I found a cheap source of VU meters rated for 0-250uA.

Anyone know of a circuit I can create to measure incoming shortwave
signal strength for a portable without a signal level meter?

mike

"mike" wrote in message
...
I found a cheap source of VU meters rated for 0-250uA.

Anyone know of a circuit I can create to measure incoming shortwave
signal strength for a portable without a signal level meter?

mike

What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?
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address)

Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.

"mike" wrote in message
...
I found a cheap source of VU meters rated for 0-250uA.

Anyone know of a circuit I can create to measure incoming shortwave
signal strength for a portable without a signal level meter?

mike

What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?
--
Tweetldee
Tweetldee at att dot net (Just subsitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.

"Tweetldee" ) writes:
"mike" wrote in message
...
I found a cheap source of VU meters rated for 0-250uA.

Anyone know of a circuit I can create to measure incoming shortwave
signal strength for a portable without a signal level meter?

mike

What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?

But chances are pretty good, given the "cheap" bit, that the meters
are just standard 250uA meters, with a VU scale. I've seen plenty of
those where they do not include any bridge inside, and make no attempt
at meeting the requirements of a "proper VU" meter.

In other words, it would just be a cheap sensitive meter, likely physically
small and cheaply built. The local surplus outlet used to have them,
right next to the same sort of meters with an S-meter scale, next to
similar meters with some other scale.

Given that, it's just a meter can be used as an S-meter when it's hooked
up to the AGC line of an existing receiver, maybe with a bit of buffering
so it doesn't load down the AGC.

Michael VE2BVW

"Tweetldee" ) writes:
"mike" wrote in message
...
I found a cheap source of VU meters rated for 0-250uA.

Anyone know of a circuit I can create to measure incoming shortwave
signal strength for a portable without a signal level meter?

mike

What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?

But chances are pretty good, given the "cheap" bit, that the meters
are just standard 250uA meters, with a VU scale. I've seen plenty of
those where they do not include any bridge inside, and make no attempt
at meeting the requirements of a "proper VU" meter.

In other words, it would just be a cheap sensitive meter, likely physically
small and cheaply built. The local surplus outlet used to have them,
right next to the same sort of meters with an S-meter scale, next to
similar meters with some other scale.

Given that, it's just a meter can be used as an S-meter when it's hooked
up to the AGC line of an existing receiver, maybe with a bit of buffering
so it doesn't load down the AGC.

Michael VE2BVW

On 25 Sep 2003 02:31:09 GMT, (Michael Black)
wrote:


But chances are pretty good, given the "cheap" bit, that the meters
are just standard 250uA meters, with a VU scale. I've seen plenty of
those where they do not include any bridge inside, and make no attempt
at meeting the requirements of a "proper VU" meter.

In other words, it would just be a cheap sensitive meter, likely physically
small and cheaply built. The local surplus outlet used to have them,
right next to the same sort of meters with an S-meter scale, next to
similar meters with some other scale.

Given that, it's just a meter can be used as an S-meter when it's hooked
up to the AGC line of an existing receiver, maybe with a bit of buffering
so it doesn't load down the AGC.

Michael VE2BVW

Whats AGC mean?

mike

On 25 Sep 2003 02:31:09 GMT, (Michael Black)
wrote:


But chances are pretty good, given the "cheap" bit, that the meters
are just standard 250uA meters, with a VU scale. I've seen plenty of
those where they do not include any bridge inside, and make no attempt
at meeting the requirements of a "proper VU" meter.

In other words, it would just be a cheap sensitive meter, likely physically
small and cheaply built. The local surplus outlet used to have them,
right next to the same sort of meters with an S-meter scale, next to
similar meters with some other scale.

Given that, it's just a meter can be used as an S-meter when it's hooked
up to the AGC line of an existing receiver, maybe with a bit of buffering
so it doesn't load down the AGC.

Michael VE2BVW

Whats AGC mean?

mike

On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 01:26:52 GMT, "Tweetldee"
wrote:


What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?

So I can hook it up directly and have a visual of the signal strength
(signal curent) via a needle?

Should I find another one? Yes, I had an year old electronix express
catalog, they dont have any more of the vu meters.

mike

On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 01:26:52 GMT, "Tweetldee"
wrote:


What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?

So I can hook it up directly and have a visual of the signal strength
(signal curent) via a needle?

Should I find another one? Yes, I had an year old electronix express
catalog, they dont have any more of the vu meters.

mike

"mike" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 01:26:52 GMT, "Tweetldee"
wrote:


What kind of display did you envision rather than a meter? BTW, a VU
meter
is not the same as an S meter.

What's the source for the VU meters? How cheap? What size?

So I can hook it up directly and have a visual of the signal strength
(signal curent) via a needle?

Should I find another one? Yes, I had an year old electronix express
catalog, they dont have any more of the vu meters.

mike

As has been mentioned, if the meters that you had found are simply meter
movements with a VU scale and no rectifier, then it should work just as well
as any other meter in your application.... just that the scale will read VU
instead of S-units. They are not the same.
VU meters are used in audio systems such as tape recorders, mixers, etc.,
and have no relation to an S-meter function. If the VU meters that you
found are true VU meters, then they would be unsuitable without gutting the
innards of the meter and replacing/redrawing the scale.
Cheers!!
--
Tweetldee
Tweetldee at att dot net (Just subsitute the appropriate characters in the
address)

Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!