What is SWR, and how important is having a good measurement?
SWR, or VSWR as its sometimes called, stands for Voltage Standing Wave Ratio. SWR is an important measurement because it shows how well your CB system, including antenna, coax, mount, and ground plane, matches the output of your CB radio. A perfect match, where all the RF energy the radio is producing is transferred from the radio through the antenna, is considered a 1:1 match. A high SWR reading (2:1 or more) is a sign of reflected power (RF energy) going back to the radio (like a mirror). This means some of the power you are transmitting does not make it to the antenna. Besides signal loss, having a high SWR might also result in damage to the radio. Keep in mind, while a high SWR reading is an indicator of a match problem, a good reading does not necessarily mean your antenna is radiating properly. An example of this is a dummy load. While a dummy load is able to achieve a perfect SWR it does not radiate a signal. No Ground Plane antennas are also an example of this. These antennas a
