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Message |
    
Vanillagorilla
Intermediate Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 171
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 9:57 am: | 
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How many of you are running a mobile SWR/watt meter and what is it? I remember "00" mentioning one in a thread SOMWHERE around here but can't find it. Space is limited and watts will be over 300 so whats available out there? Looking to mount something over or under the radio...possibly beside the unit.
P.S. quality counts  I've bought the cheapy 3"x3" rebadged Workman 100w swr/watt meters and they NEVER seem to last. Also hoping to find something that will tolorate up to 500w. Love those DISCONTINUED digital jobs but are very hard to find and would like to buy new if possible. Any ideas?
Hank '905
CEF 559 |
Slugo4449
Member
Username: Slugo4449
Post Number: 58
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 06, 2005 - 9:09 pm: |
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Hank:
Most of the high end Amateur Radio Automatic Antenna Tuners have watt meters and SWR bridges built in.
If you run the frequencies below channel one and also above channel 40, you might consider an auto tuner. They are pricey for higher power but would give your radio the 50 ohms it wants on any part of the 11 meter band. Some of these have remote kits so you can keep the tuner in the trunk.
I use one on HF with monoband mobile antennas. Works great.
Marty
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Therealporkchop
Intermediate Member
Username: Therealporkchop
Post Number: 387
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 07, 2005 - 6:20 pm: |
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Well, Dosy makes a TR1000 that I believe is meant to be a mobile unit. Or atleast it has brackets for such.
An antenna tuner will do nothing for a mismatched antenna. Actually a tuner is meant for HAM radio where your transmitter is of the type that has sensing for high SWR built in. Those radios sense a high SWR and then cut the power output down to try to save the output transistors. A tuner causes the radio to see a perfect, or near perfect, match so that the radio continues to output full power. The mismatch still exist from the tuner to the antenna. Hence the reason that sometimes with tuners you experience that loud popping sound and sometimes see sparks inside.
I'd like to find one of those digital jobs too. My personal experience with SWR and wattmeters in mobile use, is they cause some loss and for some reason affect sound quality. Atleast that is my experience and being told my setup sounded better before I installed that equipment inline.
I guess experiment and see for yourself. Can't help you other than my offering for the Dosy.
Chop |
Patzerozero
Senior Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 1411
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 07, 2005 - 6:48 pm: |
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palstar wm150m, about $110. has a remote unit so you don't have to run jumpers all over the mobile.
only 300/3000 watts, forward & reflected at the same time, not good for LOW power, but fine for setting mobile amp correctly-adjust variable on RADIO, til amp dead key is where it should be .
you can setup antenna with wattmeter after amp, to get swr's set, then remove it & use palstar.
pic is poor, but you can see meter in top pic & remote unit on amp in mid pic on 'members pics'. |
