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Reviews For: Mirage MP-1

Category: SWR & Wattmeters & Dummy Loads

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Review Summary For : Mirage MP-1
Reviews: 11MSRP: 235.00
Description:
Peak reading HF Wattmeter/ SWR meter
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mirageamp.com/mirageamp/products.php?prodid=MP-1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00114.4
KC4UBC Rating: 2020-02-27
Very Nize Peak reading Meter Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well just picked this one up for parts to repair the one I have. Its the older model Brown and Tan. After checking it out I scraped my newer one to repair the older one. Replaced a 10K pot and the AC to 9/12vdc receptacle and it works just great. I have used the MP1 for awhile and now I'll use the older one as my main meter. Great size for the meter movement, I love that for these old eye's. All in all its well worth what you can pick one up for now. 73
N6BIZ Rating: 2014-06-26
TERRIFC Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I JUST PICKED MINE UP FOR FREE ...ITS ACCURATE AS MY OTHER WATTMETERS... LOVE THE BIG LONG SWING THIS METER HAS... NOW I HAVE TO FIQURE OUT A WAY TO LIGHT IT UP ...
73...
WB9JOX Rating: 2005-07-31
great meter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have 2 MP1 and 2 MP2 and very happy with them. Had them over 10 years.They are accurate enough for me.I would buy another one if I needed any more.
WV4R Rating: 2003-12-10
my MIRAGE is Not a "mirage"... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Back in the early 1980’s I was looking for a very large Peak reading Meter. I saw the Triplett meter on the MP-1 and fell in love. It was the original Brown Shoe meter which I repainted gloss black about ten years ago to match the newer ham look. I have no real disagreement with all the previous comments. Now that MFJ owns them, I cringe at the quality control possibilities. The unit is probably Over-priced for what you get. It would Eat batteries IF I did not always have it hooked up to the rig’s 12vdc supply. It is a Great BIG Swinging Peak meter… just like I would imagine a VU meter in a professional studio to Swing. I have compared it to my Bird43 and found it to be in the ball park on all bands. It is Remotable, like my Bird, which is a Definite Plus. After TWENTY years, I noticed the Forward/Reflect slide switch was becoming Intermittent. I took it over to KM5SB/Phred and he matter of factly said… you can’t easily replace the switch… However… you can simply swap the wires on the DPDT connectors, which are Unused, and press on. It is my Primary SSB Audio monitor in tweeking my rig/amp output. How can you give it Less than the WV4R/FIVE STAR rating for Function, Reliability and the BIG Swinging Triplett meter? 73 es God bless, murf.
K8AC Rating: 2002-07-10
Large, easy to read meter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the older beige/brown cabinet version. While the manual says the frequency range is 2-30 MHz, the meter face says 1.8-30 MHz, and it does work properly on 160. The peak power mode requires either a battery, or connection to external 12 VDC supply. If you use a battery, make sure you turn the range switch to "OFF" when not in use since that disconnects the battery from the circuit. The meter may be calibrated for the three forward and reverse power ranges via internal miniature pots. If you insist on maximum accuracy, take the meter to a calibration lab or find someone with a recently calibrated Bird or other such meter and tweak the pots as required. The pickup or coupling unit may be mounted inside the meter case, or up to 4 feet away. The SWR sensitivity is 1-2 watts and the 25 watt scale makes it somewhat useful for QRP work. The peak reading function works very well, and accurately reads the peak power even when sending very slow speed CW dits. It works equally well following voice peaks. At the price you can find this meters for on the used market (or eBay), it's a steal.
N4XC Rating: 2002-06-01
Great Meter! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi Guys, I am now on my second MP-1. Both have been the original Mirage, brown case, not the newer black case. I used one for many years, since the late 80's and then one day decided to get an "automatic" SWR reading meter. I bought an Autek Reasearch unit and put the MP1 on the shelf. For some reason the newer unit did not 'Feel' as good as the old MP1 but I continued to use the Autek. I put the Mirage on Ebay and sold it for around $70 bucks, kinda hated to see it go! Some time later I found another one on Ebay, from an estate sale, condition unknown. I bid on it and got it for $26.01!! On receipt, it looks and works like new! Such a deal!!! I now have it back in postion in the shack and will sell the Autek, either here or on Ebay. It works fine, just like the MP1 better. I'm still not 100% sure on the accuracy of the automatic SWR readings. I feel more confident peaking the meter and hitting reverse to see SWR. No circuits to malfunction, etc, and I guess the SWR can't be wrong unless they printed the scale wrong on the meter face! BTW, I compared it with a Bird 43, and at 1000w it was exactly the same, at 200w, about 5w difference. I can live with that! I think this MP1 will stay in the shack for a long time. Maybe I'm an old fashioned type of guy!

73, Dave, N4XC
KE4WY Rating: 2002-02-10
Outdated Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is an outdated Unit compared to others on the market, not self calibrating swr, watt meter appeared too slow to accurately capture PEP for phone operation, pricely for what you get. Without being too negative the fit and finish along with the easy to read metering was good.

WB8YQJ Rating: 2000-08-31
Great Meter! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi Guys,

I don't need my meter to have the absolute accuracy of a BIRD. I need an oversized meter that I can easily see from across the room, and
a prolonged PEP display. I have 2 MP-1's from MFJ (black), and one from the original Mirage company of Gilroy Ca. (rust colored). The fit and finish is much better on the original unit, but all three units keep me (a 100 watt user) very happy indeed. The battery lasts about 3 or 4 weeks, mine are connected to the DC supply. 73, Don WB8YQJ/6.
PROFESSOR Rating: 2000-08-31
Good for the Money... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This meter is about 10% accurate overall and certainly doesn't stack up to a Bird or Coaxial Dynamics in that area... but for the money (about 30% what a Bird or Coaxial Dynamics cost) it has proven to be a very good meter. It's large meter is easy to read and it has a red led that alerts you that you are in peak reading mode. This red led also serves as a reminder to shut the unit off in order to preserve the life of the one 9V battery required. A very good practical compromise...
W2EH Rating: 1999-12-14
OK METER, GOOD VSWR ACCURACY. Time Owned: unknown months.
I have used the MP1 for 4 years with my FT-990 and Commander HF-2500 amplifier, with only minor trouble. My meter works on 160 meters with a 160 meter dipole without problems. I have not experienced problems with it eating batteries, I use a 9v DURACELL Alkaline. I have blown a detector diode for the reverse power section while using 500 watts into a 40 meter dipole on 15 meters SSB. The replacement diode was obtained locally ( NE-109 ) an equivalent to the 1N295 used in the circuit. I check the VSWR calibration with a 75 watt 3dB attenuator shorted at one end, giving me a good 3.01:1 reference. ( 6dB return loss). I am always use caution when tuning up the Commander amplifier, the VSWR sensor could be a little more robust.
I have purchased an RF APPLICATIONS - VFD-HF, but I will keep the Mirage MP-1 as a standby, and portable wattmeter.