• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

SWR\Power meter

Compared to what? The Bird? Does the Bird meter have real pep measurement capability?
I have 2 bird meters. One has a aftermarket PEP. The second is a true bird 43P. The true 43P shows 2 or 3 more watts than the add on kit. I am talking Diawa showing about 20W less power. On my 100W radio. I also compaired it to a LP100A. And it was also unacceptable. I will end up sending it back for recalibration. I love the size of the meter and ease of seeing the SWR at a glance. But I must say a bit disappointing.
 
The time constant, or "hang time" adjustment on aftermarket PEP adapters will affect the peak reading. I'm too impatient to wait for the needle to fall back, and my 'hang time' is set to fall back a bit faster than the Bird peak adapter. This tends to reduce the peak reading a tad, but not much.

Did you buy the LP100 new? Larry sells a perfectly-good wattmeter, far as I know. What was unacceptable about it?

73
 
I'm ready for someone (else) to come up with an "intelligent" peak adapter. I want it to fall back quickly when the RF power drops to zero or nearly. Shouldn't be that hard to keep the needle up at the peak level between voice peaks, and still detect that the power has dropped to zero. I just don't like waiting for the bloody thing to drop back to zero.

73
 
2f81e5e6c8b47a082528c9ab8cec48ae.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ranch55
Sorry... got a bit pic happy. These are kinda out of the realm of a simple meter. Also the price is out of the normal realm!!! :eek::eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Slowmover
The time constant, or "hang time" adjustment on aftermarket PEP adapters will affect the peak reading. I'm too impatient to wait for the needle to fall back, and my 'hang time' is set to fall back a bit faster than the Bird peak adapter. This tends to reduce the peak reading a tad, but not much.

Did you buy the LP100 new? Larry sells a perfectly-good wattmeter, far as I know. What was unacceptable about it?

73
Sorry Nomad. I am home recovering and some of the things I type do not make much sense. I did end up buying the LP100A new. I really like the bird better for many reasons. The bird and LP are similar in wattage's and sometimes they take turns showing lower and higher wattage. Never very different from each other. What I meant by saying I compared to the LP100A and not being acceptable was Diawa was way off in PEP. VS. the LP100A average was also dead on pith the LP.
 
Think he was sending the Bird back.
No Love both Birds. Diawa will have to go back. The one bird with the aftermarket kit may be showing a few less watts because I do have the needle falling back quicker than the factory 43P. Birds are older in fact my oldest one is a old military version that is as old as me.We were both made in 1958. Works perfect. Meter that is .
 
  • Like
Reactions: S&W357
The cliche` for testing a wattmeter to see if it's a 'true' peak-reading meter is to key the mike on sideband, and turn the mike gain all the way up. Take a pencil and "WHACK!" the mike with it. Then turn the mike gain back where it should be and compare the reading you got from the pencil to a "heeeello". If they're the same, it's the real thing. And if the thwack showed a lower reading than a "heeeello" it's not necessarily reading true peaks.

But this test depends on a really long fall time for the peak-reading circuit. I set mine to fall back faster. Tends to reduce that "heeeello" reading just a bit. Sure reduces the "thwack" reading.

I call it a technical compromise. Besides, if a customer's wattmeter shows a little more than mine did, nobody ever seems to complain about that.

73
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shadetree Mechanic
Well, after a couple of years in use my MFJ Model 872 has started acting up.
I've not changed antennas (20 meter dipole with 1:1 balun), coax, or anything else.
Now, when I touch Function knob, the SWR bounces around. When I move my hand away it is steady. This does not happen when I touch the Range knob, Calibration knob, or PEP/AVG button. I can run my hand over the entire meter, the coax going to my antenna, the coax jumper between the meter and radio, the radio itself and all of the coax connectors without any effect whatsoever. The Function knob is the only culprit.
Is it fair to rule out CMC?

MFJ-872.jpg

Am looking for an excuse to order a Daiwa 901HP. :whistle:
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.