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Reviews For: RF Applications VFD

Category: SWR & Wattmeters & Dummy Loads

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Review Summary For : RF Applications VFD
Reviews: 40MSRP: 249.00
Description:
0-3kW or 0-5kW Vacuum Fluorescent Display Wattmeter.

No longer available. A high end VFD (vacuum flourescent display) replacement meter called the PowerMaster has been introduced as a replacement for the VFD. See website for info.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.arraysolutions.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00404.9
EA5DFV Rating: 2000-03-10
Easy reading and fast. Nice Time Owned: unknown months.
I have the VFD two month ago. I use it to tunning two monobands and in the ARRL SSB DX contest. I think that I improved my speed to tunning the amps with this easy reading power meter. Also the SWR alarm do a great job some times with my wire antennas. Solid build and with a clear display, and very very easy to use.
W2EH Rating: 2000-02-07
A great watt / Vswr meter, at last! Time Owned: unknown months.
This meter is a super addition to the shack. It has a robust coupler unit, which can easily take the legal limit, and an easy to read display. I was able to see my VSWR climb, as my Cushcraft R7000 self destructed on 24.945 mhz SSB, there by saving a good pair of Eimac 3CX800A7 tubes. In my opinion the meter has paid for itself, by saving me from having to buy a new pair of Eimac's, at $900 a pair!!!!
I would suggest anyone looking for a great watt / vswr meter buy a VFD-HF.
N0FGK Rating: 2000-01-20
Satisfied user Time Owned: unknown months.
I've had the VFD up and going for about a month now. It works...period!! This makes setting
my tuner very easy. It has kept me from "operator error" :) i.e. forgetting to switch antennas, etc. Makes setting everything very simple. I spend less time tuning and more time operating. I recommend this unit very highly.
KC8GCA Rating: 1999-11-15
what a watt meter!!! the p-2000A Time Owned: unknown months.
After trying to use cross needle type meters for out put and swr this unit was worth every dollar
I spent above the cost of a Yeasu or Diawa watt / swr meters. You know with out a doubt that you are covered when this meter is pluged in. Also you can put it at the antenna on the boom and run longer remote connecting cables to get an even more accurate reading at the antenna connection. The relay connection saved my amp on a morning when snow and ice had formed on the gamma match causing a high swr , after tunning into the dummy load I switched over to my 10m yagi and I got the Red light and the relays cut the amp off before I new what was going on. I am a satisfied and will keep this untill they come out with something better. get one while you still can afford to, because when the amp goes so does the wallet.
K8AZ Rating: 1999-10-05
Highest recommendation Time Owned: unknown months.
I heartliy echo the comments of W3LPL, W4AN, W7RF, W8KEN & WX0B. The VFD is accurate, durable and exceptionally well-designed. I helped W8GN (owner of RF Applications) beta/battle test the VFD during the 1999 ARRL DX Contests in the K8AZ multi-2 & multi-single efforts -- and bought another one as soon as the contests ended. The meter worked flawlessly & I discovered (much to my surprise) that soon I was relying on the VFD's high-resolution bar graph instead of my trusty scope and other wattmeter. During the SSB weekend, we had a killer ice storm; the SWR warning LED alerted ops to the problem (> 3:1 SWRs) early; we turned the power down & saved the amps. (K3LR had the same storm, but didn't notice the severe SWR problem until too late & had to quit after losing an 8877.) In the past, tired ops often don't notice when the meters are reading oddly. The VFD will end this problem permanently -- plus will allow the OM to re-tune amps "on the fly" while others are operating. Simply put, this meter provides instant and accurate digital power and SWR readouts, a superb bar graph, an amp-saving SWR warning indicator and proven reliability, and is an essential accessory for the serious contester or DXer.
W8KEN Rating: 1999-10-01
Best Watt Meter I've seen for Hams and DXer's as w Time Owned: unknown months.
This is the best meter I've ever used on SSB. I have a Bird for tuning antennas and accurate measurements, but, it's too slow for continuous monitoring.

I tried the VFD, Iliked it, I bought one. In TUNE mode, it updates a bar graph display fast enough to tune your amp for peak output in seconds. Then switch to OPERATE mode and the digital readings hold long enough to easily check whats happening on SSB.

