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sirio Performer 5000 swr problem

before you buy anything,..... beg, borrow, steal and different radio and see what happens.

preferably a un modified, un tweaked radio
 
before you buy anything,..... beg, borrow, steal and different radio and see what happens.

preferably a un modified, un tweaked radio

ok got brave and opened up my mag mount everything is connected and soldered perfectly found some solder paste or silicone on the copper tab near the screw hole so I cleaned that....tried with two different radios today both stock President grant, and a uniden pc66a... both same results radios to meter and meter to antenna swr about 1.2 same as with the president Lincoln.. then added the amp. amp power off its just a tad higher... turn amp power on and up in the red..... all done with no modulation. (amp is Texas Star dx350).

will try lowpass filter method and coax jumper lengths asap

could it also be that the roof of this minivan (1996 Nissan quest) don't supply enough of a ground plane ?
can I mount the antenna on another vehicle while everthing still connected to mine ..
or its better just to try the set up like I said before everthing on another car ?
 
ok got brave and opened up my mag mount everything is connected and soldered perfectly found some solder paste or silicone on the copper tab near the screw hole so I cleaned that....tried with two different radios today both stock President grant, and a uniden pc66a... both same results radios to meter and meter to antenna swr about 1.2 same as with the president Lincoln.. then added the amp. amp power off its just a tad higher... turn amp power on and up in the red..... all done with no modulation. (amp is Texas Star dx350).

will try lowpass filter method and coax jumper lengths asap

could it also be that the roof of this minivan (1996 Nissan quest) don't supply enough of a ground plane ?
can I mount the antenna on another vehicle while everthing still connected to mine ..
or its better just to try the set up like I said before everthing on another car ?

That roof is plenty!
 
Coax jumpers are often issues with amps. People use cheap jumpers with poor connectors that work fine until power is applied and swr spike with watts. I ran into this many time over the years. I now use the best coax jumpers I can find when using amps.
 
M0GVZ when I remove those four top screws I don't have to mess around with anything under the magnet foil wouldn't want to break it of will do if it'sa must thanks

No you don't have to do anything, its all in that bit the antenna connects to that unscrews. Providing you use the right size screwdriver they shouldn't be aware you've taken it apart.
 
No you don't have to do anything, its all in that bit the antenna connects to that unscrews. Providing you use the right size screwdriver they shouldn't be aware you've taken it apart.

ok took it apart today all was good. just found a donor mobile to test with tomorrow will post
 
ok took it apart today all was good. just found a donor mobile to test with tomorrow will post

Well you've definitely got me scratching my head now. It should work. There's no reason it shouldn't. I've run 100W through one myself on 10m and 50W on 2m/70cm bands without any SWR issues.
 
Same here. I've run 3-400 watts through mine. I know they are capable of handling it. The whip normally needs to be cut about 1/4"-1/2" to tune correctly. Sometimes more. But normally that is what I have had to do. This was on a work van with a large roof. Also an E350 with a Breedlove mount. The antennas tune pretty well. Even the mag mounts. But every install is different! If you are going to try a different radio, also try a different meter if you can. Just to verify your meter is working correctly. Honestly this is where even an inexpensive analyser would help tremendously. JMHO. If you can also, just if you can, change the coax out to some different stuff. Maybe some lmr240. Something with good with good shielding. The stock coax is okay, but not what you want to run much power through IMO. Get some good connectors and coax, times microwave, Belden, Andrew, and some others are of good quality. Like I said though, an antenna analyser would help you out very much!! I get to use one when I need it and it just makes antenna tuning and trouble shooting a breeze compared to just an swr/watt meter. Again, JMO. Hope you get it fixed. Keep us informed of your progress. Lastly, you can open the coil cover on the antenna, which is very easy, check that the Allen screws are tight at both ends of the coil. Again, hope you find the issue. Good day.
 
No doubt he does, but it's a bandage for the real issue TBO. There shouldn't be much change in vswr unless there is something else not right. I've had to do the same thing, use certain lengths of coax to make up my jumpers to be a certain length to work with an amp. But he is having issues with power without the amp installed. His vswr shouldn't rise just because he adds a higher carrier. It should remain the same or close to the same. Like going from a 4 watt to 100 watt carrier. It shouldn't matter as led as the meter can be calibrated to accommodate the power being applied. This is just from my own experience as well. But he will get it figured out hopefully. I wonder if the roof metal is just too thin to get a good hold? Milocs, any idea about this? How strong is the hold of the magnet?? Is it strong or does it come off easy?? Just curious. Again, hope you get it resolved.
 
No doubt he does, but it's a bandage for the real issue TBO. There shouldn't be much change in vswr unless there is something else not right. I've had to do the same thing, use certain lengths of coax to make up my jumpers to be a certain length to work with an amp. But he is having issues with power without the amp installed. His vswr shouldn't rise just because he adds a higher carrier. It should remain the same or close to the same. Like going from a 4 watt to 100 watt carrier. It shouldn't matter as led as the meter can be calibrated to accommodate the power being applied. This is just from my own experience as well. But he will get it figured out hopefully. I wonder if the roof metal is just too thin to get a good hold? Milocs, any idea about this? How strong is the hold of the magnet?? Is it strong or does it come off easy?? Just curious. Again, hope you get it resolved.

Could be a mixture of metal and fiberglass roof?
 
That or it's just super thin. Doesn't allow a good coupling between the antenna magnet and the roof of the vehicle. I used 5 5" magnets and 1 PL145 magnet under my mag mounted sirio performer 5000. This helped the antenna be as solid as it could be without drilling my work van. Couldn't put a hole in the van so this was my only option. It did help and kept my antenna from ever coming off even at 85+ mph! For what it's worth, all the effort and such, if the van is older, just drill it and mount a good hard mount like a Breedlove 3" mount. For the age of the vehicle, a hard mount is going to be your best bet and it won't affect the price when you sell it. Just cap it off. A mag mount can work and has worked for me in the past but I would recommend a hard mount if possible. JMHO.
 

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