Bird Meters and scopes

[undertaker]

Ok gentlemen, Can someone explain to me why all of the cb shops who make videos of there work want to show you how many watts your radio is doing? Is this a dick extender or what. I s this some kind of selling point?
When I am not undertaking at sit at my desk and watch these videos. Sorry I just had to ask Because I am not impressed....

 

[Dmans]

undertaker,
Some people are easily separated from their hard earned dollars.
That's just my take-others will have differing opinions.

73's
David

 

[543_Dallas]

Ok gentlemen, Can someone explain to me why all of the cb shops who make videos of there work want to show you how many watts your radio is doing? Is this a dick extender or what. I s this some kind of selling point?
When I am not undertaking at sit at my desk and watch these videos. Sorry I just had to ask Because I am not impressed....

They are there to make the customer trust them. Some customers beleive that anything other than a bird is not accurate. Some believe the peak envelope power is a hoax and the bird is the word. Their customers have been misled and filled with bad info over the years. They know this and use it to their advantage. You use the meters they want to see and tell them what they want to hear they will pay you.

I use a scope and a bird meter. The scope is a good tool to have. I broke down and bought the bird when I couldn't find a watt meter I could mount remotely that was reliable and would take some wattage.

 

[undertaker]

Reason I asked was LC 998v claims over a thousand watts!!!!!!!! On his bird...

 

[543_Dallas]

Reason I asked was LC 998v claims over a thousand watts!!!!!!!! On his bird...

You can jack off a bird meter like any other watt meter. They are probably more accurate meters than most but that's all is meaningless when you put a trashy signal through them. A scope and a spectrum analyzer will tell the true story....unless the guy that set up the bench is crooked and trying to sell snake oil.

 

[undertaker]

Thank you for the replies..

 

[StrangeBrew]

Bird meters really aren't any more accurate than any other good quality meter. Back in the day around here the big stations started using them because they had that magic combination of high power handling and low insertion losses, the smaller stations started running them because that's what the big guys used. After all if the big guys used them they must be "better".

 

[dave457]

They must be good, look at any bbi vids,
He has something like 6 inline to test his amps.....lol

 

[PoDuck]

What is really sad is how people are so easily excited about a few extra watts. You have to double your wattage in order to get 1 S unit increase in signal strength. You very quickly get diminishing returns. People think that if they are putting out 20 watts instead of 10 watts that they are going to be able to talk twice the distance.

Also, any wattmeter will lie if you don't know what you are doing. A modulation meter, or a scope trace, along with a wattmeter would be a more accurate depiction of true wattage, since anything over 100% modulation is not usable wattage.

I have a simple MFJ wattmeter that I use. It's accurate enough, but I am much more interested in quality rather than quantity, so to speak. No radio leaves my bench with a "greater than" 100% modulation, and I work on getting the best RX I can. The wattmeter is mainly to get myself in the ball park in terms of not pushing the finals too hard.

 

[undertaker]

The radio is like 1500.00 plus any add on I mean WOW...

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

What is really sad is how people are so easily excited about a few extra watts. You have to double your wattage in order to get 1 S unit increase in signal strength. You very quickly get diminishing returns. People think that if they are putting out 20 watts instead of 10 watts that they are going to be able to talk twice the distance.

Also, any wattmeter will lie if you don't know what you are doing. A modulation meter, or a scope trace, along with a wattmeter would be a more accurate depiction of true wattage, since anything over 100% modulation is not usable wattage.

I have a simple MFJ wattmeter that I use. It's accurate enough, but I am much more interested in quality rather than quantity, so to speak. No radio leaves my bench with a "greater than" 100% modulation, and I work on getting the best RX I can. The wattmeter is mainly to get myself in the ball park in terms of not pushing the finals too hard.

Actually you have to QUADRUPLE your power to one S-unit increase in signal if the meter is calibrated properly.each S-unit should be equal to 6 dB and doubling your power is 3 dB. Other that that I agree with what you said 100%.

 

[PoDuck]

Actually you have to QUADRUPLE your power to one S-unit increase in signal if the meter is calibrated properly.each S-unit should be equal to 6 dB and doubling your power is 3 dB. Other that that I agree with what you said 100%.

True. I was thinking about things wrong. Doubling increases 3 db, and an S unit is 6 db. I stand corrected.

 

[undertaker]

I would rather have a good antenna than spend that kind of money on a galaxy........No matter what the meter says!!!

 

[PoDuck]

Yeah, there are radios worth that much, but none of them have the word "Galaxy" on them. I don't care what has been done to them.

 

[Dmans]

All,
In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I use an MFJ-868B for HF. I have several other meters but this one has a light in it!! (Woo-Hoo!) Makes it easier for old eyes to see!

I frankly don't give a hoot if my output is 60 watts or 100 watts. All I pay attention to is there is output. But then again, I'm not trying to separate people from their hard earned money.

73's
David