reddragon72 said:
Yea that is a CB, see the button to the left right above the red alarm button, that'll switch it between a weather station and a CB. Antenna selection will have to be done to attain the bets SWR on your rig. try out different locations. I'm picking up a hadheld so if something happens in a valley or the rig looses power or sinks I can still get help. Plus it is a handheld is a good anti theft system, and yes people do steal CB's its uncanney what some people will steal.
Oh and with a handheld you can always add an external antenna and remote mic, plus if you leave it like it is then you wont have to worry about the SWR as well.
Just another option to think about
Here are two links to SWR meters on ebay. The second one is the whole page, the first one is a micronta which is very versatile, will tune swr's from low watt output radios to 2000 watt output. I recommend this type as it is small and even easy to keeo connected all the time.
http://cgi.ebay.com/micronta-swr-po...593108950QQcategoryZ73164QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=swr+meter
It seems to me that you are trying to set up your CB rig on the inexpensive side.... Be aware that the most important thing to hear or be heard will be your antenna. Invest on something other than a mag mount and match the coax length with the antenna and radio for the lowest SWR.
The midland unit in the picture does not have a SWR meter from what I can see, only a power output four led indicator, with the last one in red.
You can perfectly well transmit with all red led's lit up, as it will mean all the power is actually transmitting thru the antenna. When you transmit, touch the rear end of the radio, and feel how quick it heats up. They all do, but if ii heats up really quick, then your SWR's are too high and could burn the final transistors.
The bottom scale, 3,5,9,+30 is the incoming signal strength.. you will use that to: give signal reports, to know how far the other station is, etc.
Rgds
Angel
KF4THG