What kind of SWR meter is it? (Manufacturer/model?)
Many SWR meters have a calibration knob on them that you're supposed to adjust before taking a reading. Some are auto-calibrating (you just hook them up and go). There are also some, like the MFJ cross-needle ones, where see both forward and reflected power on the same meter, and the places where they intersect indicates the SWR (again, no calibration needed).
The digital SWR meter built into my Kenwood TS-850 is auto-calibrating. But I also have an external Kenwood power/SWR meter, and that one requires manual calibration (and you need to transmit at least 10 watts of power to get an accurate reading on it).
It's possible that your antenna system is fine, and the needle doesn't deflect because you do have a 1:1 SWR (and hence no reflected power). However a typical CB only produces 4 watts of output: if you bought an SWR meter designed for higher power transmitters (e.g. ham radio stuff) then you may simply not be producing enough power for the meter to get a good reading.
Also, you keep saying the radio makes a beeping noise. Here's an idea: use your cell phone (or your friend's cell phone) to record the noise and upload it somewhere so we can hear it too. What you call a beep might be RF feedback (sometimes called an RF squeal). But there's now way to know if we can't hear it.
You said before that the radio starts out fine and then has trouble after you've used it for a while. There are a couple of possible problems:
- There's an intermittent break in a connection somewhere in the mic pre-amp or audio circuit in the radio
- Some component is marginal and fails once the radio heats up
- You're draining the battery in your car the longer you talk on the radio, and the battery voltage is dropping to the point where the radio doesn't work right anymore
I would swap your radio with your friend's radio and see if the problem persists. If it doesn't, then your radio is likely the problem. If it does, then I might be right about the battery voltage dropping.
Regardless, I'd still like to know what kind of SWR meter you got.
-Bill
