Mobile ham radio antenna question...

[gunafficionado]

I just bought a Hustler MX-2B 2 meter antenna and it is not transmitting signals and is very weak in receiving signals. Is there a certain amount of "tuning" that I have to do before I use it? All connections seem to be okay.

I don't think the issue is with the radio because I have no problems when I use other antennas. The radio is a Yaesu FT-2600M 2 meter radio.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Milsurps]

I just bought a Hustler MX-2B 2 meter antenna and it is not transmitting signals and is very weak in receiving signals. Is there a certain amount of "tuning" that I have to do before I use it? All connections seem to be okay.

I don't think the issue is with the radio because I have no problems when I use other antennas. The radio is a Yaesu FT-2600M 2 meter radio.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Yes. Any instructions included with it ? If so, follow them.

73

Edit add: This an Larsen 2m cutting chart.

http://www.larsen-antennas.com/docfiles/ASB8/CutCharts/NMO_VHF.pdf

Did your Hustler come with something like it ?

[gunafficionado]

The manual suggests that I can tune the antenna for optimum performance but doesn't mention that tunning is necessary for intial use.

[Milsurps]

The manual suggests that I can tune the antenna for optimum performance but doesn't mention that tunning is necessary for intial use.

Got an Elmer/friend with a 2m capable antenna bridge or VSWR meter ?
If so you can tune it that way. Easy to do, you just need a friend with the equipment and know how.
I've done this for new folks dozens of times. There has to be someone in your local club that can help.

73

[EmptySkuLL]

You probably have a shorted coax. The best way to test it is with a wattmeter if you have one. If youre getting the same power reflected as forward, then you have a short somewhere along the line.

A quick test you can do if you dont have a wattmeter is to unscrew the base of the antenna from the mount and use a ohmmeter to measure across the center lead and outer shield of the connector. Make sure you unscrew the antenna from the mount at the base including the black loading coil, not just the antenna whip itself. If you see something along the lines of near "0" ohms then you have a short somewhere.

If you dont have a short, next try placing a quarter on the base of the mount and LIGHTLY screwing the antenna back on (or placing foil there, what youre trying to do is short the center conductor and ground). Then measure again at the connector, this time you SHOULD see a short (0 ohms). What youre checking for in this case is connectivity all thru the cable (sometimes the center conductor can break in the cable and give you no connection). If at this point you see a short, your cable should be good. REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE QUARTER WHEN YOURE DONE otherwise you will damage your radio when you key up.

If these 2 things check out then its either going to be your radio, or the loading coil of the antenna, either way probably nothing you can fix on your own if youre asking questions here.

As far as tuning, all that involves is cutting the antenna whip to length to reduce the "reflected" power when viewing thru a wattmeter on whatever selected frequency you would like. It shouldnt matter too much out of the box in your case.

[gunafficionado]

You probably have a shorted coax. The best way to test it is with a wattmeter if you have one. If youre getting the same power reflected as forward, then you have a short somewhere along the line.

A quick test you can do if you dont have a wattmeter is to unscrew the base of the antenna from the mount and use a ohmmeter to measure across the center lead and outer shield of the connector. Make sure you unscrew the antenna from the mount at the base including the black loading coil, not just the antenna whip itself. If you see something along the lines of near "0" ohms then you have a short somewhere.

If you dont have a short, next try placing a quarter on the base of the mount and LIGHTLY screwing the antenna back on (or placing foil there, what youre trying to do is short the center conductor and ground). Then measure again at the connector, this time you SHOULD see a short (0 ohms). What youre checking for in this case is connectivity all thru the cable (sometimes the center conductor can break in the cable and give you no connection). If at this point you see a short, your cable should be good. REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE QUARTER WHEN YOURE DONE otherwise you will damage your radio when you key up.

If these 2 things check out then its either going to be your radio, or the loading coil of the antenna, either way probably nothing you can fix on your own if youre asking questions here.

As far as tuning, all that involves is cutting the antenna whip to length to reduce the "reflected" power when viewing thru a wattmeter on whatever selected frequency you would like. It shouldnt matter too much out of the box in your case.

Thanks for the advice EmptySkull...