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Reviews For: PSKMETER by KF6VSG

Category: Specialized Amateur Communication Products

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Review Summary For : PSKMETER by KF6VSG
Reviews: 28MSRP: 39.35
Description:
Microprocessor-based RF signal sampler that periodically checks your RF output, computes its IMD locally, and automatically sets the sound card's audio level to provide the highest RF output with minimum distortion.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ssiserver.com/info/pskmeter/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00283.6
W0ACT Rating: 2013-09-16
Excellent Meter Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
A high quality kit that was easy to put together, which helps me do my part in putting out a clean signal on the air.

Makes me feel good when I hear remarks about how clean your signal looks during a QSO.

Payment was easy and delivery was fast.

If you PSK, I highly recommend one.
VA3SQ Rating: 2011-12-29
Very Nice Product. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased this product about 3 months ago after searching the web for other monitoring products. I am sure there are some better products out there, but for the money the PSKmeter has performed like a charm for me and it has become a another addition to my station setup. This kit took me about one hour to build and test. I found the assembly manual easy to follow and setup was very easy to do. I chose to go with a metal case and made sure all the cables inside, had RF chokes installed. I also installed a couple of RF cokes on the Coax cables attaching to the BNC Tee. The only real problem I had, was high pitch tone coming from the rig when the PSKmeter was on. It turned out to be a bad connection between the BNC Tee and input BNC Jack. I reseated the BNC Tee and dabbed a bit of silicon to hold it in place. I have read all the other reviews and have been very fortunate not to have experienced the problems others have . I still think for the money, the PSKmeter is very useful monitoring product.
KA2UUP Rating: 2011-05-27
It works very well!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I don't understand the problems with this item that other people have. This is the second one I built after the original came out about 7-8 years ago. I like the low profile enclosure they have now. It works as it is supposed to IF you follow the instructions and do the testing required.

For those that are having problems, I strongly recommend that you check that the serial-to-USB converter is well seated in the DB-9 plug. I found out that the plastic cover of the enclosure might not let the pins "sit" as they should in the plug. Also, as explained in another review, the power plug is too close to the DB-9 jack. However, there are some enterprising guys who may have another way to provide power to the PSKMeter.

Also, be careful with the static as it might ruin the IC. Other than that, it should work as expected.

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Earlier 4-star review posted by KA2UUP on 2003-09-29

Received my kit this weekend and assembled it on Saturday night. Be sure to have a very sharp point soldering iron because the solder pads are very small. I also recommend the use of a heat sink clip to protect the components from excess heat, especially the transistors and voltage regulator. A magnifying glass is a helpful accessory to see the small print in the components. I followed the instructions to the letter and the initial tests for impedance and voltage checked out as advertised. Very good instructions are provided on the WWW site and the pallete for the parts was very helpful in organizing the components. The instructions reminded me of the Heathkit days. The unit fits into the optional plastic case perfectly. Be sure to measure accurately before you drill the holes for the DB-9, power supply and RF connectors.

I connected the unit to the radio and loaded the software. Using the USB converter I ordered, there was no need to use the driver provided. I use Windows XP in a HP Pavilion 4200 series laptop that has one serial port (which I use for the RigBlaster) and two USB ports. The software immediately recognized the USB-to-serial connector.

My first impressions on tests into a dummy load were that the unit worked as advertised into an ICOM-746. Just be sure you read the instructions and experiment with the device. If the value of gain is set too high, you will notice large fluctuations on the power because the soundcard volume control will make large corrections. This is typical for feedback control devices such as this. I have this value set at 0.5 dB which will allow for small corrections to be made or, as the designer says in the instructions, "make adjustments in baby steps." I have been seeing IMD values in the PSK 31 signal in the range of -22 to -40 (!) dB range. An advantage of the device is that it will tell you when the radio is being underdriven. I have a Kenwood SM-220 station analyzer which I use to check my outgoing signal. Underdriving the transmitter with a PSK 31 signal is one thing that is difficult to detect using the SM-220. By the way, I was using HamScope 1.51 as my PSK software.

