CB recieving great, transmitting bad

Hi - anyone have an idea to the following. I tested my CB with my friends just 20' away. I have a compact uniden. I received him perfectly on channel 4. He said he could not understand me at all when I would transmit. I checked the SWR and channel 1 is about 1.5, 19 is about 1 and 40 is about the same. Mount is grounded. I can't find anyone in Simi Valley or in the area that can help me service CB's. Help please.

 

The ham thread might give you better answers. Even though CB and the amateur bands operate on different frequencies the antenna tuning operates on the same principles.

That being said we will need a little more info on your setup.

The graveyard shift thread also has some ham guys. I am a ham operator, but my antenna knowledge needs some work. I am sorry I can’t be of more help.

@medic2230 @m603holden @gixxerphil @koditten

 

I have a

$158 Uniden CMX760 Bearcat Off Road Series Compact Mobile CB Radio, 40-Channel Operation, Ultra-Compact for Easy Mounting, Large 7-Color Backlit LCD Display on Mic with Built-in Speaker Mic, Black

Uniden CMX760 Bearcat 40 channel compact CB radio with a Firestick FS-4BK 4 tunable tip. I have checked the ground at the mount, seen in my picture at the tailgate. It is grounded correctly. I receive perfectly, but when I transmit, you can't make out what I am saying.

 

Did you buy the unit new or used? Could be a bad Mic.

 

Try it a 50 yards. If you get too close reception can stink.

 

Do you have aftermarket lights, fog lights, or led products?

 

New on Amazon.

 

No, not yet. But I have bought the hidden bumper LED 32" and (2) Ditch lights and will get the 50" light bar. Does LED lights interfere with transmitting? I wish I knew of a CB store in my area...a thing of the far past.

 

Hmm, never really thought of that. Okay I can try that. Thanks

 

Did you read the reviews on Amazon? I just looked and right off the bat I saw about 4 or 5 with transmitting issues.

 

It can. No real way of knowing until it's installed. I wouldn't worry about it. But if you get it working a d it randomly stops working, check the led.

As far as your current issue I'd try a farther distance. And then if that doesnt work there are guys on here who can trouble shoot it for you.

 

I usually do, I must have just figured it should be good. I should return it and buy a different one. Any suggestions? It has to be the same type of compact though.

 

I just ordered a replacement and to return the one I have. If the same problem occurs again, it may be something else. If it doesn't it will work. Its just for trails when off-roading with others and we want to communicate. But I am glad you noted that, lesson learned. Thanks daddy-o - helpful.

 

Good luck with a replacement. At least it's an easy deal with Amazon. I have had to send two items back with Amazon in the past, and it was a very simple process.
You are welcome, I was concerned when I saw more than 2 reviews with the same problems. Hope you get a good one next.

 

Where's your antenna mounted? I seriously doubt you're getting about 1 for SWR on ch 1. That's the theoretical best SWR possible, ridiculously good for a truck - most people aim to be below 1.5 for their SWR. I'm content with 1.5 - 1.8 across the board for SWR on my Taco, since my antennas are on a roof rack.

If you can receive but can't transmit, you may have a short. Are you sure you connected the mount right? I had a buddy that hooked up his CB to a mirror mount but accidentally shorted the antenna RX/TX (center prong) to ground by not including the washers that came with the mount antenna. He could receive fine short-range, but couldn't transmit at all.

 

This is an antenna problem.

Make SURE the connections are good. Crap from China is not tested and uses poor materials and craftsmanship. Check the connectors and the connections. Look for malformed parts and kinks etc.

Check for ground faults.
If the antenna is a no ground plane type and you bonded it to the frame you may be shorting out on transmission but the frame picks up on receive.
If the antenna expects a bonded frame make sure it is.
In either case match the antenna frame ground to the instructions.

Try to tune the antenna to a different SWR, and more importantly to see if the SWR moves in the direction you expect as you tune it. This can indicate line loss or impedance issues stemming from a short within the cable. Test the cable for shorts with an ohm meter.
I assume everything is dry, as wet connectors or cables that have gotten wet internally at now junk.

Try a different antenna and or cable, especially if the cable is kinked or bent at too narrow a radius.
Try your antenna with a different unit.

If you have thus ruled out the antenna and connectors, then the unit is the suspect. Again check the power connectors, as it may be chinacrap giving low voltage enough to power on but having trouble keeping up transmitting at 2-4 watts. Make sure the PTT feels smooth and clean. Again if either of these ever got wet you may want to start over.

 

I'm having the same issue with mine..still haven't gotten around to checking some things other members suggested to me. But, mine works fine until I add my bed rack and roof top tent. Can receive great but when I transmit other cannot understand me as well. If you do figure it out, post back here so I know what I should try first when I get around to troubleshooting mine

 

Thanks

 

Will do. A bit confusing, the SWR is good, mount is correctly grounded. Should work with no issues. But, once I get it all figured out, I will share.

 

Calling all HAM nerds!!

@max_o what are your thoughts?