Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Homebrew SWR Meter from 1975...

 OK, this isn't something to "write home about", but I kinda surprised myself and wanted to document it before it was lost forever. I was a kid, and building stuff from old handbooks from junk. Scrap TV sets, junk radios, hamfest scrounges, etc. I cobbled this together, and it actually worked! Recently, while digging through some junk in the barn while looking for some parts, I stumbled onto it. The back was missing, the meter was damaged, and I don't know how the internals weren't smashed out of existence. 

I brought it in the shop, and checked it over. The rotary switch needed cleaning, I found another 50uA meter to put in, and checked it out. It worked. Wow...49 years ago. I cut out a new back panel for it, drew the schematic, and used a black felt tip to color in the lettering that was in horrible condition. Maybe I should shoot a coat of matte clear on it to protect what's left. Anyway, here it is, all these years later. It's not going back in the junk pile, until my days pass :-)







Dave WB4IUY

http://www.WB4IUY.net