I was exploring various field strength meters that I might use to determine the best location for my 2 meter/70cm antenna.
Option 1 is building it myself. This may be the cheapest option for many. But I doubt if it would be for me because everything I subsequently tested with it would probably be off by a magnitude of 26 to the 10th power. I don't trust my skills building test equipment.
I found two interesting options for field strength testing:
One is the MFJ 802 for $50 With the larger meter and different design, this appears to be a better choice than their earlier, more basic cheaper model.
Then with a little more looking around, I found this Trifield meter (see the specifications, below). For those who might want to use a field strength meter for more than the occasional times you would use it to test antennas, this one provides many other uses related to sensing other types of EMF and electrical fields.
My question is this: Based on the specifications below, would this meter be as effective at measuring the field strength of 2 meter/70cm transmissions as the MFJ meter, above? I could justify the price of this meter for multiple purposes ONLY if the primary purpose of antenna testing was satisfied.
What are your thoughts?
SPECIFICATIONS: Trifield® Meter Model 100XE
AC Magnetic Fields: (3-axis; shows true magnitude)
Frequency Range: 40 Hz – 100 KHz (see frequency weighting)
Accuracy @ 60 Hz (50 Hz): +/- 20% of reading
Range/Resolution (@ 60 Hz or 50 Hz): 100 milligauss / 0.2 milligauss
Standard Version Frequency Weighting:
*Sensitivity is proportional to frequency from 40 Hz to 500 Hz; flat from 500 Hz to 2000 Hz
*Sensitivity is inversely proportional to frequency from 2K Hz to 100K Hz
Flat Frequency Version: +/- 20% from 50 Hz to 500 Hz; inverse frequency above 500 Hz
AC Electric Fields: (3-axis; however, note that E-field is affected by the body position)
Frequency Range: 40 Hz – 100 K Hz (see frequency weighting)
Accuracy @ 60 Hz (50 Hz): +/- 30% of reading
Range/Resolution: 1000 V/m / 5 V/m (Original Version: 100 KV/m / 0.5 KV/m)
Frequency Weighting: Same as magnetic (above).
Frequency Range: 50 MHz – 3000 MHz (3 GHz)
Radio Microwave: 1 Axis (detect E field)
Range/Resolution: 1 mW/cm2 / 0.01 mW/cm2
Accuracy: ½ x to 2 x of reading
Meter Size: 5.0 x 2.6 x 2.4 in (129 x 67 x 62 mm)
Weight: 8 oz
Battery: 9 volt alkaline (~ 40 hour life) / "Low Battery" indicator
Option 1 is building it myself. This may be the cheapest option for many. But I doubt if it would be for me because everything I subsequently tested with it would probably be off by a magnitude of 26 to the 10th power. I don't trust my skills building test equipment.
I found two interesting options for field strength testing:
One is the MFJ 802 for $50 With the larger meter and different design, this appears to be a better choice than their earlier, more basic cheaper model.
Then with a little more looking around, I found this Trifield meter (see the specifications, below). For those who might want to use a field strength meter for more than the occasional times you would use it to test antennas, this one provides many other uses related to sensing other types of EMF and electrical fields.
My question is this: Based on the specifications below, would this meter be as effective at measuring the field strength of 2 meter/70cm transmissions as the MFJ meter, above? I could justify the price of this meter for multiple purposes ONLY if the primary purpose of antenna testing was satisfied.
What are your thoughts?
SPECIFICATIONS: Trifield® Meter Model 100XE
AC Magnetic Fields: (3-axis; shows true magnitude)
Frequency Range: 40 Hz – 100 KHz (see frequency weighting)
Accuracy @ 60 Hz (50 Hz): +/- 20% of reading
Range/Resolution (@ 60 Hz or 50 Hz): 100 milligauss / 0.2 milligauss
Standard Version Frequency Weighting:
*Sensitivity is proportional to frequency from 40 Hz to 500 Hz; flat from 500 Hz to 2000 Hz
*Sensitivity is inversely proportional to frequency from 2K Hz to 100K Hz
Flat Frequency Version: +/- 20% from 50 Hz to 500 Hz; inverse frequency above 500 Hz
AC Electric Fields: (3-axis; however, note that E-field is affected by the body position)
Frequency Range: 40 Hz – 100 K Hz (see frequency weighting)
Accuracy @ 60 Hz (50 Hz): +/- 30% of reading
Range/Resolution: 1000 V/m / 5 V/m (Original Version: 100 KV/m / 0.5 KV/m)
Frequency Weighting: Same as magnetic (above).
Frequency Range: 50 MHz – 3000 MHz (3 GHz)
Radio Microwave: 1 Axis (detect E field)
Range/Resolution: 1 mW/cm2 / 0.01 mW/cm2
Accuracy: ½ x to 2 x of reading
Meter Size: 5.0 x 2.6 x 2.4 in (129 x 67 x 62 mm)
Weight: 8 oz
Battery: 9 volt alkaline (~ 40 hour life) / "Low Battery" indicator