If you have to adjust your antenna tuner, just switch your amp to standby and use low power from your exciter to make adjustments. The VFD autoranges so there is no need to switch power ranges. It reads what it sees from 25 to 3000 wattts.

I used the meter during CQ RJ WW RTTY contest to monitor my power output and keep it down to 500 w so I didn't blow up my amplifier. Worked great. The remote display is right in front of me over the Ten-Tec Omni VI Plus so I can quickly see what's going on without turning to look at the amplifier. If the SWR warning light comes on, I can then check to see if I'm on the wrong antenna and make a change before I blow anything up.

I compared the power readings to my Bird, and they are right on.

I can't say enough about this meter. It is well dedigned, compact, and works great! This meter is for regular HAMs and DXer's as well as for the big gun contesters. Buy one, You'll like it!
W7RF Rating: 1999-09-10
As accurate as my BIRD and much faster! Time Owned: unknown months.
I've had my VFD for about 2 months now and as they say "you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands!". Sorry mine is not for sale, go buy your own! I tested with my BIRD 43 at 1500 watts on 7, 14 and 21 MHz. it read 1505 watts on the VFD meter when my BIRD showed 1500 watts, now that's accurate! I love the instant and simultaneous power AND SWR reading. I got mine customized with my callsign for an added touch. The readout head is remote from the pickup box and I've mounted mine right to the back of my HENRY 3K Premier and grounded it there as well.
I think this is the last wattmeter I'll own!
WX0B Rating: 1999-09-03
This one is a keeper Time Owned: unknown months.
I have two of these little jewels now. I agree with the W3LPL and W4AN comments. In addition you can tune an amp with just dits from your keyer. Easy on the amp, and easy on the QRM.

W3LPL Rating: 1999-09-02
Best station accessory value since computer loggin Time Owned: unknown months.
I first noticed advertisements for RF Applications' new VFD Series Digital RF Wattmeter last month on the contesting.com website. I soon acquired one and I can honestly report that it's my best station accessory investment since CW memory keyers in the 70s, voice memory keyers in the 80s and contesting software in the late 80s.

The VFD Series Wattmeter consists of a power sensor similar to the sensor used on the ubiquitous Drake W-4 Wattmeter, connected by a six foot cable to a compact digital display unit suitable for placement immediately adjacent to your transceiver.

The magic of the VFD is in its display unit. Unlike conventional wattmeters, the VFD uses an Analog-to-Digital Converter to sample forward and reverse power 30 times per second. The digitized RF Power measurements are analyzed in a microprocessor and displayed in four very well designed, easily interpreted display formats.

Four simultaneous displays are presented by the VFD:
- A 63 element bargraph updated 30 times per second, fast enough to follow SSB speech patterns. The bargraph allows instant assessment of the quality of your transmitted signal by observing the dynamic range of the transmitted SSB signal from the instantaneous RF power variations during spoken words and during the natural pauses between words. You can also easily optimize the tuning of your amplifier during a normal SSB or CW transmissions with the aid of the VFD's bargraph display. Instantly measurement the peak RF power level of background noise (amplifier blowers, other operators in a multi-multi) can be displayed by activating the transceiver PTT and not speaking into your microphone.

- A four digit display of peak forward power (3KW max), updated every 3 seconds (or twice per second in TUNE mode to assist in amplifier tuning).

- A three digit display of VSWR, updated every 3 seconds (or twice per second in TUNE mode)

- An red LED warning indicator illuminates if the front-panel programmed VSWR (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 or 3.0) is exceeded.

The VFD Digital Wattmeter also offers relay options for interconnection - for example - with the PTT line of an amplifier to instantaneously protect it from high VSWR.

A VHF version of the VFD will soon be available, with for a variety of applications including monitoring of the performance of packet transmissions, for example.
W4AN Rating: 1999-08-27
Best Watt Meter I Own Time Owned: unknown months.
I now have a collection of watt meters. Some work, most do not. I have finally settled on the VFD for both my stations. The display is digital, which gives me to the watt display while I am operating. It also gives me SWR information, which is also great. There is also a programmable SWR warning level. If you go over this level, the alarm is activated. Best of all, I can set it right on top of my radio, so that I always know my power. A small cable connects to a box that senses the power and sends it to the meter box. Very cool!