SWR Meter

[ken48746]

I have a dumb newbie question:

 

Can I use my old CB radio SWR Meter to check my SWR on my GMRS antenna?

[berkinet]

Assuming you have an inexpensive meter designed for CB... Yes, you can use it, it won’t hurt anything. But, no, it won’t give you accurate readings. For GMRS you need an sur meter that operates at UHF frequencies. However, there are meters that operate over a broad range of frequencies. These tend to be more expensive and often require different “slugs” for each frequency range.

[ken48746]

Thanks! Who would carry this meter?

[berkinet]

There are many, from inexpensive to professional quality: Just google uhf swr meter

Bird is very good, but expensive. Probably more than you need for infrequent use. Other than that I cannot really recommend one over another. Perhaps someone else here can make a suggestion.

[ken48746]

OK! Thanks Again!!

This is very useful.

[SteveC7010]

I picked up a Diamond SX-200 SWR meter for about $100. It measures SWR, forward, and reflected power just fine my needs. It covers both VHF and UHF so I can use it for ham, commercial, and GMRS I did have to add some adapters to use it with my particular radios, but that is a normal and expected expense.

[jsouth]

I purchased a Surecom SW102 on Amazon for about $50 and it seems to work ok. Since I’ve never used anything else, I can’t compare it with other models but so far I’m happy with it.

[ken48746]

OK!

 

Good info here

 

Thanks to all of you

[WRFV510]

MFJ-874 covers 1.8MHz- 525MHz  has ave and peak power too. https://mfjenterprises.com/products/mfj-874

[UHFJim]

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/diamond-sx400-4837

 

 

I use the Diamond SX-400 (140-512 MHZ).  SWR and both forward and reflected power.  5W 20W 200W settings.  It is lighted with a 13.8 dc power source as well.