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Dosy Test Equipment

calibration and Dosy quality

Sorry to hear of your experience with your Dosy. Curious, you mentioned that you had your Palstar calibrated prior to shipping to you, did you consider having your Dosy calibrated prior to using? It may have fallen out of Cal in rough shipping. This is all to common. I own two brand new TC-4002-PSW-V and one TR-1000, and they all read the same when testing with dummy load and as closely compared with my IFR 1200 which was calibrated 6 months ago. I like the Dosy because the meter movements and dial are of the highest quality, like on a Simpson VOM. The switchgear is industrial and survives repeated use. You may have simply received a defective one.

BR
 
It's possible I may have received a defective unit or it was man-handled during shipping, but I know of others that have had the same experience with Dosy meters so I don't believe mine to be an isolated incident.

Curious, you mentioned that you had your Palstar calibrated prior to shipping to you, did you consider having your Dosy calibrated prior to using?

The point I was making is that the manufacturer takes the time to calibrate the meter prior to shipping. With the large variance in readings I've seen on Dosy meters - and the fact that they are mass produced by a machine - it seems that calibrating it is mandatory if you want a fairly accurate reading. The majority of people purchasing them aren't going to have the equipment (or knowledge) to calibrate the meter so they are going to have to pay a shop to make it right. Most are going to take it out of the box and hook it up. So I guess my question would be why should you have to pay additional funds above and beyond the cost of the meter to insure it will do a relatively good job of monitoring your equipment?
 
The Dosy's are not mass made by machine like you think, and they are calibrated. Components are manufactured, circuit boards are soldered either by hand or by waveline, but I doubt they use full robotic automation in their plant, as I see that at least 10% of the meter to be hand soldered.

I have used Dosy for several years now and can assure you that if you get a good example that it will be more accurate and durable than many others out there. And you won't find the featureset of a Dosy anywhere else, including an in line SSB freq counter with tone generator, audio monitoring, etc.

If you are the plug and play type, then a Dosy may not be for you especially given the number of settings especially in their higher end models, its easy to make a mistake by setting it wrong.

I am not saying that you need to pay to get a new Dosy calibrated. If you purchased on new and it is not Cal or otherwise defective, Dosy will take care of it. If you have an old one you may have to pay to get it calibrated to a standard. Dosy support is real-time. You can actually call them up and as long as its about their meter, they will help right over the phone.

BR
 
All I know is the one I purchased was far from being accurate right out of the box. You mentioned it may have been that way do to harsh shipping or I may have just got a bad meter. I respect your opinion, but I have seen too many Dosy meters (at least a half a dozen) right out of the box that were so far off it makes it hard for me to believe my situation was unique. Granted, Dosy may 'take care of it' but why should I have to send a brand new meter to them for repair right out of the box? That just means more money out of my pocket (shipping) and I still wouldn't have a meter in my shack.

'If you are the plug and play type, then a Dosy may not be for you especially given the number of settings especially in their higher end models, its easy to make a mistake by setting it wrong.'

I have no problem reading and comprehending instructions, so for you to insinuate the meter didn't operate properly due to operator error is way off the mark. My LP100A is a lot more complex and is capable of measurements the 'high end' Dosy meters don't incorporate into their design. I have no problem properly adjusting it, and certainly have not problem adjusting something as straight forward as a Dosy meter.

You've had good luck with Dosy meters - that's great. I (and several of the locals) have had terrible luck with Dosy meters. Look around on the various forums at all the complaints about Dosy meters. There's probably 10 complaints for every 1 person that praises them. There's nothing wrong with a difference of opnion. However, you'll never convince me that (for the money) they are a good choice. I have owned Daiwa, Diamond and Comet meters that cost the same (or less) than a Dosy and (imo) they were far superior in build quality and accuracy. There's a common saying around the radio forums: You buy with a Bird and sell with a Dosy. Why? Because the Dosy is going to exaggerate the output reading of the radio so the (unsuspecting) buyer thinks they are getting a more powerful radio than it really is.
 
