Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Turn the power to your transmitter off.
Attach a jumper cable of transmission line to your SWR meter. The SWR meter has two places that a cable can be attached. Connect the cable to the connector that is labeled "Transmitter." On some meters, that label might be abbreviated as "XMTR" or "Radio".
Attach the other end of the jumper cable to the connector on the transmitter that the antenna connects to. Note that if the antenna is connected, you will need to disconnect it first.
Connect the transmission line from your antenna to the other connection point on the SWR meter. This connection will be labeled "Antenna" or "Ant".
Set the switch on the SWR meter to the "Forward" position.
Turn the power on to your transmitter.
Activate the transmitter by pressing the code key, or the push to talk button on the microphone. You will see the needle on the SWR meter deflect forward as long as the transmitter is activated.
Adjust the knob on the SWR meter so that the needle is full scale and positioned over the "0" on the scale. Note that the transmitter needs to be activated while you are adjusting the knob.
Change the position of the switch on the SWR meter to the "Reflected" or "Ref" position. The needle on the meter will change positions.
Read the number on the scale of the meter that is under the needle. That number is your standing wave ratio, expressed as a ratio against unity. For example, if the needle is over the marking "1.5", then your standing wave ratio is 1.5:1. That is, it is 1.5 to 1.
Turn the power off on your transmitter.
Disconnect the jumper cable from the transmitter and reconnect the antenna to the transmitter.