Motorola Maxtrac

[hfd921]

I’m currently running a Motorola Maxtrac in my vehicle, UHF
I’m using a glass mount antenna (non tunable)As a temporary install I’m running the Maxtrac off of my cigarette plug. The Maxtrac is not narrow band.

So My question is , Is running the Maxtrac off my cigarette plug limiting the potential of the radio possibly? It is really not working as well as I thought it would be.

[Bill_G]

Maybe. Put a voltmeter and wattmeter on it.

[thebigphish]

I'll betchya that glassmount has more of a role than your cig lighter job.

[Tom in D.C.]

The only non-adjustable glassmount antennas I've ever seen or used were for
800 mHz. The VHF and UHF units were always tunable via the inside-the-glass
black box and the whip length. And with careful tuning and grounding the U and V
antennas always worked well with SWRs of well under 2:1.

[dave90000]

Check the B+ voltage with the unit in TX mode and see what the voltage drop is. A cig lighter plug is going to be marginal at best on supplying the current a high power radio is going to need.

[hfd921]

Also i'm running a Tram 1187 uhf Antenna,

[Tom in D.C.]

As was suggested above, just check the voltage going to the radio and the antenna's SWR and you'll have the beginnings of a diagnosis of what the radio is doing, or not doing, as the case may be.

[Will]

Also i'm running a Tram 1187 uhf Antenna,

That is a poor choice for an antenna...

Getting power for the Maxtrac radio from the cigarette lighter socket is iffy at best. Radio draws more current than most sockets are rated for. That creates a voltage drop to the radio, radio does not like low voltage. Add a VSWR problem to the low voltage problem and you get poor performance