How to Connect Patch Cable and Test SWR

How to Connect Patch Cable and Test SWR

Transcript of the video follows: Now, I am going to demonstrate how to connect the patch cable between the radio and the SWR meter and connect to antenna, to measure the SWR. I am demonstrating measurement on VHF as my CP22E antenna is for VHF. Earlier I had checked the same antenna for UHF also and found that the SWR is 2.25:1. Now I am only demonstrating testing on VHF. This is the HLF 200 patch cable. HLF 200 is equivalent to LM 200. You can see that there is one PL 259 connection at one end.

This is another PL 259 plug at the other end, so this is a short cable, total length is very short you can see that it is a short cable. This is a patch cable which we need to connect between our radio which has an SO 239 connector and the SWR meter. This is the SWR meter I am going to use. Now this is the antenna cable which is coming from my CP22 antenna which has been mounted outside. It also has a PL 259 connector. So you need a patch cable to connect the SWR meter in between the antenna cable and the radio. As you can see, the SWR meter has connectors for antenna as well as the radio. I am connecting the antenna socket.

The antenna socket has been connected. Next is to connect the patch cable. This is the patch cable adjustment connected. The other end of the patch cable is connected to the radio. You have to make sure that there is no loose contact. You have to tighten the screw well, so that there is no loose contact.

Now the patch cable has been connected and the antenna cable has been connected and the radio is ready for testing SWR. The radio is switched on at low power because you have to test the SWR always on low power before going for high power. This is a cross needle SWR meter. You can see one needle for the forward power and one needle for the reflected power. The markings in red will show you the SWR. So you need to have a low reflected power and the power output should be shown in the forward power, and the SWR should also be low. I am going to press the PTT. You can see that reflected powers only minimal and SWR is only about one is to 1.1 sorry. You can see that the SWR is only 1.1 is to 1.

So this is a good matching between the antenna and the radio. I am using HLF 200 cable, CP22E antenna at about 9 meters from the ground, and a low power in the radio.