Off Center Antenna Tuning

When tuning your CB antenna to check your standing wave ratio (SWR) normally you check the SWR on channels 1 and 40 which you can then check whether your antenna is electrically long or short. But if you don’t use all the channels, this may not be the most efficient way. In this article, we’ll discuss strategies when tuning your antenna to a more specific channel.  

Transmitting antennas will resonate at one specific frequency, and this is the frequency you will want to target to find the lowest SWR. If you normally communicate on one specific channel, then you can target that channel and tune your antenna so it has the lowest SWR at that channel.   

You can then follow a process similar to the standard procedure. Say you want to tailor your system to channel 20. Then you can check the SWR on channels 10 and 30 (10 channels above and below your target) and adjust the SWR till they are equal on both channels. This is called setting an SWR dip, and in this example that dip would be at channel 20. You can do this for any specific channel you want to target.  

We hope you found this information helpful in tuning your antenna when off center. At CB Radio Supply, we are here for all your radio needs and offer a wide range of customer service! Our free domestic US shipping and hassle-free returns is our guarantee you’ll be satisfied with your choices. Give us a call to speak with our expert staff today!