AUTEK WM 1

[wavrider]

Autek WM1 is pretty good meter IMO, IS it accurate? Varies from band to band, but then again the output of my amp varies from band to band.

SO before the debate starts on ACCURATE meters lets keep this in perspective.

If you want ACCURATE purchase and O scope, don't get much better than that for accurate.

For relative measurements, the autek is right up there with the industry standard BIRD meter but the AUTEK will not give you BIRD watts.

It is a decent meter and is only on used market as the gentleman retired from making any autek products, I have had four of the WM1 and they all read about the same, decent movements and fairly accurate, but it is NOT a calibration standard type meter.

I prefer the autek meter style as there is two separate meters and easier for my eyes to see the movements compared to cross needle movements,

 

[Sonar]

Autek WM1 is pretty good meter IMO, IS it accurate? Varies from band to band, but then again the output of my amp varies from band to band.

SO before the debate starts on ACCURATE meters lets keep this in perspective.

If you want ACCURATE purchase and O scope, don't get much better than that for accurate.

For relative measurements, the autek is right up there with the industry standard BIRD meter but the AUTEK will not give you BIRD watts.

It is a decent meter and is only on used market as the gentleman retired from making any autek products, I have had four of the WM1 and they all read about the same, decent movements and fairly accurate, but it is NOT a calibration standard type meter.

I prefer the autek meter style as there is two separate meters and easier for my eyes to see the movements compared to cross needle movements,

Unfortunately I was busy at the autek's auction ended on eBay. It sold for $55. I should've just added my high bid when I first saw it. They don't come up often. As a matter of fact it's the first one I ever saw on flebay. I've stopped using the mfj 828. If anyone's got an autek wm1 they'd like to part with let me know. 73

 

[wavrider]

Take a look at QTH.com sometimes they come up for sale there, fleabay once in a blue moon.

 

[Sonar]

Take a look at QTH.com sometimes they come up for sale there, fleabay once in a blue moon.

Thanks for the link. No wm1 currently available but I didn't know about that site and it seems to be an excellent alternative to eBay.
There's lots of equipment for sale other than what I'm looking for and a good place to start looking for something even before checking eBay..
I'll periodically check there for a autek wm 1 and other items I might be interested in.
Thank you and stay cool. 73

 

[2RT307]

Thanks for the link. No wm1 currently available but I didn't know about that site and it seems to be an excellent alternative to eBay.
There's lots of equipment for sale other than what I'm looking for and a good place to start looking for something even before checking eBay..
I'll periodically check there for a autek wm 1 and other items I might be interested in.
Thank you and stay cool. 73

Even though I've never been burned on Ebay or Amazon, I tend to trust QTH.com a little more. I always hear good things from other ham ops regarding transactions there, and have had a couple good ones myself.. Don't forget to hit your local ham club sites in your area... most of them have a for sale section. Just use your normal good ol' gut feeling.

73,
Brett

 

[TonyV225]

Yes the downfall of the Autek was the fact the center pin on power jack is ( - ) and the outer shell was ( + ) which was a bad mistake for those who didn't pay attention as it should be written on the back of the case. Basically was reversed from what anyother 12 Volt device would be wired and not paying attention or knowing resulted in reverse polarity. I still today cannot understand why the heck they did that.

 

[222DBFL]

There are some freq counters made by dosy that utilize a 1/4" mono jack for power and it's the same thing. Once powered up, if you pull the plug at the counter you have a live wire basically. Bad design for sure. Guess they had their heads somewhere else when making these things LOL!!

 

[Sonar]

Even though I've never been burned on Ebay or Amazon, I tend to trust QTH.com a little more. I always hear good things from other ham ops regarding transactions there, and have had a couple good ones myself.. Don't forget to hit your local ham club sites in your area... most of them have a for sale section. Just use your normal good ol' gut feeling.

73,
Brett

I get the feeling those amateur clubs aren't that interested in helping a chicken bander unless he's showing interest in getting a ticket (and I'm not).
It could be a misconception considering I've never dealt with a local club. Many of my locals who operate on 38 LSB are ticket holders and might keep an eye out for me.
I will let them know what I'm looking for and maybe I'll get lucky.
An autek wm 1 is available on eBay but it $129 and $14 shipping cost. Has me thinking, "I don't want it that bad". "Or do i"? It's in very nice condition and if someone wants to give me $130 for my MFJ 828 I'd be more than happy to add the $14 and change shipping charge and be happier than a pig in shit. I ignored advice when I showed interest in the 828. I regret that I didn't listen. Live and learn.

 

[Mudfoot]

The MFJ-828 is a turd. The Autek on eBay is an even bigger turd because of that crack. Some old fool dropped it for sure.

 

[Sonar]

The MFJ-828 is a turd. The Autek on eBay is an even bigger turd because of that crack. Some old fool dropped it for sure.