Due to terrible conditions on Sunday afternoon in the East Coast, I was not able to complete two QSOs with Europe, so initial on-the-air tests were inconclusive.

The best thing to do is experiment with the threshold values for the different parameters and READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Be sure to set the value of the mike gain as low as possible. Doing this you will notice that the volume controls for the sound card will stay in the 50% range as recommended in the manual.

The only annoying thing that I noticed was some noise was introduced to the receiver when I was receiving the signal from WWV on 15 MHz. This is due to harmonics generated by the 20 MHz crystal in the PSK Meter. I am in the process of shielding the device in a metal case and connecting the case to my RF ground to see if this will mitigate the problem. I did not notice the noise in the operating bands, though. In any case, if there is noise, you can always disconnect the power to it.

One more thing: Don't do the stupid thing I did when I went to SSB voice after operating on PSK 31 and forgot to turn off the PSK Meter software. My RF drive went nuts.

I will update this report as soon as I am able to conduct some on-air tests in better propagation conditions.
N5BCN Rating: 2011-05-05
Fun kit, useful tool Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My experience with PSKMeter has been excellent.

Ordered the product and it arrived in the mail in a couple of days.

With the exception of a BNC T-connector, all parts were accounted for. An email to the vendor for the missing T-connector was answered within a couple hours and the missing part shipped the same day.

The silk screen PCB board is well labelled and roomy enough that assembly is a breeze. The instructions were clear and easy to understand. I've built an Elecraft K2 and several Elecraft accessories, so I have some experience building kits. This is an easy kit that took about an hour to complete.

My only complaint is that the DC power plug is too close to the serial plug, which makes it difficult to plug in the power source and serial cable at the same time (the housings of each cable push against each other). A dremel tool to the serial cable housing took care of that problem.

Unit worked the first time with a Windows 7 PC, Elecraft K2, and SignaLink USB setup. The PSKMeter software is simple but effective.

Overall, very useful product!
K7REX Rating: 2010-11-28
GREAT Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It worked the first time and does exactly what it was designed to do.

Easy to build, but you have to take your time and follow the instructions carefully.
Those that try to cut corners will have problems.

The instructions suggested the use of ferrite cores for RFI suppression. Good advice and easy to do. If you didn't do that, you should.

Thanks for a product well done.
AB5EU Rating: 2010-08-22
Bad Product - Bad Support Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Assembled and checked out in diagnostic mode ok with Hyperterminal. Would not control the levels - checked signal path with scope, used a battery and other power sources as per FAQ with no difference. Tried four different laptops - Dell, HP & 2 IBM's with the same result.

Emailed support multiple times - no reply. Look elsewhere if you want a robust product - this one sucks.
WA1TFV Rating: 2010-04-28
WA1TFV Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
A useful product for the PSK operator
N7QAX Rating: 2008-12-15
works it suppose too. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I build the kit over a year ago. I have used the unit at my home QTH (ICOM IC-756PROIII) and portable (Yaesu FT-100D and ICOM IC-706). I have never a problem with it. During the portable operations, my club was at a expo to show off ham radio, the PSKMETER helped us produce a clean signal. Club members were very impressed with the kit. We are thinking using the kit to interduce kit building to other members.
VK4YEH Rating: 2008-12-06
poor service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The PSKMETER may or may not work, I still don't know. I ordered the kit and it arrived promptly, but I didn't start construction for a couple of weeks. Once I had started I found that three components were missing. I emailed the supplier a month ago and still have not even received a reply. Yes I know I can go out and buy the missing parts (in fact I intend to tomorrow) but that is not the point. I received a faulty item and have not had even the courtesy of a reply to my email.

I cant recommend the product because I haven't been able to use it yet, and certainly cannot recommend the supplier.

Tim R
VK4YEH
N3INM Rating: 2008-07-19
Wished it worked better Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Easy to build and lots of great support from supplier. I was, even with help, not able to get the unit to work with my dell laptop and ICOM 746. Others have told me the unit worked for them.