| 5B4AIY |
Rating:      |
2023-01-13 | |
| Amazingly Accurate! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
As a now retired ex-professional communications systems engineer I was most surprised by the results I obtained with this RF Power/SWR Meter. Accurate, repeatable RF power measurements are one of the most challenging aspects of RF technology. Even professional RF power meters are rarely specified to better than 0.5dB accuracy and repeatability and this instrument achieves this at a very reasonable price point.
I compared the measurements displayed by this power meter with my Bird 4410A meter and found that there was close agreement. The Bird was recently calibrated and was equipped with a new Bird 4410-3 slug. Equally, when using a spectrum analyzer with a 40dB directional coupler, again the measured power was also in close agreement. This is particularly impressive considering the dynamic range of the instrument, from a few hundred mW to 2kW over a frequency range from 130kHz to 30MHz.
The comparison was made on the 160/80/40/20/15/10m bands, from a power level of 100mW to 1kW in a 1-2-5 sequence for a total of 78 measurements. Overall, the mean difference was 2%, with a standard deviation of 5%.
For power levels from 100mW to 5W I used my Elecraft KX3, for power levels from 10W to 100W, my Flex 6400M, and from 200W to 1kW I used my friend's FTDX10 plus his Acom 1000 linear amplifier. In all cases the dummy load was a Bird 8861.
True, this test only confirms that the Monitor Sensors power meter and the Bird are in close agreement. Nevertheless, cross checking at low powers with an oscilloscope, as well as a spectrum analyzer, and at the high powers with the Acom output meter suggests that these two power meters are pretty close to the truth.
What can I say? Fantastic, if you want an accurate RF power meter, you can hardly do better than this!
Adrian, 5B4AIY |
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| MM3PTS |
Rating:      |
2023-01-09 | |
| Great piece of gear |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned my meter now for about 2 years . I also have a couple of Palstar WM 150 metes which are very good .All meters give the same reading which I'm delighted about . I have the Monitor meter for qrp reading as the Palstar is not a qrp reading meter .Low power to 2 KW reading with the VSWR also being displayed is win win in my book .Is it as accurate as a Bird meter , I can't comment as I don't own one but it's got to be very close .
My 5 rating is due to the size , accuracy when compared to my Palstar meters , ease of operation and nice clear digital display .It's not the cheapest meter out there but is the cheaper ones as accurate ? .
Would I buy another one , hell yeah I would . |
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| K7GS |
Rating:      |
2022-12-16 | |
| Great product and service. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I ordered direct after reading the QST review. It arrived quickly from Australia. Instructions were clear and it was easy to put in-line and set up. I operate a lot of CW and I thought the SWR reading was erratic while keying so I e-mailed the manufacturer. They agreed that there may be a quirk and sent me a new one in short order.
This meter is accurate and has features that I really like. It simultaneously reads power output and SWR from QRP to the legal limit and from long wave to 6M. I use the SWR lock out feature too. Because of the excellent customer service and features of this product I would buy another.
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| KC8HXO |
Rating:      |
2022-12-16 | |
| Great! Why pay more???? |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Great product. Well designed, and well executed. LOVE the color change as SWR climbs.... you NOTICE any issue in the system, even out of the corner of your eye. All of the other features are great, too. Cannot think of a reason to spend more on a watt meter! |
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| VP8SB |
Rating:      |
2022-12-14 | |
| Outstanding tool and "confidence" RF measurement device |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Had the unit for some time and I really like the lab quality unit which is used on HF and MF 475kHz - the visual indication of SWR increase - changing colours dependent on SWR state is this "confidence" aspect - the screen goes Red - you know theres an issue! The alarm and dry contact feature fail safes my drive source to the amplifier. A well engineered, accurate, meaningful displays, easy to use and its wide range in DC supply voltage and low current makes it a very versatile tool both in the shack, lab, or portable operation - another winner from Monitor Sensors |
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| KB8U |
Rating:   |
2022-10-19 | |
| Quality control problem in final assembly |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was very impressed by the features, price and accuracy of this meter. It's about the only meter that will work on the 630m and 2200m bands and it is very accurate from fractional watt to QRO (except on 2200m, it only is rated for something like 150W).
I downgraded my rating because when I received mine, something was rattling inside. I took it apart and a small ball of solder fell out. There was a poor solder joint that I had to touch up and one of the pins for the alarm contacts wasn't soldered to the PCB at all. The components on the board were not a problem, it is almost all surface mount devices and machine flow-soldered but the final hand-soldering of the few wires and connectors it has was poorly done. |
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| EI7II |
Rating:      |
2022-10-19 | |
| SWR & Power ?Nothing comes even close ! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
UPDATE: 19 October 2022.
I have only one comment here. Day in Day out these units function flawlessly. Yes.. I said units ! I bought a second one. Another thing I have noted: Running a 120ft long wire here, I have noticed that when heavy static builds up on the antenna, for instance in a wind or rain storm, the VSWR rises. Not many folks seem to know this but Steve Ellignton has mentioned this in one of his many excellent Endfed LW videos. So, you might want to take note of this. if you have a capacitor in the middle of the wire, bridge it with a resistor to drain off the static.
