[Elecraft] Power Measurement Instrument

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Yes, there are a lot of good power meters out there. My reason for
bringing up the Hayward/Larkin design that was published in the June
2001 QST what that it has a range none of the others can touch. It reads
accurately all the way down to - 70 dBm (< 0.1 Nanowatt). I've built
receivers that aren't that sensitive <G>. 

That makes it useful for troubleshooting low level stages in rigs, doing
filter characterization with a simple signal generator, doing gain
measurements in low-level amplifiers, making return-loss measurements in
transmission lines as well as acting as a very sensitive bridge meter
for SWR measurements. 

With its ability to measure power all the way up to +50 dBM (100 watts)
it's perfect for measuring the output of most transmitters, including
the K2/100. 

There is one company
(http://www.bright.net/~kanga/kanga/power_meter.htm) who kits the parts
for the meter and sells them for $40. It includes everything except a
0-1 ma meter movement (Hayward used a Radio Shack meter) and an
enclosure. 

This is no Elecraft kit. It's simply the parts needed to build the unit
following the article in QST. But it's really quite straightforward and
the price is very hard to beat!

Same disclaimer as my first post: I have not built mine yet, but I've
built most of the homebrew test equipment that Hayward had designed over
the past three decades and I've never been disappointed in the results.
Also, I've never failed to learn something in the process. 

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289