View Single Post
  #54   Report Post  
Old December 26th 05, 03:46 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
K7ITM
 
Posts: n/a
Default Standing Waves (and Impedance)

If the meter is misapplied, it's misapplied. If my transmitter is
designed to operate optimally into a 300 ohm load and I use an "SWR"
meter calibrated to 50 ohms, it's not going to do any better job
indicating proper transmitter matching than indicating SWR on a 300 ohm
line.

I will continue happily to call my SWR meter an SWR meter, and know
enough about what's going on inside it to apply it
appropriately--whether it's to the task of giving me an indication of
SWR on a transmission line or the task of indicating proper loading on
a source.

I suppose there are many who will continue to happily call them SWR
meters and NOT understand how to properly apply them. I'd much rather
work on educating them to understand how the meter works and how to
apply it properly than to insist they call it by some other name. I've
been at the task since B.R.E.

But of course, not everyone sees it that way.

Cheers--and Merry Christmas,
Tom