President Grant 2 poor signal strength

Hi 
I’m the first to admit I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to radios  but I’ve recently acquired a used president grant 2 (my first ssb radio) and have tonight been trying to talk with my friend mainly on UKFM.

My friend was mobile over 10 miles away, driving towards my location using a 3 foot springer, I was mobile static using a 9 foot tank whip, at a higher elevation in open countryside.

The frustration I was having was that I could hear him nice and clear, however he couldn’t hear my voice properly and mostly hearing my roger beep.

We also tried usb on various frequencies with little improvement.

My question is: 
could it be my radio or his antenna? My antenna swr is 1.5 but can’t speak for my friends.

I would really love to have a go at communicating long distance in the near future and although Im aware that propagation etc will affect this, it is a concern to me that I’m struggling with much shorter distances currently.

I’m guessing there may be a number of reasons for my problem but I’m grateful for any insights.

Thanks 
Scott

Hi Scott

Welcome to the sometimes frustrating world of radio

I have some basic questions that might help you with the low audio.

Did the Grant come with the standard mic or is an after market 1 like the KPO-NM-532?

Is the Mic gain set on low?

Do you know if anybody has had a twiddle inside the radio?

Did you try AM/FM to see if there was any difference?

With a bit more information, you will find the Charlie Tango group a helpful and knowledgably bunch.

73

Ray 2290

Hi
No the mic is a replacement, a pretty cheap one at that, not opened it to see if anyone has tampered with it however the back lights don’t work so it’s a possibility someone has been inside.
No didn’t try AM just ukFM and usb as I said. I did try mic gain low and high with no improvement.

Thanks

A 3ft aerial won't help i don't think.
Your tank whip should be spot on.