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			Well, if all you really wanted to do was check your VHF SWR's there's a really neat trick you can do to use a CB SWR meter to do it. As mentioned I still have my SWR meter(s) from CB days One is a Micronta (Radio Shack) 3 dial (power/modulation/swr) unit and the other is a cheapie $5 special CB SWR meter. They really don***8217;t work all that well on VHF but there***8217;s a trick you can do that will net a reasonably accurate SWR reading. What you do is connect up the meter as usual, key the mike with the switch in the forward power position, then set the adjustment for full scale. Now, without touching anything, swap the coax connections so that the radio is connected to the ***8220;antenna***8221; side of the meter, and the antenna is connected to the ***8220;transciever***8221; side. The reading you'll then see on the meter will be very close to your real SWR's. The closer to 1:1 your SWR is, the more accurate it will be. It would be more accurate to have a real VHF/UHF SWR meter but they can cost $50-100.  For a quick antenna check after an install or if you have doubts about your system the $5 CB meters work OK.   
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				1987 V20 w/1987 150HP Yamaha on a Shoreland'r Trailer 
1978 16.5 Airslot w/1996 120HP Force on a Four Winns trailer 
1996 V21 w/1993 200HP Mercury on a Shoreline Trailer  
All towed by a 5.7L Hemi Durango.
 
  
If God didn't have a purpose for us we wouldn't be here, so 
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly. 
(Leave the rest to God)   Silence, in the face of evil, is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act. God will not hold us guiltless. |