DanW Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 Can anyone suggest a good cheap SWR meter that works well for GMRS frequencies? I've got some antenna trouble shooting to do. Thanks! Quote
WRAK968 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 I use a surecom SW-102, nice little unit,https://www.amazon.com/Mcbazel-Surecom-Digital-125-525Mhz-Antenna/dp/B01D86IKIQ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2JRVRL343HI8D&dchild=1&keywords=surecom+sw-102&qid=1611170816&s=electronics&sprefix=surecom+%2Celectronics%2C360&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A263LSCPZJCHO0&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFQWUVGVVpLTjBDMUkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2NjE4OTgxNzlPM0M5UEg1WE1QJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5Mzk4NjcyRk4wV1NUTjJNNVFEJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== donmontalvo and DanW 2 Quote
Shadow471 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 I started out with the surecom SW-33, really focused for HTs.But now use the surecom SW-102.Its a great meter. Well worth the cost, really the only meter you'll ever need. donmontalvo 1 Quote
DanW Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Posted January 20, 2021 Thanks! What do you think of this one. Another friend told me this one is good, too. Thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075H8FDDR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Quote
WRAK968 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 Thanks! What do you think of this one. Another friend told me this one is good, too. Thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075H8FDDR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1When working out an RF, more info is a lil better. The SW-33 will only tell you the SWR reading and TX power out. The SW-102 will give SWR, Power out, TX frequency (to make sure radio is on frequency) forward and reflected power. I've never used the SW-33 so I cannot speak on how the user interface works, the SW-102 has a fair interface. Press button and you get your reading, press and hold button and the unit shuts off. Big screen so easy to read and it will hold the last reading it took from the transmitter. DanW 1 Quote
axorlov Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 The SW-33 I've got is a garbage. Not sure if every one of them like this or I got a lemon, but mine does not work correctly on UHF. Shows grandma's birthday instead of forward and reflected power. VHF measurements are close to reality. WRKU973 1 Quote
gman1971 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Posted January 20, 2021 I would say NanoVNA v2, it does everything you'll need. G. mainehazmt and jwilkers 2 Quote
DanW Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Posted January 20, 2021 I would say NanoVNA v2, it does everything you'll need. G.That looks nice but is a bit beyond the budget. Thank you, though! Quote
DanW Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Posted January 20, 2021 I'm going to pull the trigger on the SW-102, unless someone else has another suggestion. I sure appreciate the input! Quote
gortex2 Posted January 21, 2021 Report Posted January 21, 2021 You get what you pay for. If you have cheap radios then using a cheap meter isn't going to help much. Spend a bit more on the equipment you need to test and you will be pleased. Most likely youll also find all this cheap stuff is not going to perform well enough. Quote
DanW Posted January 21, 2021 Author Report Posted January 21, 2021 You get what you pay for. If you have cheap radios then using a cheap meter isn't going to help much. Spend a bit more on the equipment you need to test and you will be pleased. Most likely youll also find all this cheap stuff is not going to perform well enough. It will perform well enough for my uses, which do not require the top hobby-grade equipment, but rather to do a basic function check and trouble shooting. The level of precision I need doesn't justify the higher cost, which I simply cannot afford anyway. But I appreciate your advice, though. Quote
mainehazmt Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Second nanoVNA. 40 bucks. You have a hard time beating that price. And you can use it right at the base of the antenna make changes and view the changes as you make them. smalpierre and DanW 2 Quote
DanW Posted January 22, 2021 Author Report Posted January 22, 2021 Second nanoVNA. 40 bucks. You have a hard time beating that price. And you can use it right at the base of the antenna make changes and view the changes as you make them. Where did you see it for $40? The first search I did turned up about $90. What about this, same unit you are suggesting? https://www.amazon.com/50KHz-900MHz-Analyzer-Measuring-Parameters-Standing/dp/B07Y53RCKW Thanks! Quote
mbrun Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 I own this one, the 4” screen version. http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75145 NanoVNA are not for the faint of heart and can be overwhelming to the novice whereas the SWR has shorter learning curve. I agree it is fantastic tool for the radio enthusiast to have. MichaelWRHS965KE8PLM DanW 1 Quote
