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Reviews For: Ameritron AWM-30 Peak Reading SWR/Wattmeter

Category: SWR & Wattmeters & Dummy Loads

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Review Summary For : Ameritron AWM-30 Peak Reading SWR/Wattmeter
Reviews: 32MSRP: EXPENSIVE
Description:
Precision SWR Wattmeter with 3000/300 Watt ranges
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ameritron.com/ameritron/products.php?prodid=AWM-30
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00324.6
AE9DX Rating: 2012-02-10
Great Meter For The Money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After reading all the reviews on the various meters out there and considering the all important budget, I opted for the AWM-30. I've had numerous Ameritron products and have always been happy with them. I bought this meter new for $135.00 from R&L Electronics and it does everything it's supposed to. The meter came with an included power supply (Standard MFJ wall wart)for the peak reading function and also for the very nice LED back light. It is constructed in a sturdy metal case in standard Ameritron black. All function buttons are on the front and easy to use. I like the hang time on the peak read function and the average read position also works well as does the SWR meter. The meter face is approximately 3 inches wide so is easy to read especially for these older eyes! I have had a Daiwa in the past and this one beats it hands down. The AWM-30's metal case and rubber feet gives it enough weight to stay put when using the function buttons and also given the weight of the RG-8U hanging off the back it does not tip over.
All in all, this is a good, sturdy, easy to read and use meter and I look forward to using it for years to come.
ND9B Rating: 2011-10-14
Great PEP Meter Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the only RF meter I've used that convinces me I'm seeing TRUE peak readings on both forward and reflected scales. And the long hang time (that some complain about) is a feature to me. I can read my PEP and SWR while talking on SSB just as if it were continuous wave! This is a great "while you're talking" meter.
W4WIA Rating: 2011-02-19
Great for the $$$ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this meter to replace my Diawa that died. Like other reviewers, I found the meter "hang time" in the PEAK mode to be slow. I changed out the capacitor in the POWER mode (C-106, a 10 microfarad) to a 2.2 microfarad cap and now the "hang time" is the same as the meter on my Palstar AT-5k.
The white LED meter illumination makes the meter super easy to read. I'd buy another one.
Dennis W4WIA
JUNKMAN Rating: 2009-03-25
Real good meter for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This a a real nice meter and works very well for the price. Build quality is typical Ameritron so it should hold up pretty well. Compared to my Lab Grade LP-100A the meter readings on the 3000 watt scale were reading low a few hundred watts but after a calibration it now shows the correct reading across the entire scale. The 300 watt scale was fairly close right out of the box. Meter response time is very good and the decay has been decreased from a few years ago when I complained to Ameritron that the meter decay time was way too slow. Looks like they did address this and this one works great. Peak and average show the exact same readings on a steady carrier as it should be unlike alot of the other meters I've owned. Coupler can be remoted about 4 feet away from the main display unit by seperating the coupler from the main unit. The cable is coiled up inside the unit untill needed. Overall this is a very good meter and I'm pleased with the operation of mine.
MI0LLL Rating: 2008-02-24
Very Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a very good meter for the money and never give any problems, i was always concerned about the accuracy, i have since purchased a power master by array solutions and can say now that the readings from both meters are close and obviously believe the latter meter is the correct reading.

73!
Chris
http://www.MI0LLL.com
K2FDR Rating: 2007-08-21
Better the Second Time Around Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My AWM-30 wattmeter died just a few days after arrival from Ameritron. It would not read Forward Power. I returned the meter, and they ultimately, after 30 days decided it was unrepairable and replaced it with a new one.

All is well, for now.

Thank you to Bill at Omega Amplifiers for helping Ameritron get things moving.....
K4XZ Rating: 2007-07-23
Does the job Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought one of these to help with my AL-811.It has always worked fine and has consistant accuracy.The one problem I had was the meter lights kept burning out. I called ameritron and they sent me 4 lamps and a resister.I installed them and once again a burn out.I then went to RS and got 2 old syle screw in type lamp sockets and 2 14.4 volt bulbs.I put these in and it's been fine.Since the next meter I would consider purchasing is the Array Soulutions Power master @ $400.00 The AWM-30 gets my vote.

73 Joe Patrick K4XZ
KC9ERB Rating: 2007-07-23
OK Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'm giving an OK because even though it appears to be all that the previous reviewers say it is, mine did not respond when I first applied power. I thought I had finally been bitten by the MFJ bug. I opened the housing and saw that the meter contacts on both sides (forward and reverse) were pushed up against the internal housing and shorting out. I moved them back with knife and then the meter worked fine. It also works without activating the on/off switch (good or bad?). Also, I see no evidence of a remote sensor in the packaging or instructions. So, congratulations on your 35th anniversary, Martin F. Jue, but you still have a lot to learn about quality control.
N4JA Rating: 2007-04-13
No better meter for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have tested the AWM-30 and it is great for the price. There are better wattmeters but you would have to pay $400 or more. The greatest limitation of this meter is it's "precision". Don't confuse precision with accuracy. They are two different things. Precision refers to the smallest number you can read from the meter scale. Accuracy refers to how close the meter reading is to the real wattage. This meter is exceptionly accurate, but you have to interpolate the reading between marks on the meter scale. It would be more precise if the meter scale was larger and the meter scale had more divisions on it. Peak reading accuracy is right on the mark with the average reading. The meter is accurate and precise enough to let you know if you are exceeding 1500 Watts on both the average and peak readings. Read my reviews on both the Palstar and Diawa wattmeters. This meter is better than either.
KG4USN Rating: 2005-09-25
Works geat for me Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Matches the readings in my IC 756 exactly. Peak function works well. Paid $82 on ebay. This is my first wattmeter.73 to all