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Thread: Field Strength?

  1. #1
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    Field Strength?

    What exactly "is" field strength? I've got this little Workman SWR-2T meter that seems to work alright, but it also has an "F.S." bar at the bottom of the meter and is supposed to indicate field strength by just holding the meter in your hand and walking around your antenna while you are holding a dead key. I understand this indicates the strength of your signal at various locations around the antenna, but what do you do with that information after you've got it? Am I supposed to do anything with the knob on the face of the meter while measuring field strength? Just out of curiosity I held my hand-held, 4 watt CB radio and keyed it up with the antenna and jumper cable removed, per the instructions, and the needle never moved in either the FWD or REF positions while turning the knob.

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    It is used to determine the radiation pattern of your installation. If you take measurements by using the meter to get the same reading and measure the distance you can actually plot the pattern. Also any changes you make you can compare the two plots to see if it improves or reduces the "Field Strength".
    All answers are opinions and may, or may not be technically correct.

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    The data collected while walking in a circle around your antenna at different distances will allow you to plot a polar view of the propagation pattern of your antenna.

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    All that big worded info..Why not jist say it will show what direction the ant transmits strongest...Might be strongest at a 45 degree from your mount or 275 degree..

    By keyin up the radio when your say 10ft away and walking a circle around the ant,your plotting a map sorta speak to physically show your where ant is sending its signal strongest..

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    If you are only getting signal 10ft away your antenna is not resonant. Especially with all of the high power gear you have.
    All answers are opinions and may, or may not be technically correct.

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    Well im just guessing the distence..Its something im learning myself..

    I was to understand that all your doing is makeing a visual map of out going signal and in what direction its strongest...Not to find out how much power is leaving the ant...

    If you were to yse that idea i could in theory be 10-20 miles away mapping..

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    Quote Originally Posted by craig_sez View Post
    Well im just guessing the distence..Its something im learning myself..

    I was to understand that all your doing is makeing a visual map of out going signal and in what direction its strongest...Not to find out how much power is leaving the ant...

    If you were to yse that idea i could in theory be 10-20 miles away mapping..
    You could, yes, because power leaving the antenna "is" signal strength (assuming it's not spurious transmissions and such caused by poorly built equipment), so if you had a sensitive enough meter, or just another radio, you could map your signal's propagation as far as you wanted to so you'd know how strong/weak you are in different areas.

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    The meter has the scale but does not have a connection for an external antenna to detect the field strength therefore the FS function will not work

    The next model with 2 meters has the connection for the external antenna



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