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Granted, Dosy may 'take care of it' but why should I have to send a brand new meter to them for repair right out of the box? That just means more money out of my pocket (shipping) and I still wouldn't have a meter in my shack.

----Out of box failures are possible and you may have to send back at your cost if you do not possess the skills to remediate it over the phone. Dosy will instruct on adjustment if needed. As far as calibration, it is only as good as the standard that you are calibrating to, whether its a dummy load or a test signal of known value. Dosy calibrates to NIST standards, as does Bird and a few others. A little radio knowledge goes a long way to handling issues, there are no meters without defects, and Dosy produces more meters than most when it comes to the $100-$150 price point, so no doubt you will hear of more experiences positive and negative with them.


Quote: "I have no problem reading and comprehending instructions, so for you to insinuate the meter didn't operate properly due to operator error is way off the mark. "
----Even the most competent radio operators make mistakes. I have been in radio for 20 years professionally, started out as a combat radio repairman in the Signal Corps, and to this day I still error on my equipment. The Dosy is not dummy proof, there are no protection mal adjusting the settings prior to keying up. Comparing to a LP100 which costs several times as much and with features different from a Dosy is not a fair comparison. A Dosy is an analog, manually manipulated instrument with no auto-features or protection whatsoever, but that is the fun of it in my opinion. All of this is not to say what you did or did not do to your meter, but it is to say that all of those reports you cite may not be 100% accurate.


Quote: "You've had good luck with Dosy meters - that's great. I (and several of the locals) have had terrible luck with Dosy meters. Look around on the various forums at all the complaints about Dosy meters. There's probably 10 complaints for every 1 person that praises them."
-----Wow, Dosy still makes meters and people still depend on them, if they are so bad, 10 to 1 as you have stated, I am surprised that they thrive as the last U.S.A. made meter in this price range.

Quote: "I have owned Daiwa, Diamond and Comet meters that cost the same (or less) than a Dosy and (imo) they were far superior in build quality and accuracy. "
----Again subjective, Dosy made with all metal case, no plastic cabinets unlike many who use plastic faceplate and such.

Quote ", There's a common saying around the radio forums: You buy with a Bird and sell with a Dosy. Why? "
-----I'll tell you why, because a Bird without PEP kit will only read RMS, Thats Why! Slant and dissenting quasi cliches won't change this fact. A Dosy will not read true peak so again your buy-in to selling with a Dosy claim is based on ignorance.

Besides why would I spend hundreds for a Bird 43 with elements and PEP kit and have only watt measuring capability? I'm not validating for lab accuracy on any count. Instead I am using my Dosy to keep relative tabs on my station and to tune my audio quality, and to read my frequency with the FC-50S.
There is more functional value in a Dosy. Rather than having to buy a separate receiver to measure audio, the Dosy has a built in audio amp and AM detector circuit to dial in your outgoing audio. Value ridden and as long as you don't end up with a dud defective unit, you'll be using a very reliable and feature ridden meter at a reasonable price.

BR
 
76Q, in all my radio years I have never seen anyone defend a Dosey meter like you. They are what they are, a cheap ok meter and thats it. I run a Dosey 2001 but it is what it is. I mean dang you must be a Dosey sales rep or something. LOL. They are one step above sucking. Deal with it.
 
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They look cool!

They look cool, don't they, haha! And they work reliably for those with electronics knowledge. I'm not a sales rep. but I will tell you that I had a good experience with their support when I bought two of those 4002-PSW, both made in December 2011, and a freq counter with tone generator. When there's no one to talk to, I play around with all the features available and for the price of one LP-100, I got all this with money to spare. Just excited with the way things turned out so I thought I'd share some enthusiasm for the product. By the way, they even refunded the overnight shipping cost completely when it did not arrive in 1 day but 2 days. YMMV.
Oh, by the way you want real performance with little debate go get an Anritsu Sitemaster, and don't look back. :D
 
76Q, in all my radio years I have never seen anyone defend a Dosey meter like you. They are what they are, a cheap ok meter and thats it. I run a Dosey 2001 but it is what it is. I mean dang you must be a Dosey sales rep or something. LOL. They are one step above sucking. Deal with it.

