SW-102 meter

[WSEK643]

I have a Baofeng AR-5M I  want to get a SW-102 swr meter,I will be checking the antennas that screw on to the radio as well as outside antennas,I know I need meter with so-239 connectors, my question is which one some say digital some analog. Is the radio digital or analog? Thanks

 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, WSEK643 said:

I have a Baofeng AR-5M I  want to get a SW-102 swr meter,I will be checking the antennas that screw on to the radio as well as outside antennas,I know I need meter with so-239 connectors, my question is which one some say digital some analog. Is the radio digital or analog? Thanks

 

What are you trying to check?   One CAN NOT reliably check swr on a hand held.  There are simply too many variables. Swr will change depending on how you hold it, what hand you hold it with, how high you hold it ect…..So the only thing it is good for with a hand held is a power meter.   If your antennas are made for GMRS, or the band you are wanting to tests just run them. They will be totally fine.   I and many others i know in the real world have had 100’s of hand helds from $20 - $5000 and many many more antennas for those hand helds.  Not one of them have ever been tested and not one radio has ever been killed by a bad high swr antenna,   Dont over think it just run it. It’s a $20 radio go have fun.   

[WSAM454]

40 minutes ago, WSEK643 said:

I have a Baofeng AR-5M I  want to get a SW-102 swr meter,I will be checking the antennas that screw on to the radio as well as outside antennas,I know I need meter with so-239 connectors, my question is which one some say digital some analog. Is the radio digital or analog? Thanks

 

I think they are referring to the meter itself.  Some are digital (have a numerical display) and others are analog (Have a traditional mechanical moving pointer movement.)   Some users prefer one type of display over another, and feel that the digital is more accurate.   As '381 said, just use the screw-on antenna(s) and don't worry about it.   You can use the meter (either type!) to check the SWR on your outdoor antenna and to monitor the power output from the radio if you leave it connected in-line between the radio and the antenna cable.  Of course, the meter you use has to be able to measure at UHF (450-480 MHz) frequencies, which the SW-102 can, and it has a digital display.

[WSEK643]

After I study up on it I plan on building a couple of outside antennas thats the main reason for the meter.

[WSAM454]

Good idea; especially if you are going to run the HT radio (lower power).   An outdoor antenna will give you much better/reliable coverage, and the meter can come in handy to make sure it is tuned for the right part of the band.   The SW-102 should do nicely.

 

[BoxCar]

2 hours ago, WSEK643 said:

After I study up on it I plan on building a couple of outside antennas thats the main reason for the meter.

An SWR meter isn't the best thing for testing if you are planning on building antennas. A better piece of test equipment is a Nano VNA as it will not only tell the wave ratio but also tell you at what frequency your antenna works best.