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write your own review of the Bird 43.
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VK2CU
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 23, 2009 07:40
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Microwave Meter
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Yes, they are overpriced for HF and VHF, but for 23cm and 13cm, what else are you going to use?? They work very well in these higher bands. Short of shelling out 5k for an Anritsu Sitemaster, they represent good value if you are interested in the microwave bands.
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WX1F
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Rating: 1/5
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Jun 18, 2009 08:30
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Overrated
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Compared to other rf metering equipment I've owned, the Bird is the most over-priced and over-rated dinosaur on the market. For the price of just a bird slug, I bought two used rf meters that work with "Bird accuracy" after calibration. Never ceases to amaze me how the price of these huge ugly bench space hogs have held our wallets hostage. And the guilty party's are the hamfest buyers who got one for cheap and the fools that will pay through the nose for them...just to be able to say "they own a Bird". Now...the new overpriced replacement Bird parts are made in China and are crappy as well as still expensive!!
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N1JIN
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Rating: 0/5
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Oct 16, 2008 16:55
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Bird parts now made in China
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Recently I had need to replace the meter in my trusty old Bird 43 which I have owned for 15 years. My dealer told me that Bird has moved production to china.
The meter movement was considerably lighter and poorly finished Meter face silk screening was blurred so that fine print was barely readable the (r) after the THRULINE was simply a black dot. The replacement meter was a $25 meter with a $100 pricetag.
In the future for new equipment I will be purchasing Coaxial Dynamics for slugs and new meters.
This is unfortunate in that a once great company in the effort to save a couple of bucks has sacrificed the quality which made paying the premium price worthwhile - the quality is no longer there so I will be purchasing only Coaxial Dynamics products in the future as they are both made in the USA and are roughly 2/3 the price of the Bird product.
N
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HB9DRX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 31, 2008 13:17
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Still a Winner!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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During my professional life as an RF-Engineer and during the past 30+ years as a HAM I have been using all kinds of Wattmeters. The BIRD 43 was the only one that always did produce repeatable & reliable results! The calibrated bandslugs are unbeatable, very user friendly and build to last a lifetime...My several BIRD's are a vital part of my Shack, hopefully for the next 30+ years..!
-> I can only strongly recommend it!
Nick / HB9DRX
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K6AER
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2008 20:28
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Clasic Wattmeter
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own several Bird watt meters and they have all served me well over the last 35 years. It is a simple meter concept with each slug being calibrated for 50 uA output at full meter reading no mater what the wattage slug and frequency.
Lack of usage will cause the contacts to become tarnished but a gentle cleaning with a pencil eraser will keep the meter operating properly.
The contacts are directly connected to meter movement. A 9 volt battery and an 180,000 ohm resistor set the meter needle to the full meter position.
Calibration is typically 5% full scale. The meter is very rugged and the slugs will last a lifetime if they are not abused.
Most hams that have problems with the meters just need to do some preventive maintenance to the contacts for their meter to last a lifetime.
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W4HH
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Rating: 2/5
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Jun 22, 2008 14:29
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Not happy with my Bird 43
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased my Bird 43 along with three slugs in the mid-1990's. I used it only occasionally and that may be the problem -- I can't make my bird 43 work reliably.
The Bird 43 uses slugs that are inserted into the front of the meter; different slugs for different frequency and power ranges. The slug has a small contact on it that must make contact with a tiny spring-loaded "finger" inside the meter case. The meter comes with a dummy slug that is supposed to be inserted when the meter is not in use.
I use mine so infrequently that something is happening to the finger contact with the slug. Most of the time, my Bird 43 does not work. To make it work, I have to open it, fiddle around with the tension on the contact, put it back together, hope it works, if not, open it, fiddle around, close it up, try again.
I finally put my Bird 43 on the shelf and purchased a Daiwa cross-needle meter -- a real waste of a fine piece of equipment but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
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K0ZN
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 29, 2008 19:45
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Decent product, but EXPENSIVE to repair!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had a Bird 43 for years, it has been generally good, but (even when treated with great care during use) it has become unreliable with age. I have sent it back to Bird 3 times in the last 5 years. If I was rating the attitude of their service dept. people towards customers, I would give it a "2". Their repair charges are SKY HIGH. For such a simple instrument, the cost of repair borders on uneconomical. Ditto the elements. A Bird 43 is a generally a good product, but be assured, if it needs service it will be VERY expensive relative to the price of the unit. Unless you really need a lab quality meter for some reason, the average ham for station monitoring is better off with a good quality wide band SWR/Watt meter. Array Solutions and others make equal or better products that don't require slugs. Really, the "slug thing" is approaching obsolete. Bottomline: a Bird 43 is a good product, but it is not a "legendary" product as some would have you believe. Be sure to carefully look at competitive products before you purchase a Bird product; you will find it instructive.
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OH3UK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 2, 2006 10:18
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The best
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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How did I get a Bird
My Bird story may be different from earlier reviews. I, like many others, have always dreamed of a Bird of my own, but it has been too expensive.
One day I was offered a used Bird 43 with three plug ins. The price was so reasonable that I had to buy ut. The meter was old and had been in heavy professional use. It was worn and rather bad shape. The instrument glass had been broken and repaired with do it your self version. Zero adjustment and did not move freely. The pointer did show some statistic. The meter had fallen from an unknown height. New instrument was needed. The connectors were in good condition. The case had been sprayed black with less acceptable result. I had to pick up all parts of the instrument and remove the paint using paint removing chemical and very thin abrasive paper. Two layers of paint was found, heavy black and Birds original gray green. A car quality metallic green paint was bought from a paint shop. The colour differs from original, but was close enough to be accepted. The case was painted twice. When the paint was dry, all parts, inclusive new instrument, were installed back. The meter was again in working order. The meter was working like a new one and did look like new, almost. It has been checked against new one with good result. It monitors daily an automatic antenna tuner at my ham radio station. Satisfied with the result? Absolutely, even economically.
Unto oh3uk
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W9DZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 28, 2006 06:49
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I'm keeping mine!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned my 43 for over 10 years and have added new elements from time to time. It has always worked great. I did install the peak reading kit which is a nice addition although it does tend to eat batteries. The initial cost is high but this is one meter that will last a lifetime.
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KC9GUZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 15, 2006 22:03
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Great!!
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Time owned: months
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I had a chance to use one that belonged to a tech i know and i was sold!! I dont have one yet, but im writing in response to using his.. Funny thing is, CBers hate these meters. They dont show the swing like a Dosy or something else cheap will. But oh well, for general ham use they ROCK! If i can ill find a good used one someday and be settled and satisfied!!
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