Buying time again, This time meters

[Maco 103]

Okay, so this is not what I need: [Please login or register to view this link]

But this is what I have: [Please login or register to view this link]

I will not be running power, so a 10 Watt meter is totally what will fit and fill the void.

I do want it to be accurate, but in this day and time, there are not many things built with accuracy in mind.
Most interested in monitoring the SWR and the modulation.

Three meters would be nice (I do like analog)
But, digital meters have a certain appeal too..

Open to all suggestions

['Doc]

The typical accuracy of SWR/watt meters is something around 10% (Bird too). That's really about as much accuracy as most people can handle. That means that almost any 'typical' SWR/watt meter will be as accurate as most. I would say that almost any of the 'name-brand' meters will be that accurate. So, unless you have some particular need for accuracy, any of the 'mid-range' meters ought'a do just fine. The biggest difference between most meters is 'cosmetic', the 'looks' of the thing. If you find one that is acceptable to you, and it doesn't require a trip to the bank to finance it, get it. If you require accuracy to three or four decimal places, then count on spending a bunch for it.
- 'Doc

[The DB]

The version of the Powermaster you linked to is no longer available, if you want one you would need to get the Powermaster 2.

At the prices of a Powermaster 2, that is a lot of money to spend for a level of accuracy that you will never notice the difference from getting.

If it were me I would consider getting a VNA instead, and I did, the AIM4170C by the same company that makes the Powermaster 2 and costs about the same money.. With it you can find more out about an antenna than any SWR meter or even a low priced antenna analyzer, although the sheer amount of data available can be intimidating and confusing if your not used to it. They aren't hooked up in line for monitoring however, but you have the PDC already for that, which is more than accurate enough even if you intended to run power.


The DB

[str8stroke]

Few ideas that I have besides the Bird these are my favorites.

MFJ Analyzer (Most useful)
[Please login or register to view this link]

LP-100 (Most Fun)
[Please login or register to view this link]

"Handy Dandy Tandy", Radio Shack (My favorite for value)
[Please login or register to view this link]

Those will all do the deal.

[bilko1]

Few ideas that I have besides the Bird these are my favorites.

MFJ Analyzer (Most useful)
[Please login or register to view this link]

LP-100 (Most Fun)
[Please login or register to view this link]

"Handy Dandy Tandy", Radio Shack (My favorite for value)
[Please login or register to view this link]

Those will all do the deal.

SO from what your posting, I will do OK with the" Handy Dandy Tandy". And should not worry about the people that poke fun at me for
using RS?

['Doc]

Do you wear 'Hanes' or 'Fruit of The Loom' brand underwear? And do you really care if someone makes fun because you wear the 'wrong' brand? See where that's going?
- 'Doc

[Maco 103]

[quote="str8stroke"]Few ideas that I have besides the Bird these are my favorites.

MFJ Analyzer (Most useful)
[Please login or register to view this link]

LP-100 (Most Fun)
[Please login or register to view this link]

"Handy Dandy Tandy", Radio Shack (My favorite for value)
[Please login or register to view this link]

Those will all do the deal.[/quote]

Great answers!
I will be setting up a table at the HamFest (March 14th and 15th), so I will look for the MFJ Analyzer .

The LP-100 does look like fun, so I will add that to my wish list and if I do not find something there, I will probably just go ahead and order one.

The third one on your list is a work-horse. Had one in my mobile for years.
Actually gave it away Wednesday night to Psyco (Local CB'er).
Everyone in town has been handing him equipment (Brand New RCI 2995 built for action, Brand New Maco 104c, Echo max, Toy boxes).
He is excited about being able to set up his CB room once again.
I really do like the [Please login or register to view this link] and may buy one of those to replace the one I just gave away.
Special mentions need to go out to Goldfinger, Mover, Rockman and many other CB'ers for helping Psyco regain his tower and his past glory.

Again, thank you for giving me a wish list...
In my opinion, as far as quality and performance is concerned: DOSY is too loose, Para Dynamics is built for light duty and unfortunately the different watt scales are not calibrated to each other.
I have found what rates as ten watts on one scale, rates as 6 watts on the next scale.
Sadly, I just do not trust the SWR side of the meter (It is all relative anyways, but I still want it to tell the truth).

All three products above are now on my radar, (actually heading to Radio Shack as soon as I get off work), but I want something more..
Perhaps another three in one that sports three big meters that can light up at night and swing as I talk.

Digital numbers also look cool and some meters have the ability to save equipment when things go wrong.

Looking at all of the catalogs and planning a budget.. My Shack is needing so many new things.
Meters are just one item, but they are oh so important...

[The DB]

I definitely won't fault you for using a good piece of equipment. I have two RS meters around around here somewhere...


The DB

[Cool Mule]

LMAO@theDB

Your as bad as I am I got a dozen different ones but none are hooked up at my station. I do have one or two on my bench just to have a visual the "patient" is putting out. For most everything, I just look at the scope to see what's really happening.

