To check the SWR reading you must use an SWR meter. We sell a range of SWR meters and they are quite cheap (£11.99 for a basic one), click here to view our range. To connect the meter you will also need a patch lead, click here. The meter simply connects between the antenna and the radio. There are two connections on the meter, one for the antenna to plug into, and the other to connect to the radio(using the patch lead). When you have successfully connected up your meter you are ready to check your SWR! There should be a switch on the meter labelled 'FWD/REF' (Forward and Reflected). Make sure the switch is set to FWD. Now set your radio to a channel that is half way through the band, i.e. if you have a 40 channel radio then set your radio to channel 20, for an 80 channel radio set it to UK channel 1. Now key up your microphone and use the control knob (usually labelled CAL) on the meter to adjust the needle so that is at the'Set' position on the meter scale, usually labelled on the far right of the meter scale. Let go of the mic and now switch the meter to 'REF'. Key up your mic again and the meter will now show the SWR reading of the antenna. Its that easy!

There was a time when every new CB antenna had to be fine tuned when it was put on a vehicle, luckily there now are antennas that are Pre-tuned. Most of the THUNDERPOLE antennas are now pre-tuned making the hours of fun fine-tuning a thing of the past (thankfully!). Most notably the THUNDERPOLE Orbitor and Trucker 80 antennas. These antennas have been tuned at the factory for the lowest possible SWR reading (on the very rare occasion they may need a slight bit of fine tuning).

Note:"When you get a new antenna or move your existing one you should always check the SWR reading(even if the antenna is pre-swr'ed) just to make sure you have no other problems with your mount/groundplane etc. and that your antenna is tuned for optimal performance".

You can usually tune your antenna quite easily by altering the length of the whip, most antennas have a grub screw in the side that you can undo to adjust it. Remember though only a very small adjustment is needed, 1/8 of an inch can dramatically change the SWR! Sometimes the antenna is not to blame for a high SWR though. If you have a short circuit in your cable or mount for instance then you will have a high SWR, this is easily spotted though because the SWR will read infinity on the meter (needle full over). Another cause of high SWR is a bad 'Ground Plane'. To find out more about ground planes click here. If you adjust the length of your antenna and have a good ground plane and still cannot get the SWR reading down then you may need to reposition your antenna on your vehicle. If you have an acceptable SWR reading you are now ready to start using your CB!