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Bird 43 slugs

lerch256

Member
Dec 6, 2010
33
4
18
Bama
Hello again:

I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the difference in a bird 43 elements that are for 2-30mhz vs the 25-60mhz as far as covering the 27mhz cb band or are there not any difference for that mhz thanks alot sorry for the poor punctuation 73's
 

Both will cover the 27mhz band. One is just higher frequencies than the other. That is the only difference.
And no there shouldn't be any difference in the coverage as far as 27mhz goes.
Hope this helps. Have a good one.
 
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Ok thanks man I was looking at buying a few more I was thinking they both should work perfectly fine but just wanted to ask since I have no experience with a bird 43 I really appreciate it 222DBFL
 
Hello again:

I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the difference in a bird 43 elements that are for 2-30mhz vs the 25-60mhz as far as covering the 27mhz cb band or are there not any difference for that mhz thanks alot sorry for the poor punctuation 73's
Let's say if a C.B. radio is throwing a nasty 54 mHz harmonic, would this appear (ghost watts) on a meter with the 25-60 mHz slug in place?
Would the harmonic content not register with the 2-30 mHz slug?
Will the 54 mHz signal still pass through the meter, & just not register as increased output?
 
Last edited:
Let's say if a C.B. radio is throwing a nasty 54 mHz harmonic, would this appear (ghost watts) on a meter with the 25-60 mHz slug in place?
Would the harmonic content not register with the 2-30 mHz slug?
Will the 54 mHz signal still pass through the meter, & just not register as increased output?

Which do you prefer Leapfrog 2-30mhz or 25-60mhz for the cb band and why?
 
Let's say if a C.B. radio is throwing a nasty 54 mHz harmonic, would this appear (ghost watts) on a meter with the 25-60 mHz slug in place?
Would the harmonic content not register with the 2-30 mHz slug?
Will the 54 mHz signal still pass through the meter, & just not register as increased output?
Interesting thought. I would guess that the 56 mHz would still be measured, just not as accurately if it was out of the slugs bandwidth.
 
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I'll be honest guys, I don't work on enough gear (for other people) to justify the cost of a Bird 43 meter, I asked the question about slug ranges, because I honestly don't know!

This was just some food for thought to consider, I am curious myself!
 
The original Bird product line started at 25 MHz and went up from there. Each letter type covered a frequency range of just over two-to-one from lowest to highest. Type "A" 25-60 MHz. Type "B" 50-125 MHz, type "C" 100-250 MHz, type "D" 200 to 500, I think. Type "E" covers 400 to 900, I think.

The product line has expanded since the 1950s, and custom slugs for broadcast and industrial customers show up on fleabay from time to time. Don't know when the "H" slugs first appeared for sale.

But the tricky part of making a wattmeter's pickup element accurate is the frequency compensation. A 2-to-1 range is not so tough.

But the "H" elements cover a range of 15-to-1, 2 to 30 MHz.

Much trickier. As a result, much more expensive.

Bottom line for 27 MHz is that the difference is price. The "A" element, or equivalent from Coaxial Dynamics or Dielectric Communications will tend to cost half the price of a "H" slug of the same power rating.

At 27 MHz you're 10 percent below the top of its 30 MHz upper spec. You're about 10 percent above the lower limit for the "A" slug.

If you really don't care to go below 25 MHz, the "A" slug will save you money.

And that's the biggest difference that I see.

73
 
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The original Bird product line started at 25 MHz and went up from there. Each letter type covered a frequency range of just over two-to-one from lowest to highest. Type "A" 25-60 MHz. Type "B" 50-125 MHz, type "C" 100-250 MHz, type "D" 200 to 500, I think. Type "E" covers 400 to 900, I think.

The product line has expanded since the 1950s, and custom slugs for broadcast and industrial customers show up on fleabay from time to time. Don't know when the "H" slugs first appeared for sale.

But the tricky part of making a wattmeter's pickup element accurate is the frequency compensation. A 2-to-1 range is not so tough.

But the "H" elements cover a range of 15-to-1, 2 to 30 MHz.

Much trickier. As a result, much more expensive.

Bottom line for 27 MHz is that the difference is price. The "A" element, or equivalent from Coaxial Dynamics or Dielectric Communications will tend to cost half the price of a "H" slug of the same power rating.

At 27 MHz you're 10 percent below the top of its 30 MHz upper spec. You're about 10 percent above the lower limit for the "A" slug.

If you really don't care to go below 25 MHz, the "A" slug will save you money.

And that's the biggest difference that I see.

73



Thanks nomadradio I went with the A slugs I have no reason to go below 25mhz so I'm good to go 73's my friend
 
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Just try at some point to attain a couple lower wattage ones for checking reflect as they will be easier to read for you. A 10 watt slug would work well I would think. Might not be a must, but wouldn't hurt to have. And don't know if this was mentioned or not, don't be suprised if your power readings are much different from other meters you've used. And I mean forward power. That is unless you got one with the PEP function already installed or in place. At any rate. Have a great day and enjoy the meter.
 
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Just try at some point to attain a couple lower wattage ones for checking reflect as they will be easier to read for you. A 10 watt slug would work well I would think. Might not be a must, but wouldn't hurt to have. And don't know if this was mentioned or not, don't be suprised if your power readings are much different from other meters you've used. And I mean forward power. That is unless you got one with the PEP function already installed or in place. At any rate. Have a great day and enjoy the meter.

Ah yes a 10 watt slug was the first one I purchased

The bird 43 I purchased has a pep kit with the multiplier installed in it just for fun I suppose but thank yall have a good one
 
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