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View Full Version : Astatic 700 Power Scanner Meter Review!



Bulldog-Unit777
05-18-2012, 02:26 PM
My Astatic 700 Power Scanner meter arrived from Sparkys CB Shack on 5/15/2012. I took advantage of the sale & saved $5.00! It arrived in a timely manner and packed very well! This is a full sized meter and weights about 6 pounds. Full featured meter allows the operator to monitor their transmit power in watts, modulation and swr. The very large meter window is easy on the eyes. Frequency range: 25 - 30 MHz, accuracy SWR 10%, RF Power 7% & Modulation 10% stated on the front of the box but not mentioned in the manual. All meters are not totally accurate. Some manufacture's state the +/- of accuracy either on their product box or manual. Others won't in fear of not selling the product! The meter portion is of the unit is 6" wide and 4" high. The unit weights about 6 pounds, which is 9-5/8" wide, 4-7/8 high & 4-1/2" deep. Always make sure on the transmit and antenna hook ups. Double check what the manual says vs what is labeled on the back. There is no standard on what side has to be transmit or antenna. If you hook any meter up and its unusally quiet changes are its hooked up wrong! This meter checks out OK. All functions works as they should. You can leave this meter inline all the time. The readings I am getting are fairly close to the ones on my Workman HP201S but with a better view. A meter like this is a good reference tool on the, "health" of your radio and antenna. Getting tired of seeing that meter needle swing, you can actually turn the meter off. The meter lights are bright. The knobs are easy to grab on to for selecting and calibrating. When placed on a flat surface it did not wobble. The fit and finish of this product is very good. The SO-239 hooks ups are the modern style like on the Diamond products. I have the Diamond CX310A Coaxial Switch and the SO-239 connectors are alike. All and all I like it, worth the price, good addition to the shack...Bulldog.

Photobucket Album - http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa224/AmericanBLUZUMR/Astatic%20700%20Power%20Scanner%20Meter/
(http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa224/AmericanBLUZUMR/Astatic%20700%20Power%20Scanner%20Meter/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1As6k0CHYc

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa224/AmericanBLUZUMR/Astatic%20700%20Power%20Scanner%20Meter/5-17-2012.jpg

noisemaker
05-18-2012, 03:56 PM
I have to say i have one of these too and its pretty accurate. I use it for power readings. In avg mode my amp was reading 1.7kw, when hooked to a bird meter it read 1.7 as well. Not too shabby for the money!

Bulldog-Unit777
05-18-2012, 04:38 PM
Thanks for the come back Noisemaker! 1.7kw in average, pretty healthy for sure! You are the Noisemaker in NJ, shake break, have a good one.

Bulldog-Unit777
05-18-2012, 07:33 PM
Here is the official slide show, enjoy Bulldog.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5Y1sK8XsWA

BOOTY MONSTER
05-18-2012, 08:01 PM
i've had one for a few years and i like it too :)

Bulldog-Unit777
05-18-2012, 08:10 PM
I have seen a picture of your set up with the 700!

BOOTY MONSTER
05-19-2012, 01:36 AM
I have seen a picture of your set up with the 700!


:300 (234): :300 (213):

hotrod
08-13-2012, 11:13 AM
i always wondered if the astaic 700 was as good as the pdc 700 [which i have]

BOOTY MONSTER
08-13-2012, 05:23 PM
i've read that the PDC's were better ...... my astatic is good enough for me . i wanted a big easy to read meter that was accurate enough on vswr to keep my equipment safe . i don't need extreme power reading accuracy since i dont tune equipment and i don't need or want the maximum possible watts . something you may want to consider if your're buying brand new .....

http://www.autekresearch.com/wm1.htm

t (http://www.autekresearch.com/wm1.htm)he autek wm1 is supposed to be pretty darn accurate without investing hundreds in a bird meter and slugs and doesnt need tuning to a set mark to read vswr .

hotrod
08-14-2012, 09:47 AM
well ive heard mixed results . ive seen the autex meter b4 and have considered it. im looking 4 a easy to read large meter and NO cross meters. my pdc needle sticksat halfway reguardless what power setting its on so i just leave it on 1k watt scale thats fine but cannot use anyother features on it cause of the way needle acts.so heres my list astic 700mfj large meter [unsure of model number] had decent luck with mfj in pastautex meter [considered this one many times

BOOTY MONSTER
08-14-2012, 06:53 PM
what do you think of going digital ?

http://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/meters-and-test-equipment/part-type/swr-wattmeters/brand/mfj/product-line/mfj-826b-digital-swr-wattmeters?autoview=SKU


(http://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/meters-and-test-equipment/part-type/swr-wattmeters/brand/mfj/product-line/mfj-826b-digital-swr-wattmeters?autoview=SKU)

Bulldog-Unit777
08-15-2012, 02:08 AM
I have had the Astatic 700 for a couple of months. Working as it should and gives a fair over view of what is going on.

hotrod
08-15-2012, 08:48 AM
ive looked at digital ones there nice. but much lke the bird meters most are expensive
and are normally meant for the repair guy. just mho.

tripple nickel
04-01-2015, 12:56 AM
Bulldog-unit 777
I have watched your video a couple of times and was impressed with the Astatic 700. I believe for the money it's hard to beat.
I also like the old school, cool/calm/collected. For now, 3's to you/yours, and hope to catch you on the airways, as Paul Harvey would say, Good Day.