I think it's because I could care less about SWR. Anything below 3:1, I just run it. Got a multi-band dipole down on HF that has 5:1 on a band or two. Down there I run a tube radio and it could care less what the SWR is. As long as I can get out a couple of thousand miles, I probably ain't gonna fix it LOL!

['Doc]

This is just for grins so don't put a lot of 'faith' into it...

People thing SWR is a lot more important than it really is. The ONLY thing SWR tells you is about the transference of power, nothing about how well an antenna is working. Most antennas will radiate all the power that it get's so getting all the power to it is certainly important. But, where that antenna 'sends' that power is the biggy. If it doesn't get it to where you want it to go, then getting the absolute bestest amount of power to the thing isn't gonna do you much good. That make sense to you?
I've had antennas that had a rotten SWR at the frequency of use. They did really amazingly well too. The biggy in that was what damage that high SWR did to the equipment I was using. It didn't do anything 'bad', so I came out ahead. Also wasn't using coax as the feed line. Compared to other types of feed line, coax is sort of 'delicate'. That 'other type of feed line' isn't as 'delicate' but it's certainly not as easy to use. Howz that for a 'catch'?? Oh well.
Accuracy is great if you have a use for it. In most cases, there's just no particular need for accuracy. 'Close' really does make a difference.
What does make a difference is any -changes- in the readings you get. Pay attention to those readings, no matter what they are, and you end up at the same conclusion, something changed. So figure out what changed and 'fix' it...
- 'Doc

[The DB]

I think it's because I could care less about SWR. Anything below 3:1, I just run it. Got a multi-band dipole down on HF that has 5:1 on a band or two. Down there I run a tube radio and it could care less what the SWR is. As long as I can get out a couple of thousand miles, I probably ain't gonna fix it LOL!

People thing SWR is a lot more important than it really is. The ONLY thing SWR tells you is about the transference of power, nothing about how well an antenna is working.

Read these quotes again.

Far to many people treat SWR as the key goal for tuning antennas these days, and essentially treat it as the king of antenna tuning. A lot of things that have nothing to do with SWR are also commonly attributed to it as well.

SWR is really only useful because modern day equipment isn't as robust as what came before, and thus have a limited SWR range that these radios and amplifiers can safely operate under. Radio worked long before SWR was discovered, and often through essentially random length antennas with very high and, quite frankly unknown, SWR were used. The rise of cheap coax after World War 2, and the advent of the cheap SWR meters that have existed for the last several decades are both to blame for the misconceptions attributed to SWR, along with the rise of transistor based radio equipment.

SWR tells you only one thing about an antenna, and that is how well matched it is to the feedline. It tells you absolutely nothing of how well the antenna performs.

After all this I do monitor SWR, but only because a change in SWR shows that something has changed in the antenna system, so it is only used as an easy means of determining if a possible problem has occurred. If I expect the SWR of a given antenna at a given frequency to be 1.5:1 and suddenly have a 2:1, or a perfect match, I know something has changed and I need to check the antenna...


The DB

['Doc]

The 'idiot lights' of radio??
- 'Doc

[De_Wildfire]

I have a WM-1 computing meter by Autek Research. It gave me the same power output as the Bird. Just hook it right up and play. Don't have to worry about FWD/SET. You can use the low power setting and it goes down to 100 mw. I use the low power setting to tune the wire antennas before changing the setting to high power and light up the wire.

[721HACKSAW]

I've got the Autek meter also, and love it!

[Z-MAN]

Maco, if you want a meter thats a tad bigger than that Rat-shack cheapy....look into the Workman HP201S for around $40. Just as accurate as a $100 Dosey but i highly recommend calibrating each scale or have a tech do it. I took mine to a buddys and only one scale was true on the carrier but it only took a few minutes with the 4 VR's inside it.

[Rabbit Ears]

BIRD IS THE WORD!!

Think about it.... *dinggg!!* Yep, you got it.

1. Simple to understand. (kind of ugly *Fred Flintstone look about it*)
2. Tough as frickin' hell!
3. You can fix the thing. *parts galore* (don't fuss with eFray)
5. Lasts almost forever (I got one made back in the 1960s)
4. Comes in MANY frequencies and wattages (just change the slug).

*owwww!* Expensive!!!

[Sporty Mike]

I have a Drake W4, very honest meter, in a "bird " kinda way

Mike
Sent from Sporty Mike's phone.

[MDYoungblood]

To get this topic back on track, talking about SWR is another topic.

Just about any meter will do, the accuracy of all that I have seen is 10%+/-, that is when hook to a dummy load, they are only to be used as a reference anyway. Each meter is a personal preference, mine is the Daiwa models, I like to older ones but the dual needle new models work quite well and are as accurate as the "Birds", there is that 10%+/- again.

3's

Greg

[Deleted User 14541]

I hope the quality is still the same but the radio shack meter I bought over 10 years ago still works fine. I have nicer meters now but the old rat shack meter reads pretty close to a bird on pep and avg. The modulation meters are a joke. Use the pep setting on your watt meter to check modulation if you don't have a scope.

[Maco 103]

Great answers, Cannot believe how the years have rolled by.
Waving a hand.