North Jeffco Amateur Radio League
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North Jeffco Amateur Radio League
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by KF4KNF Feb 2, 2012 We will not be having a meeting tonight due to the incoming snow storm. Please join us for an on the air net on 145.700 simplex. Thanks everyone and we will see you at our next club meeting! |
 Operating Frequency 145.700 Mhz Simplex (EchoLink Active) covering the Northern Denver Metro area On Air Nets 145.700 Mhz Simplex 2rd and 4th Thursday of each month Club Meetings 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month 7777 West 99th Place, Westminster, CO 80021-4063 Contact Us For more information about the North Jeffco Amateur Radio League email info@northjeffcoarl.org |
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by KF4KNF Jan 19, 2012  We
will continue our work on the NJARL repeater antenna at our next build
day which has been set for Sunday, Feb 19th, at 4:30pm at KD0GMA's
residence. The goal is to form alumium tubing into a set of
folded dipole antennas that will be connected to an array. We
will also be establishing some baseline specs for purchasing a repeater
controller in the coming weeks. For more information or
directions to the build day location please contact KD0GMA (KD0GMA at
northjeffcoarl.org) |
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by KF4KNF Jan 2, 2012  Recently, I ran into some problems with my home brewed 2 meter copper
j-pole antenna. It had been in service for nearly 3 years
without any issues but recently the performance took a nose dive. I quickly realized I could only do so much to
troubleshoot it without the use of an SWR meter.Visiting the Ham Radio Outlet website I began to look for a SWR meter to add to my ever expanding radio arsenal (or junk pile according to the wife). I found a long list of meters ranging in price from $30 to nearly $250. I realized it was time to narrow down the field by establishing some criteria based on it's intended use. So here is what I came up with: 1. It had to have good size, easy to read meter. The small ones are just a bit TOO SMALL to use while fine tuning antennas. 2. I wanted something that could be permanently installed in my shack and not look out of place. Which leads me to my next item... 3. It had to have coax inputs in the back. In line meters have their place but since this guy would live on my radio shelf it needed to have inputs on the back to keep everything clean. 4. A lighted meter would be nice! 5. I am not a power house on the air so being able to handle 100 watts seemed reasonable. 6. It needed to do a minimum of 2m, but also 70cm if it was in my price range. I decided I didn't need the HF bands because my MFJ Deluxe Versa Tuner II handles those. 7. Now, onto the most important criteria - PRICE! I set my sights on less than $100. I figured going low would get me a product that was designed and built to be cheap and would likely be something I would regret buying later. Now based on my new criteria list I started to narrow down the field. The Diamond SX-400 seemed like a good fit. It only failed one of the seven criteria - price. The list price was $109.99. I let this slide and justified the purchase by telling myself I had to pack my lunch a few more times this month instead of eating out so much on my lunch break at work. I should point out that while being $10 over budget I did gain an SWR meter that will work on the 220MHz ham bands. You can see what I am talking about in the technical specs below: Band coverage........ 140-525 MHz Accuracy............. ±5–10% Connectors........... SO-239 Insertion loss....... .3 dB maximum Minimum sensitivity.. 4 Watts Power range.......... 5/20/200 Watts Dimensions........... 2.4"H x 6.1"W x 4.1"D Weight............... 1.2 pounds Out of the box the SX-400 looked like a nice meter! It was well packaged and the meter itself was housed in a powder coated metal box. The coax inputs on the back were secure and look like they will hold up well to regular use. The front switches and the calibration knob move nicely with very little effort. The meter needle is well protected behind 2 layers of clear plastic. The backside also contains a hole that can be used for adjusting the meter to the zero position should it ever need it. Another feature that this meter has over others in the same price point is the ability to measure average and PEP Power. While not useful on FM it does have a place when using other modes. Before you get the idea this was a match made in heaven I should note one item that upset me. I mentioned the meter was housed behind 2 layers of plastic. On the second layer is someones finger print! It was probably left there from the manufacturing process and I haven't felt the need to open the housing to clean that yet but I am sure I will get annoyed enough one day. The SX-400 also has an 12 volt input on the back for powering back light on the meter. It's nice having all your equipment operating from the same 12 volt supply like myself. This leads me to my second complaint about the meter. The 12 volt power cord that is supplied seems a bit short. My radio shelf is not large by any means but this 12 volt cable is not going to cut it. It measures only 2 feet long! A cable about 3 times as long would be nice but obviously someone tried to cut some costs so it has found a new home in my junk box and might see use in a future ham project. To sum things up, I am happy with the meter! Having to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a solid 8.5. I am going to dock Diamond Antenna a few points for cheeping out on the 12 volt supply cable and biometric evidence left during manufacturing. Happy New Year and 73's from KF4KNF |
American Radio Relay League | Ham Radio Association and ResourcesThe American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.
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North Jeffco Amateur Radio League
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