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Which of these meters is better?

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arudlang

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So, I haven't reached any conclusion with the search for an amp yet, but, lets just hypothetically assume I eventually acquire an amp that runs upwards of 300 watts for my base station. My current Astatic 302-PDC2 only goes to 100 watts so that's gonna have to get upgraded.

After looking through some listings, the most appealing two models I have found that are kinda within my price range are these ones:

$90 Amazon.com
41MUCN7asWL._AC_.jpg



$140 (on sale for $125) https://www.amazon.com/MFJ-815D-Original-MFJ-Enterprises-Wattmeter/dp/B00S555EJE/
51eqPZ2F2mL._AC_.jpg



I like these because
- They have a 300 watt scale which will match my hypothetical amp. I'm not worried about future-proofing with 500-1000w, I have no intentions of going to that level ever.
- They are the dual needle design which doesn't require calibration for getting SWR, can read power fwd/ref + swr all at the same time
- Large gauge with backlight

The only real notable difference jumping up to the more expensive one is the addition of a PEAK/AVG button that the cheaper one does not have.

I have been trying to research and learn if this PEAK/AVG function is of any use. It sounds like its just a capacitor smoothing out the reading, for a less jumpy needle especially with SSB. Not sure if I am understanding it correctly though.

Does the extra PEAK/AVG functionality tell me useful information that is worth the extra money? Or is it a gimmick?

Are both these meters totally trash and should be looking at something else? (hopefully within the same budget)

Appreciate any thoughts or insight.
 

mmckenna

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If you have a good antenna, coax and everything is installed correctly, SWR won't change. What you'd probably be more interested in watching is your power output.
For just checking things and making sure it's working, a more basic SWR meter will do everything you need:
I used one of those back in my teens/early 20's, but I seem to recall it being in the $30 range.
None the less, it'll give you a basic idea that everything is working as it should. Since SWR should not be changing, continually watching SWR isn't usually of much value, unless you are expecting a sudden/unexpected failure in your antenna system.
Watching power output is probably more useful.

The cross needle meters are nice.

I'd say pick the one you like and learn how to use it. But, be aware, MFJ isn't high quality stuff. It's "good enough" for hobby use, but you can do better if you are really serious about accurate measurements.

Just my opinion.
 

bharvey2

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+2 on the MFJ meter quality. I've bought one or two over the years and had to return every one. I think Diamond makes one that looks like the first photo and while a bit more expensive, has a better chance of working out of the box. I have one like it for VHF / UHF. Not likely the most accurate nor is it the most expensive but it's "good enough for government work" as the saying goes.
 

KANE4109

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The one thing that draws me to the MFJ cross needle is.....
True...once your SWR is set....it should not change. But......
things happen to antenna systems, cables and connectors.....
My son just went out in the backyard a few days ago.....and found one of the SO-239's on his 1 to 1 balun....the threaded center had popped out of the mounting plate.... I mean... popped out. He is lucky he saw it with his eyes...and had not transmitted into it.

That said... with a cross needle....it is always RIGHT THERE to see and thus more likely to NOTICE a sudden change that indicates "something is wrong and you better go look"! With the simple power meter... one might be slower to notice a problem.

Just a thought.....
 

arudlang

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I forgot to point out, on the two I listed above, the cheaper one works from 1.8 to 200 MHz while the more expensive one with peak/avg only goes up to 60 MHz.

So the cheaper one will work on 2 meter ham while the more expensive one with avg/peak will not. I wonder if that would come into play for me in the future.

Back to the have and have-not of the peak/avg functionality, I will say when I key down on SSB my current power meter seems pretty useless, just flailing everywhere, I get no actual reading from it. Haven't tried a tone generator yet though. Maybe peak/avg would be nice to have there.

I'll see what else I can find. I'm guilty of being a picky shopper sticking to sources I know, like Amazon. Anybody willing to vouch for a reputable radio website let me know. Many of them seem to lack SSL and other modern website security features and as a web programmer that is a turn off, but I might have to try 88radio to avoid overpaying on ebay.
 

arudlang

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Daiwa CN-901HP3 does look like it would cover almost all bases, present and future, but at ~ $200 they aren't giving it away are they? But if it's a lot better than MFJ I guess it makes sense in the realm of "you get what you pay for". Noted advice.
 

prcguy

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I believe the Diawa is a lot better quality than any MFJ. However, I only use mine for relative power measurements, more of a go/no go as in putting out power or not. I don't use it for anything critical and will use a Bird 43 or 4381 or Telewave 44A instead. $200 for a new power meter is cheap and you get what you pay for.

Daiwa CN-901HP3 does look like it would cover almost all bases, present and future, but at ~ $200 they aren't giving it away are they? But if it's a lot better than MFJ I guess it makes sense in the realm of "you get what you pay for". Noted advice.
 

arudlang

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Thank you everyone for the advice and ideas.

Ultimately I ended up going with the Diawa brand but I found a less expensive model that meets all my needs, the CN-501H, which has the AVG/PEP switch and 3 ranges 15w, 150w, 1500w, on a nice cross needle design where I can always keep an eye on my SWRs in case of the sudden squirrels chewing the cable or antenna blown over in the wind problems.

 
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slowmover

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Thank you everyone for the advice and ideas.

Ultimately I ended up going with the Diawa brand but I found a less expensive model that meets all my needs, the CN-501H, which has the AVG/PEP switch and 3 ranges 15w, 150w, 1500w, on a nice cross needle design where I can always keep an eye on my SWRs in case of the sudden squirrels chewing the cable or antenna blown over in the wind problems.


Have same one
 
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