As KC9LOO says: people seem to be hesitant about these meters. Are they too good to be true? Well, let me tell you...follow KC9's advice, take the plunge and be convinced !.
Albert
After almost 30 years of "Hamming" it's very hard for me to get truly exited... but this unit managed just that.
I am struggling where to start. WHAT IF you could have the now almost legendary Bird 43 watt meter for a lot less?. Better still? What if you NEVER needed to buy a slug for it ? Better Better still? What if it measured your transceiver output power from 10 ( TEN !!) milliwatts to over the USA Legal limit? I'd call that TRULY QRP & QRO !Better better better still again... what is it was smart enough to close down yr transmitter if the measured SWR exceeded a level that YOU had set ? Ok Ok... no more "Betters" now.. you'll stop reading. What if it was enclosed in a small metal enclosure only measuring roughly 4" by 2.3 by 6". What if the display changed color to warn you if certain SWR values are going too high ? Forgive me here... better still? What IF it also covered the 2200 meter and 630 meter bands? ( just a note here though... max power on 2200 is 100 watts... max power on 630 meters is 500 watts. What IF you could run it on a 9volt battery as it only draws 43MA (Typical).
oh... almost forgot.. auto senses yr modulation.... if you are a SSB guru she will tell you your PEP power. It is auto ranging from 0.00 to 19.99, from 20.0 to 999.9 watts and from 1KW to 2 KW.
If you are back packing on yr next POTA/Sota trip.. you carry less than 1 pound for this unit !!!
Ok ok... there is more, much more but you get the idea.
Folks, at times something comes around that truly is a must have in every decent Ham Shack. Well.. you just found it !
On a final note: I am deep into Joe Taylor's wonderful Whisper mode... but tracking power into the milliwatt levels sofar eluded me. NO MORE... this baby does it with a smile !
Albert
EI7II.
UPDATE: March 29th, 2021
I am so impressed with this unit... I've ordered a SECOND ONE ! Trust me.... EHAM reviews are important to me and if I wasn't happy with a purchase for my station, YOU would be reading it right here. (Good, Bad, or Ugly, as the saying goes). If you haven't got this little Jewel in your station, you are missing out. Check out it specs. If you are on HF from QRP to QRO... this unit should take pride of place in your shack.
Albert |
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| KC9LOO |
Rating:      |
2022-10-18 | |
| Fantastic |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was looking to upgrade my old analogue meter with something better. I ran across this meter and at first was a little hesitant to purchase it, due to not many reviews.
But I decided to see for myself and boy was I surprised.
This meter has a lot of features. I will not go all into it as
EI7II has done a great job of that. But I will say it is very accurate in both power and swr readings, along with all the rest of the bells and whistles, this thing is amazing.
If you run an amp, this meter will save any damage to your equipment by not letting you transmit if anything with your antenna would suddenly go wrong, via the alarm feature. (needs to be wired into key line)
Also the color changes with higher swr is noticed almost instantly and a very nice feature.
All I can say is I really like it and am very happy.
I am considering a second one for another radio in my shack.
You can power it about anyway you want to, it runs on 6 to 16 volts DC, even a 9 volt battery will power it for POTA or SOTA.
I know I said I was not going to elaborate too much, but I can't help it, I am very impressed with this. I highly recommend it, for what ever my opinion is worth |
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| VK4HF |
Rating:      |
2021-12-30 | |
| Features - Quality - Versatility |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have the expensive vector SWR/Power meters and this unit beats them all hands down. Yes the price is wonderful compared to the others but the versatility and accuracy is on another level. High SWR alarm and amp shut down feature is a bonus. The display changes colour with SWR so a great visual alert. QRP-QRO no problem and no external sensing unit required. all this in one handy sized box. Oh take it portable and run it from a small battery pack or a 9v battery. Designed and manufactured in Australia with very high quality standards. Trust me I have visited the factory and got the tour. Brilliant and back to the price... best bang for buck in the market today.
I might get another one and sell my Array Solutions Power Master 11 as it's so versatile. Auto ranging across all power ranges means no expensive slugs to buy like Bird 43. |
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| NC0B |
Rating:      |
2021-12-29 | |
| An accurate SWR and wattmeter in a small package. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Monitor Sensors produces another excellent product. Their power meter and SWR bridge works QRP to above US legal limit. I have used it with both Alpha and Acom linear amplifiers. The peak reading on SSB is the first wattmeter in my shack to sample fast enough to consistently give accurate PEP readings. I have compared key down power readings to a Bird 43 with 50, 100, 1000 and 2500 watt slugs with good correlation. Measurements were made on both 20 and 75 meters. Lab data available on request to rob@nc0b.com.
My other Monitor Sensors product is their 630m (475 kHz) transverter which has allowed me to work 35 states plus DX from Colorado to Australia, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii.
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