[MRCA] how much power does this say?

[Peter Gottlieb]

The Bird 43 is an excellent tool for FM portables or mobiles or similar use.  
Small, rugged, doesn't need power and can be brought anywhere.  When I need 
accuracy I would go with the HP of course.

Just like screwdrivers or scopes, a fully equipped toolkit will have different 
varieties.


On 2/17/2019 7:43 PM, W2HX wrote:
>
> No, I never owned a bird. But I do have lots of analog meter'd radios and 
> power meters including dual needle things like this:
>
> http://w2hx.com/x/TMC/ATS-2-for-sale/0902181629.jpg (sorry all sold).
>
>
> While I was pretty sure I knew how to read that bird, I had to be very sure. 
> It was measuring the output on a very rare radio that I was considering 
> acquiring and I didn't want to make a simple mistake like misreading the 
> meter. So I got a lifeline!
>
>
> As for "The Bird model 43 thru line is at least for me the standard that 
> everything else is compared to..."
>
>
> I think technically the HP 432A is considered the de facto NIST transfer 
> standard even to this day. Which I have with just recently out-of-calibration 
> 478A sensor and HP 8498A 30dB attenuator.  I believe /that/is the standard to 
> which everything else is compared hihi.
>
>
> Eugene
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>
> *Sent:* Friday, February 15, 2019 9:15 AM
> *To:* W2HX; mrca at mailman.qth.net
> *Subject:* RE: [MRCA] how much power does this say?
>
> Wow, that’s mind blowing! You never learned how to read an analog meter? We 
> old timers were borne with a thru line in our hands. I remember that on the 
> old commercial license test that you had to read pictures of meters and write 
> down the answers. The Bird model 43 thru line is at least for me the standard 
> that everything else is compared to, although I do know that they have not 
> been teaching analog meters for some years now.
>
> The great advantage of that meter is you can read power in the direction that 
> the arrow is pointing so you can read forward power in one direction and flip 
> the element and read reflected in the other and get an indication of how 
> efficient the match between source and load is. By knowing forward and 
> reflected power you can calculate return loss and SWR. When used with a dummy 
> load with no reflected power and with good elements you can read forward power 
> to a degree that the FCC considers accurate. They use to use the same meter 
> themselves.
>
> The 43 dose fall down when you get into checking PEP on a SSB radio but the 
> one in the picture has the peak reading option that’s used for SSB 
> measurements, also they are not considered accurate for use in digital systems 
> but still now that you have been exposed think that you will soon discover 
> that your life won’t be complete without one. Most of us have several and at 
> least a dozen or so slugs.
>
> That’s another issue is that for different power levels and different bands, 
> HF, VHF and UHF different slugs are required but the 43 also has convenient 
> holes in the case so you can mount a couple spare slugs for different power 
> levels or frequency ranges.
>
> In the past several years I have been forced to move to an Agilent forty four 
> hundred series digital power meter for any stuff at work but still carry my 
> Bird 43 as the go to meter.
>
> Ray F/KA3EKH
>
> *From:*mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] *On 
> Behalf Of *W2HX
> *Sent:* Friday, February 15, 2019 8:03 AM
> *To:* mrca at mailman.qth.net
> *Subject:* Re: [MRCA] how much power does this say?
>
> Thanks to everyone who replied. 70W it is! Thanks
>
> Sent from Nine <http://www.9folders.com/>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:*W2HX
> *Sent:* Friday, February 15, 2019 7:22 AM
> *To:* mrca at mailman.qth.net <mailto:mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [MRCA] how much power does this say?
>
> Hi friends, I do not own a bird meter so I am not familiar with how to read 
> the scales. This picture shows a meter with a 250W slug. The meter seems to 
> show either 7W on the lowest scale, 15W on the center scale and 30W on the 
> highest scale.
>
>
> The lowest scale looks like it goes to a maximum of 25W. If the scale is 
> intended to be 10X then it would show 70W. Maybe this is the answer? thanks
>
>
>
>
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