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LP-100 Digital Vector Watt meter
- Thread starter rfoverlord
- Start date
i really like the look of that,
it would be much cheaper than buying another bird 43 with peak board and slugs to cover those power levels and frequencies,
another plus its claimed to be more accurate <3% than the bird and the wavenode,
my only concern is that it uses a relatively wideband sensor that could well add and sum harmonics worse than the bird with hf slug when measuring overdriven unfiltered amps,
i am thinking of buying one and selling my tellewave and kenwood meters but i would like to hear other peoples opinions about this unit first.
then there is this one, now with improved accuracy,
http://arraysolutions.com/Products/powermaster.htm#top of page
but which one is the best?
the 3kw powermaster is only a little more expensive than the lp-100,
anybody got experience or opinions of either??
it would be much cheaper than buying another bird 43 with peak board and slugs to cover those power levels and frequencies,
another plus its claimed to be more accurate <3% than the bird and the wavenode,
my only concern is that it uses a relatively wideband sensor that could well add and sum harmonics worse than the bird with hf slug when measuring overdriven unfiltered amps,
i am thinking of buying one and selling my tellewave and kenwood meters but i would like to hear other peoples opinions about this unit first.
then there is this one, now with improved accuracy,
http://arraysolutions.com/Products/powermaster.htm#top of page
but which one is the best?
the 3kw powermaster is only a little more expensive than the lp-100,
anybody got experience or opinions of either??
Bob, That's what i been debating myself i have a few "mighty fine junk" meters and i don't have the confidence in them i should. i trust my rat shack meter more. right now i'm comparing everything to a bird or the coaxial dynamics meters. I really would want one for 50mhz. and up to at least 470mhz. 73 mike
its a hard choice, they both answered my emails quickly with an offer to sell, the array sollutions have an agent over here with them in stock but that also means duty paid and the agents cut comes to almost $600, still much cheaper and more accurate than a bird 43 with slugs and pep board,
the power master claims a pretty flat response across its bandwidth with only 2 trim factors settable per the indicated trim factor listed on each individual couplers lable for either hf or vhf, you have to decide which band you want to apply the trim to where the lp-100 has calibration points every 1mhz from 1.8 to 54mhz so in theory it has the potential to be more accurate in my mind but do they calibrate it every 1mhz or just in the middle of each ham band,
the powermaster coupler looks more professional inside but that does not have to mean it has a flatter response curve,
the other thing is bar graph response time for dynamic measurements such as tuning an amp or following voice peaks, the powermaster is supposedly very fast but the lp now has an improved response time with a zoom capability to enhance the portion of the scale your working with, it also has higher resolution down at very low power levels and more full scale range options on the bar graph, the powermaster only has 1w increments and does not measure very low wattages,
fast is nice but not that important to me,
i want accurate
the lp-100 is also an analyser with plots and such so it could replace ya mfj too if you dont mind using rig control software to run the radio as an rf source,
they both use temperature compensation for the couplers,
i need to do more reading before i jump in,
the power master claims a pretty flat response across its bandwidth with only 2 trim factors settable per the indicated trim factor listed on each individual couplers lable for either hf or vhf, you have to decide which band you want to apply the trim to where the lp-100 has calibration points every 1mhz from 1.8 to 54mhz so in theory it has the potential to be more accurate in my mind but do they calibrate it every 1mhz or just in the middle of each ham band,
the powermaster coupler looks more professional inside but that does not have to mean it has a flatter response curve,
the other thing is bar graph response time for dynamic measurements such as tuning an amp or following voice peaks, the powermaster is supposedly very fast but the lp now has an improved response time with a zoom capability to enhance the portion of the scale your working with, it also has higher resolution down at very low power levels and more full scale range options on the bar graph, the powermaster only has 1w increments and does not measure very low wattages,
fast is nice but not that important to me,
i want accurate
the lp-100 is also an analyser with plots and such so it could replace ya mfj too if you dont mind using rig control software to run the radio as an rf source,
they both use temperature compensation for the couplers,
i need to do more reading before i jump in,
Bob, while i'm sure you are aware of e-ham for reviews that stem from "works great" to actual useful data from some individuals that actually have a backround. I don't have that extensive of one, but i do read technicals manuals for enjoyment. I have invested quite a bit in my gear and now i want to actually start enjoying it. I find that with a little research you can find quality gear at what i deem as reasonable prices that will be useful and last for a while. 73
hey rf i cant make my mind up,
im so pissed at the stupid cost of bird gear and there astronomical cal service over here that im thinking of selling my 43 and buying both those digital meters,
£75 per slug plus £30 or 50 just to have it checked for calibration per slug is a joke,
£150 for the pep board is crazy,
buying used you never know what your getting as the slugs can so easilly be damaged or knocked outa whack by dropping them or overpowering them,
very nice gear that should last a lifetime but you need to be making good money off it to warrant the expense of a decent range of slugs
im so pissed at the stupid cost of bird gear and there astronomical cal service over here that im thinking of selling my 43 and buying both those digital meters,
£75 per slug plus £30 or 50 just to have it checked for calibration per slug is a joke,
£150 for the pep board is crazy,
buying used you never know what your getting as the slugs can so easilly be damaged or knocked outa whack by dropping them or overpowering them,
very nice gear that should last a lifetime but you need to be making good money off it to warrant the expense of a decent range of slugs
rf this one looks soooo nice to me but its spendy,
http://www.alpharadioproducts.com/4520.asp
just where do ya draw the line,
true accuracy for rf power costs tens of thousands of pounds,
we make the best of what we can afford,
spot on accuracy is a nice thought but its not realistic for my wallet
http://www.alpharadioproducts.com/4520.asp
just where do ya draw the line,
true accuracy for rf power costs tens of thousands of pounds,
we make the best of what we can afford,
spot on accuracy is a nice thought but its not realistic for my wallet
This is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth.
