Decent reasonably price power/swr meter?

[LDG]

It works.

http://www.radioshack.com/cb-high-frequency-ham-power-swr-meter/2100534.html#start=1

 

[SLR_65]

I'm sure the Radio Shack one does, but for the same money I could hook the actual meter I was buying up to a known good one to verify it was reading accurately for SWR which I couldn't do at my local Radio Shack, and as for power the Radio Shack isn't a powered either so I'm sure it's readings aren't high precision either.

I really want accurate SWR and since the shop would let me verify it before purchase I felt the Workman was the better buy, but if that option wasn't available to me I would've definitely considered a Radio Shack one.

 

[Sideways]

Treked over to the radio shop my buddy recommended today.

They had Astatic, Dosy and Workman meters for sale, and a couple Birds back in the shop. They let me pick one of each and hook it up to compare to their Bird...the winner was the Workman. The Astatic and the Dosy showed the SWRs a bit higher than the Bird, the Workman was spot on. The Astatic and Dosy had the power about 25% less than the Bird, the Workman had it about 10% less.

I could buy the Workman online for around $35 delivered, they wanted $39.99 and I had to pay tax, fair deal for letting me hold them in my hands and actually use them once to evaluate them.

I have no doubt there are better meters out there, but it's hard to pay more for your meter than you did for your radio and for the money, the Workman seems to be a decent contender. For SWR it's spot on and though a little low for power, usually we don't need to know power to a high precision so I think it'll do for now. I'll post a follow up after I've used it for a while.

Everyone has their own opinion on meters. You just have to do your research and find the one that suits your needs. If you want better accuracy, more features, you can always upgrade. Looks like a decent meter for the money. Let us know how it holds up.