My thoughts exactly. When people toss around phrases like 'price point', 'functional value' and 'feature ridden' it's usually a good indication that they have some type of affiliation with sales and/or marketing of the product...whether they will openly admit it or not. :love:
 
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sales lingo

My thoughts exactly. When people toss around phrases like 'price point', 'functional value' and 'feature ridden' it's usually a good indication that they have some type of affiliation with sales and/or marketing of the product...whether they will openly admit it or not. :love:

I spent my youth reading a lot of brochures (that happens when you don't have a dollar to spend but businesses will send you brochures for the price of a stamp), but believe me I have no salesmanship at all. I can talk tech though because I am in engineering.

C'mon, call Dosy up and ask them to send you a fully checked out one, we'll make a new believer out of ya.

To be truthful, I bought one from a dud vendor and it was a refurbished DUD out of the box molested unit that did not do SWR or modulation, dual failure, wow! but it was visually identifiable as refurbed even though I bought it supposedly as new from a big name company. I called Dosy and they replaced it with a brand new one made only a week ago from when I called them (Production date is taped to the bottom by the way for current models). While I was waiting for my replacement, I ordered another one overnighted straight from Dosy because I could not wait for my new toy. They usually do not sell retail but they made a exception for me to get me a working meter quick. Now I have two top of the line Dosy fully working and measuring the same as each other. About three years ago, I bought a TR-1000 and it worked great but I blew up the modulation metering - operator error on my part. I called them then and they talked me through fixing it by sending me the part an the circuit diagram with hand written instructions. That TR-1000 was my first Dosy ever. When I was young I could not dream of affording a $100 meter. That TR-1000 is my first and to get that kind of support for my spent cash is relieving. I've been ripped off for far more elsewhere so I appreciate the way they do business. That is all. Good day,

Dosy Salesman propaganda.
 
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X-mas present to myself

that last Dosy I bought was made six days before Christmas 2011, it came one day late because UPS sent it international by accident (can you believe that???) and Dosy refunded my shipping cost completely. So it took me about 3 weeks time to get a working Dosy from the time I ordered the Dud unit. Patience and persistence pays in droves, but so does a business that will work with you when you are spending hundred with them.

More Dosy propaganda.
 
It's all true

It's all true, and I have all the receipts and shipping tracking to prove it, even the one that shows UPS taking it from Indiana to Canada and then back to the U.S.A. and finally to my location on an overnight red label shipment. My Dosy TC-4002-PSW-V and FC50S sideband freq counter with tone generator are working perfectly in my system now. It takes some work to get it right and with great help from Dosy, but when its right, you can sit back and enjoy monitoring your station, and as long as you don't abuse it it will last. Any meter will break if abused by setting it to the wrong range, destroying diodes and the meter movement. High SWR will put undue stress on the meter as well. The meter is made to spot aging antenna systems or to notice when antenna system suddenly goes bad, but will not handle no antenna system for long, especially at amateur power levels. I'd put my Dosy test center up to any meter in its price range and show its usefullness beyond others. Check this out, the, the meter lighting lights the meter face as well as all of the controls in the dark, making it excellent for night use. The metal construction and accurate machined knobs and switches are easy to use even in a mobile environment, which is where I have mine all set up. Even used ones on Ebay are going for near half price, even with the wear and tear. People know these are serviceable meters and that is why they buy them, even if they have to get it reconditioned. Good Day.
 
antenna switch separation

Antenna switch isolation can show some coupling I won't deny it, but then again you have to realize that the switching paths in a Dosy are not built in extruded aluminum cavities either. Perhaps your friend should match his complaint with an equal amount of money and buy a commercial grade RF switch. But then he'll next complain about his moonraker elements coupling between vert and horizontal elements.

Dissapointment comes when one buys a $150 meter and expects it to perform like a $1000 meter. Geez!


I was in a conversation with a friend who has two of the 4002 meters. His complaints were about the power readings and that when he is on the verticle switch to his moonrakers, the signal is bleeding to the horizontal output as well and that's with both meters.


3's
 

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