I like meters that have a 'needle' or a graphics display of some kind. The movement of the needle/graph tells me a lot more than just flickering numbers do.
As far as a lot of the newer equipment goes in accuracy, for 'every day' stuff, who needs it? For precision measurements, fine. But the average person does very little 'precision' work. If a meter was going to be one of the 'main' items I worked with I wouldn't think twice about spending more on it than I would a radio. But since the radio is the 'main' item and the meter is an accessory, who needs to spend ~that~ kind of money on it? It's nice to have the 'best' accessories, but I guess my 'limit' is lower than most (in some things! lol)?
- 'Doc
(If any of you guys happen to decide to throw your $/£1000 meter away, let me know and I'll pay the shipping! ... ain't paying no 'VAT' though.)
I like meters that have a 'needle' or a graphics display of some kind. The movement of the needle/graph tells me a lot more than just flickering numbers do.
As far as a lot of the newer equipment goes in accuracy, for 'every day' stuff, who needs it? For precision measurements, fine. But the average person does very little 'precision' work. If a meter was going to be one of the 'main' items I worked with I wouldn't think twice about spending more on it than I would a radio. But since the radio is the 'main' item and the meter is an accessory, who needs to spend ~that~ kind of money on it? It's nice to have the 'best' accessories, but I guess my 'limit' is lower than most (in some things! lol)?
- 'Doc
(If any of you guys happen to decide to throw your $/£1000 meter away, let me know and I'll pay the shipping! ... ain't paying no 'VAT' though.)
doc i wont be spending $1300 on a ham wattmeter,
i ordered the lp-100 because it measures from .5mw to 2500w with decent resolution,
you know what will happen,
if i sell the bird and other meters and order the powermaster, something with higher resolution will come along in a few months for a similar cost
i ordered the lp-100 because it measures from .5mw to 2500w with decent resolution,
you know what will happen,
if i sell the bird and other meters and order the powermaster, something with higher resolution will come along in a few months for a similar cost
i finally got the lp-100, only had a few minutes to play with it but i am impressed,
my other meters measure within 1w of the lp @50w and the x=0 on my i10-k is at almost exact to a few khz in the same place as my minivna,
vswr reads constant from .5w to 50w looking at the antenna through roughly 200ft of rg213, no fidling with calibrate or flipping slugs,
so far i am very happy with what this meter does,
larry N8PL does a mean vswr/power/analyser/field strength meter no doubt,
reads in watts peak/avg and dbw, fwd power reflected power and delivered power,
it even has a callibrated direct input for remote field strength readings and very low power readings, get you a couple of old laptops and tune that mobile array for max field strength at a distance not practical with wired meters,
there are more functions to come such as peak to avg compression ratio through software updates,
anybody wanting an accurate very versatile meter could do worse than take a look at the LP-100
my other meters measure within 1w of the lp @50w and the x=0 on my i10-k is at almost exact to a few khz in the same place as my minivna,
vswr reads constant from .5w to 50w looking at the antenna through roughly 200ft of rg213, no fidling with calibrate or flipping slugs,
so far i am very happy with what this meter does,
larry N8PL does a mean vswr/power/analyser/field strength meter no doubt,
reads in watts peak/avg and dbw, fwd power reflected power and delivered power,
it even has a callibrated direct input for remote field strength readings and very low power readings, get you a couple of old laptops and tune that mobile array for max field strength at a distance not practical with wired meters,
there are more functions to come such as peak to avg compression ratio through software updates,
anybody wanting an accurate very versatile meter could do worse than take a look at the LP-100
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