Break one-nine for a radio check. It’s the most common request on the airwaves next to, “What’s the coop doin’?” Chances are you’re not happy with the performance of your CB radio. Almost nobody is, but it’s nearly impossible to gauge a radio’s performance based solely on a radio check. The other guy’s radio might not be working too well, either. The only reliable way to check out the radio is to have the entire system checked and bench-tested.

Sounds serious, but it’s not. The technician simply hooks up the radio to an oscilloscope to ensure all’s well internally, and according to Dave Hollingsworth of Safelight Communications in Burnaby, B.C., it usually is. “Most of the problems are either antenna- or cable-related,” he says. “It’s seldom the radio itself.”

When you troubleshoot an antenna, the most likely source of your anxiety is the mounting studs. They’re probably corroded enough to adversely affect the performance of the antenna. Replace the mounting studs under both antennae.

The coaxial cable may also be corroded. If you’re going to replace it, remember the impedance rating of the cable. Cable is sold in two different impedances: 75-ohm for a co-phase set-up, or 52-ohm for a single antenna set-up. Don’t confuse the two if you plan to wire up your own antennae.

A bad ground is the next most common antenna-related problem. A non-metallic mounting surface like a fibreglass door won’t provide a satisfactory ground plane for the antenna. There are solutions to the fiberglass dilemma, but you’ll need to enlist the aid of an expert.

Once you’re sure the cable and the connections are the best they can be, visit a CB shop and have the system checked out. No point in trying to match good antennae to a bad radio, or vice versa.

The purpose of matching the antennae and radio is to ensure maximum output. “The biggest complaint I get from drivers is that they aren’t getting out,” says Bill Watson, owner of B&W Radio in Dundas, Ont. Most antennae are factory-tuned to 27 megahertz, CB frequency, but almost all antennae need to be fine-tuned to the radio and the antenna set-up on the truck. If the antenna isn’t matched properly, it will reflect a portion of the transmitted signal back down the coaxial cable and into the radio, which reduces output efficiency and can damage the transmitter.

The amount of reflected signal is described as the virtual standing wave ratio, or VSWR. An antenna with an ideal VSWR match of 1:1 means all the power that the radio produces is being transmitted, with nothing coming back.

When matching an antenna, adjust the length of the actual antenna wire precisely to the set-up your system requires. Watson recommends buying a “tuneable” antenna so that an exact match can be obtained without cutting the wire within the antenna. If it needs to be a bit longer, you can simply extend the antenna.

Watson says a good, tuneable antenna will cost around $30. Look for a whip of between four and five feet in length. He also says a match and a bench test shouldn’t cost more than around $25, but the final price will depend on how much work is required.

Hollingsworth and Watson both suggest scrapping the antennae that comes with the truck. “They’re usually the cheapest whips the factory can buy,” Hollingsworth says. “And they’re rarely, if ever, matched at the factory.”

Some radios have built-in SWR meters, and many truck stop travel stores sell portable SWR meters for around $30, but the meter Watson and other CB techs use costs at least $300. That should tell you something about the accuracy of the reading you’re likely to get from the do-it-yourself meters.

If your radio passes the bench test, and the SWR is nice and low, electronically, the radio is doing the best it can. If you still have problems, check the microphone. The modulation, or the clarity of the sound of the voice, is dependent on the quality of the mic. A noise-cancelling mic will eliminate a lot of background noise, which will render a clearer-sounding signal, whereas a power mic will simply boost the strength of the signal entering the transmitter. It may sound louder, or stronger, but it won’t necessarily sound better.

Above all, get good help for your radio problems. “Ask for recommendations for CB shops from drivers whose radios sound good, and don’t drop too much money the first time in the door,” Watson says. “You probably don’t need the radio so badly that you can’t afford to get a second opinion.”