Easy enough to find out. Hook it up backwards. Forward scale will now show reverse power and vice versa. If the same needle is still dead, you probably have a blown diode in that side of the meter.
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Good entry level
- Thread starter Overtimeman
- Start date
73
Do some garage sale, estate sale, E-Bay searching. Go for the old Radio Shack, Archer jobs. Set the old Archer dual meter on the old Royce base station. Grab, the mic, wait for the appropriate moment of channel 19 and mention- "Would you watch your language? I just happen to have my young son in the car."
Also, make sure you don't have the peak hold switch flipped up on the back. Keep the PEAK HOLD switch off, and make sure you're using the proper power scale for your particular input. Start with a barefoot radio, push the 20W scale button in and keep the Average/pep button popped out. You should now read a good dead key and your SWR reading.
I made a quick video of my meter working. I'm not a pro videographer but you can see how the meter works anyway.
You can p/u a decent Daiwa, or Diamond meter in the forsale forum on QRZ, or on QRT. Save $$$. Generally it's pretty safe, I've only bought used meters off their forums for a couple decades - no issues.
You may be right about my SWR. I hooked my Diawa meter backwards like Nomad suggested and the opposite needle moves, so it should be working correctly. But as I started really looking at the scale I noticed for the first time the needle sits at 0 and just a little further down the needle is 1.1 reading. And that is what the meter reads before keying the mic. 1.2 is the slightest tic above 1.1
So I hooked the PDC back up and sure enough on ch 1 SWR is 1.1 ch 40 is 1.2 with the Diawa this would cause little to no movement on the one needle because its already reading 1.1 before I even key up. So just to be sure I'll hook the Diawa up to my mobile, it's a cheap Uniden with a cheap antenna I just threw in and have never even checked the SWR reading, Im sure it's not got perfect SWR so the meter should actually move on that set up. Now I'm really starting to feel silly
I don't know how im just seeing this video? But I am the kid that could never find the Easter eggs!!! That is the exact Diawa meter I have. I did go up and down the band above and below 40 but still only had the slightest movement of the needle. If i don't figure it out I'll take it and let Enterprise have a look at it, I need to take my tube amp to him anyway. I appreciate the video, Thank you.
Make sure you're putting about 5 watts carrier into it, and that the meter is on the 20 watt scale in average mode. Not pep.
BINGO!!!! You figured it out!! I didn't know that about the carrier watts, my radio only does 4 ish watts and on the low side it will do 2 watts. After reading your reply I immediately went to the radio and checked, 2 and 4 ish watts nothing, but after I turned my little 250 watt amp on, I only run on medium power, put the meter on the 300 watt scale and checked the SWR it reads 1.5 exactly the same as the PDC with the amp on. Now my question is why will the PDC read my SWR with only the 2 to 4 watts going in and the Diawa doesn't?
I have to believe it's in the calibration. I sent my Diawa in to the factory with a note requesting they calibrate it to the center of the scale for each power setting. Diawa usually calibrates the meter to the top of their scales, and this will make the meter less sensitive towards the lower end. According to the tech I spoke with, they do this because people tend to care more about the final power output than the average. By having it calibrated in the center, I now only have a small discrepancy on either end, rather than out of whack on the lower end. I guess the smaller, more portable meters are more sensitive to lower power, and that kinda makes sense, I guess. Plus, I would say that the Diawa is more tailored to the HAM operators who normally run higher powered rigs.
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Greg T, I appreciate all of you're help, I've thought for a year now I paid good money for a paperweight. Now I'm thinking maybe I should do like you and have it calibrated. But at least with the amp on it's reading the correct SWR. Im just happy its working because I really like the look of the meter.
Not a problem. That's what everyone is here for! I would at least call them and see if you can get to speak with a senior tech. Explain that all your equipment seems to land in the center of the scale so you want it calibrated to the center. the guy I spoke with was really good, knew everything about the guts of the meter. This was a few years ago now, so hopefully things haven't changed. They only charged me for shipping.