PDC2 SWR meter

[PuddlePirate]

Having a problem with measuring SWR.  Using the adjustment knob will not let me get to the "SET" mark. With th slightest turn of the knob it will either peg clear to the right or left.  

I have a Midland MXT275 connected to Midland MXTA25 3db Ghost antenna.  The meter is a ASTATIC PDC2.  Any thoughts?  Worked fine with my old CB's.

[SteveShannon]

5 minutes ago, PuddlePirate said:

Having a problem with measuring SWR.  Using the adjustment knob will not let me get to the "SET" mark. With th slightest turn of the knob it will either peg clear to the right or left.  

I have a Midland MXT275 connected to Midland MXTA25 3db Ghost antenna.  The meter is a ASTATIC PDC2.  Any thoughts?  Worked fine with my old CB's.

The PDC2 was not designed for GMRS frequencies. The specs say 24-30 MHz. You’ll need a different SWR meter. 

[PuddlePirate]

11 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

The PDC2 was not designed for GMRS frequencies. The specs say 24-30 MHz. You’ll need a different SWR meter. 

Well that explains it! Thanks

[SteveShannon]

6 minutes ago, PuddlePirate said:

Well that explains it! Thanks

Sorry  

[WRYZ926]

I know that good antenna analyzers are expensive but you do get what you pay for. I will most likely buy the Comet CAA-500MARKII analyzer. I have used them and they are well built and easy to use. I've used one to test all of my antennas and tune as them as needed.

[OffRoaderX]

14 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

good antenna analyzers are expensive but you do get what you pay for.

I own and have used $39 SWR meters, $80 SWR meters, $500 antenna analyzers and $1,500 antenna analyzers. The 'analyzers' do much more than simple SWR meters, however they all measured virtually the same SWR on all my antennas.. 

For simple tuning of a GMRS antenna for your car, a $39 SWR meter is more than plenty good enough for most normal people.

[BoxCar]

A VNA is a better choice as it not only measures SWR, it can also measure cable losses, tell you if the antenna needs lengthening or shortening to tune it to a frequency and display the SWR across the entire band.

[WRYZ926]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

I own and have used $39 SWR meters, $80 SWR meters, $500 antenna analyzers and $1,500 antenna analyzers. The 'analyzers' do much more than simple SWR meters, however they all measured virtually the same SWR on all my antennas.. 

For simple tuning of a GMRS antenna for your car, a $39 SWR meter is more than plenty good enough for most normal people.

I've used my Surecom meter, a NanoVNA and the Comet analyzer. They all have their place but I find the Surecom not to be as accurate as the Comet analyzer or NanoVNA. And the NanoVNA's have a learning curve to them.

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

I know that good antenna analyzers are expensive but you do get what you pay for. I will most likely buy the Comet CAA-500MARKII analyzer. I have used them and they are well built and easy to use. I've used one to test all of my antennas and tune as them as needed.

I have two of the RigExpert analyzers. I really like them. Easy to use with lots of features for someone who enjoys fiddling with antennas. And they are on sale right now I believe. 

If I was only going to check one antenna though I would just get a decent combination SWR/power meter. 
The NanoVNA (I’ve got one too) is an interesting tool, especially if you’re testing fittings for insertion losses, but not as nice to use as the RigExpert. 

[WRUE951]

I've always preferred the NanoVNA.. The learning curve is simply memorizing the process and my old brain still works good enough to get results.     

[WRQC527]

8 hours ago, PuddlePirate said:

Having a problem with measuring SWR.  Using the adjustment knob will not let me get to the "SET" mark. With th slightest turn of the knob it will either peg clear to the right or left.  

I have a Midland MXT275 connected to Midland MXTA25 3db Ghost antenna.  The meter is a ASTATIC PDC2.  Any thoughts?  Worked fine with my old CB's.

I've been using my 25-year-old old (inherited) MFJ-259 that does up to about 170 mhz for HFand VHF. For VHF and UHF I use my Diamond SX-40C. I also have a NanoVNA, but I've found that it reads a little higher than my other devices. It has its place though and I use it often. And in fact, when we were at my repeater site last month, my friend's Comet analyzer was useless. It was so affected by all the RF from the dozens of repeaters at the site that we couldn't get any decent readings. My Diamond meter worked just fine. Sometimes simple is what is needed.

[WRYZ926]

It never hurts to have multiple tools when doing antenna work.

[tweiss3]

I just bought a RigExpert Stick XPro that does antenna analysis DC-1000MHz as well as cable testing. For the form+features it was worth the money. As for an inline meter, I think its pretty unnecessary to leave in place full time. The only ones that stay in place are on repeaters, and those are Bird inline meters.