mainehazmt Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 I own this one, the 4” screen version. http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75145 NanoVNA are not for the faint of heart and can be overwhelming to the novice whereas the SWR has shorter learning curve. I agree it is fantastic tool for the radio enthusiast to have. MichaelWRHS965KE8PLMI got mine off eBay. Lots of documentation on line. Videos too. and for swr pretty easy. yes you can dive deep learn the smith chart if that’s your thing. You just have to input the freq range and pick swr function and It tells right away where the antenna is resonate at. Trust me If I can run the vna anyone can ! With it you can start building your own antennas. I use mine also to set up my tuner thru the amp. It makes those adjustments very easy and don’t have to key the radio once. Gotta have it nice for when ya kick in the amp! Tubes can be expensive. Quote
DanW Posted January 22, 2021 Author Report Posted January 22, 2021 I own this one, the 4” screen version. http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75145 NanoVNA are not for the faint of heart and can be overwhelming to the novice whereas the SWR has shorter learning curve. I agree it is fantastic tool for the radio enthusiast to have. Ok, thanks! I already ordered the SW102 because I need to do it simply, quickly, and easily. I'm really not at the enthusiast or even hobbyist level. Just looking for some basic use at this point. There is a great deal to learn! I appreciate all the help! MichaelWRHS965KE8PLM WRUC943 1 Quote
gman1971 Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 Ideally, you want to tune the antenna to 50 Ohm impedance, not lowest SWR. Quote
smalpierre Posted January 28, 2021 Report Posted January 28, 2021 Ideally, you want to tune the antenna to 50 Ohm impedance, not lowest SWR.True, but impedance mismatch causes higher swr, so you're ... kinda doing that in a roundabout way? WRUC943 and SUPERG900 1 1 Quote
smalpierre Posted January 28, 2021 Report Posted January 28, 2021 That looks nice but is a bit beyond the budget. Thank you, though! I got my nanoVNA v2 for 50 bucks. I should have got the later version that's closer to 100, but the one I got goes to 1.5ghz (the newer one goes to 3ghz I think?) It's "better" than an SWR meter, but it's not as user friendly either. There is a learning curve for sure, and it takes longer - have to set up a frequency range, calibrate, turn the traces you want on / off (there's an SWR trace if that's all you're doing) - and if you want to read impedance the smith chart isn't the most straight forward thing to read - but once you get it, it's super fire! The one thing that it does not do though - is measure your transmitter power, because you're hooking it straight to the antenna without a transmitter attached. Not sure if you can do that or not with the VNA but I doubt it. So there's another advantage to that surecom SWR meter maybe? Quote
gman1971 Posted January 28, 2021 Report Posted January 28, 2021 I tune for the lowest return loss at 50 Ohms. Which is never the same point where the lowest return loss actually is. G. True, but impedance mismatch causes higher swr, so you're ... kinda doing that in a roundabout way? AdmiralCochrane 1 Quote
jc1240 Posted January 30, 2021 Report Posted January 30, 2021 A note/warning about the NanoVNA - there are different versions with different firmware and worse, there are some knockoff/fake copies that may not work as well. Here's a video on some of the different versions: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNNtM_mUAqc For some reason, when I add https:// to the URL, the forum site blanks it out. Anyone know why? Quote
AdmiralCochrane Posted January 31, 2021 Report Posted January 31, 2021 AURSINC is the name brand to look for. The real v3.4 H model should be around $55. AURSINC makes them upto $140 or so NCRick 1 Quote
Extreme Posted February 5, 2021 Report Posted February 5, 2021 Man, I asked the typical Amazon shopper question that is already in the product description.. tried to Delete but this is the best I could do.. Quote
drk1970nj Posted February 5, 2021 Report Posted February 5, 2021 Can anyone suggest a good cheap SWR meter that works well for GMRS frequencies? I've got some antenna trouble shooting to do. Thanks!Get your self a surecom 102 https://www.ebay.com/itm/174286750309?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACMBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkKQ3D59%252FksmrAqH9M4NgB38uttioVW7i9YtCw5uSIeRmE5RYGRd33JTKpUs4zGTzxXbV9Ei4GXcak1upVP1qux%252BNrbExv3G9QH5%252F47zqkXBOq7BmOIAzWqh3B%252Bqfxh9nz0UdduOUPPzp5GJktMbKFt1foKmcfy20mF63v%252B9aUF%252BE1asEbkMichGJD2g%252FBpyckXT5KWdmXGx58GzAigtlsJ9rELWJNTsdlYFVva6MyL53W%252BZ2XIXXyIQRbwGIGMXhjPPrGAiCTYf0HzXSXQlBn1jNee7JYx64nl46944TbAVJOoc5NwX3NVAdrrTnNCXd1GYneZ68pP5s1a%252FMgAx6MrQGB8CZWAEmaLW6MWIITl5xe%252BArMIBhQmKVrLzSsqXesKCfyDzq%252FcqJtnybSJPuIPhYE86Qe8dmfPsPrDtWhB1xLx3TaG%252FWm2TQM3zDpZIbhz571CcvYNl97%252BkC4ZvPUKu3z9q4EfpqEhZhOj6hk11s25GTMigi%252FPVMp%252F47KRB5Kz2SCWfMWSmV%252BQLLJZ73WhmJGFVKRmcNSbVTmvN%252BpCqfc%252Fdow3jgEasBWDCImMYvIt6vKVsmpIOLGovWB2X4O1mrMZnCYG54g6%252BlqAs3obtiGqPDYFXmzwPgNNei6LtZtXMrVNyUewjcpj9IfTnfl8er4yet6LNfc40iA4KBd8urj4%252BlPpyvnMNoaikxVbpPW%7Ccksum%3A17428675030977d0dcf2789f41d3b2bbd9eb97304afb%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A3268220&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=174286750309&targetid=1068323856150&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9004036&poi=&campaignid=10455978145&mkgroupid=104612009660&rlsatarget=aud-762207186714:pla-1068323856150&abcId=2146002&merchantid=101684054&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkMzjlsrT7gIVPweICR2EnQD0EAQYAyABEgJqrPD_BwE Quote
AdmiralCochrane Posted February 6, 2021 Report Posted February 6, 2021 nanovna tells you as much and a lot more for the same price Quote
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