No store-bought, appliance, CB-ish Radio Shack SWR meters for the OM who built the SWR sensor on the right. No! He rolled his own center conductor and pick-up loops. Dennis Klipa and I have been exploring the theory behind SWR meters, so when I saw this thing, I immediately went for it. I picked it up at the Manassas Hamfest. I kick myself for not asking the seller for the story behind this project. If anyone has any ideas on how/why/who built this thing, please let me know. The seller was tailgating close to the stables at Manassas on June 19, 2016.
Unique broadcast from WA2XMN on 42.8 MHz on the 19th of June 2025
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While we are all familiar with the 88 to 108 MHz FM broadcast band today,
its origins can be traced back to 1936 with the very first experimental
station...
3 hours ago
But that meters looks like a CBish SWR meter from Radio Shack, I got one twenty years ago with a CB set for five dollars.
ReplyDeleteThe sensor is separate, which is surely why the meter portion is reused in this project. Though, I'm not sure the original sensor is inherently bad, lots of people bought them.
Michael
Michael: The Hardcore Homebrew SWR measuring device I was referring to is in the box on the right. The Radio Shack SWR meter was shown just for contrast. The builder had a jack (visible on the top) to which I guess he attached a meter and a level-control pot. I have modified the article to clarify a bit. 73 Bill
ReplyDeleteDefinitely looks home-brew! Appears to be a directional coupler I'd bet this or something real close is the schematic: http://www.qsl.net/n9zia/24swr/block.gif
ReplyDelete