I did see the crack in the meters cover (it's noted in the description). It's very small. I also know that dropping a meter can make the difference between one that works and one that doesn't. I dropped one myself. Regardless to say that meter has been relegated to the parts box.
It seems that short of springing $500+ for for the LA 100 one is going to own a mediocre meter no matter what they buy. Ps don't like the bird meters. I've read very good thing about the autek wm 1. I think my 828 would benefit greatly (compared to the way it currently operates) by having it calibrated. I only use it on 11 meters but have read a review of it doing the same exact things mine does on the 40 meter band. One Thanks. 73

 

[Hurricane145]

One problem with the Autek from what I have heard is that you cannot get a schematic for it making it more difficult to repair on your own. I understand that Autek is also out of business now so you can't send it tot them for repair either.

It seems they were big on protecting their design from being copied offshore so wouldn't put the schematic out there.
The Ameritron peak reading wattmeter may be a better choice although it is not IMO as good looking as the Autek.

 

[Klondike Mike]

Here is the imax 2000 at the infamously low height of 7'

And I thought my IMAX setup was poor @ 12ft. I did OK in cycle 24 at this height so don't feel left out when cycle 25 starts up again in 2019. See link for 11m contacts I was able to make from western Canada; http://tinyurl.com/bsl6rxa

 

[Sonar]

One problem with the Autek from what I have heard is that you cannot get a schematic for it making it more difficult to repair on your own. I understand that Autek is also out of business now so you can't send it tot them for repair either.

It seems they were big on protecting their design from being copied offshore so wouldn't put the schematic out there.
The Ameritron peak reading wattmeter may be a better choice although it is not IMO as good looking as the Autek.

If I'm correct mfj is a subsidiary of Ameritron. I'm not saying the Ameritron is a poorly constructed meter like the MFJ.
I purchased an MFJ 826 and out of the box it was horrible. The cross needle meter jumps all over the place before finally settling down but still doesn't jive with the digital side.
The digital side of the meter is reading high on swr. Even testing with a dummy load the MFJ read 1.32 on the digital side and the analog cross needle was over 2.1:?. The needles just will not stay still for approximately 2 seconds.
I sent it back to MFJ and received a piece of paper stating that the meter was and i quote 100% operational and has no issues. I followed the receipt with a phone call and was told by Joe (MFJ tec) "I tested the meter myself and there's absolutely no issues". I've read other posts online that have stated the exact same erratic behavior that is shown on my 828. The only difference between the other person and myself was that he was smart enough to realize immediately that the best thing to do was to return it. I don't work on the equipment because I don't have the knowledge. I might send it to the gentleman who works on my equipment and possibly try to salvage it by having it recalibrated. I did mention in a previous post that I do not like cross needles. I never have and never will. The idea two separate meters that need no swr set or cal. is something I like. The Wm1 eham reviews are all positive. Not a single negative review. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one and will soon be hooking it up. I might even send it to be calibrated. I'll definitely let you know how it worked out for me. For my liking and the facts it's not made by MFJ is already a good thing. I have my fingers crossed. 73

 

[wavrider]

One problem with the Autek from what I have heard is that you cannot get a schematic for it making it more difficult to repair on your own. I understand that Autek is also out of business now so you can't send it tot them for repair either.

It seems they were big on protecting their design from being copied offshore so wouldn't put the schematic out there.
The Ameritron peak reading wattmeter may be a better choice although it is not IMO as good looking as the Autek.

http://www.pj2t.org/ccc/manual.autek.WM-1.wattmeter.pdf
sensor head schematic on pg 4,

http://www.mods.dk/manual.php?brand=_other
full manual and schematic for download

 

[Sonar]

And I thought my IMAX setup was poor @ 12ft. I did OK in cycle 24 at this height so don't feel left out when cycle 25 starts up again in 2019. See link for 11m contacts I was able to make from western Canada; http://tinyurl.com/bsl6rxa[/QUOT @ 12ft. I did OK in cycle 24 at this height so don't feel left out when cycle 25 starts up again in 2019. See link for 11m contacts I was able to make from western Canada; http://tinyurl.com/bsl6rxa

Very impressive Mike. Someone once posted that the lack of height might've help me making dx contacts. Something to do with angle of take off. Now I don't know if that's true but I lost 3ft in the last wind storm and hacked off that amount of mast because it bent. I'm at 7ft now but will be putting it up on a 4ft mast via an eaves mount. It will be peaking over my roof about 1ft. Which will put it approximately 21/23ft above the ground. I'm hoping to mainly get the swr down to a I.2:1 or lower. If I gain an s unit on the receiver side excellent. If I gain an s unit on the other end incredible. I will post a picture of the old installed next to the new. Thanks. 73