Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: MFJ-9214 QRP Wattmeter/Dummy Load 1.8 - 150MHz

Category: QRP Accessories

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : MFJ-9214 QRP Wattmeter/Dummy Load 1.8 - 150MHz
Reviews: 1MSRP: 30
Description:
Pocket size instrument to measure Output Power up to 5 watts with a dry
Dummy Load. It has a clear easy to read meter movement and a male BNC. No
battery is necessary.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.MFJEnterprises.com/Products.php?productID=MFJ-9214
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
AF5U Rating: 2016-05-06
In QRP Meetings we check our power Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I hooked the MFJ-9214 up to my KX1 and checked power on 80, 40, 30, and 20 meters. It showed max on the meter and I know that is not right. So, I opened it up - 8 parts. The calibration pot was adjusted for full sensitivity - MFJ never calibrated it. Oh well, I can do that. So right now you are asking why did I buy this thing. Well, when you go to a QRP meeting we always checked our power. After all low power is what we do. Many of the guys have built wattmeters like the OHR W2. This meter is all you really need plus it has a dummy load (two 1 watts 100 ohms non-inductive resistors). The stock unit is rated at 15 seconds of key down power when using 5 watts. I got out my soldering iron and replaced the stock dummy load with four non-inductive 2 watt resistors from Tanner Electronics here in Dallas. I drew out the schematic and it is almost the same as the MFJ-840 except for one resistor in series with the 1N34A diode. There are two holes in the back of the chassis for calibration - (500K pot & a variable capacitor). The cap is only needed on 2 meters. So, how accurate is this MFJ-9214? Not very but even a Bird is only 5% at full scale. That's not very good really. The OHR W2 is no better. So, why spend a lot of money? It is good for comparing QRP rigs at meetings anyway.