shorten your antenna to bring it into tune where you want. If you can take a mobile antenna out of the box, put it on the vehicle and it's either low SWR right out the box or you can get it there with the half inch of adjustment you have that's telling you your RF ground ain't that great because mobile antenna manufacturers make the lengths of whips assuming a poor RF ground.

I’ve seen you offer this info and anecdote (these two posts) elsewhere. Glad you reinforced it with sources. I’ve been remiss on a library.

Swap out the 108” for a 49” after enough bonding, right?

A spur to learning more. Thx

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