Homebrew SWR Meter

vswr

Wondering how to get the best performance out of your homebrew WiFi antennae? This homebuilt SWR meter will help you measure and match the impedance of your antennae with your source. A good match will ensure maximum power transfer. Use the full schematics or you can just buy the meter from the site.

22 thoughts on “Homebrew SWR Meter

  1. yes. an swr is not a cheap piece of gear. and one that is made to operate expressly for wifi is handy for figuring out how well any given wifi hack is going to work. If these guys have an good way to whip one up cheap. That is useful.

  2. 403 :( as for #1: yes. well, i would if i used my wireless at all. but yeah, as tommyatomic said, an SWR meter isn’t exactly cheap. this way, people who would use it don’t have to pay out their ass, so to speak, to get one.

  3. I’m unable to RTF article as the site seems to be suffering from the Slashdot effect. I’m also unable to type uppercase letters so I’m forced to write like a lamer.

    Measuring and adjusting SWR is *not* the way to “get the best performance out of your homebrew WiFi antennae” Measuring forward gain is much more valuable; SWR only tells if a particular antenna is matched. A 50-ohm dummy load is perfectly matched but is a terrible antenna.

    Those who measure SWR and claim it’s a measure of antenna performance do it for the same reason that dogs lick their balls: because they *can*. (In other words, they can’t measure gain or other antenna parameters.)


    Joe

    1. Best explanation I have heard in a long time. VSWR has no real value for most applications. I have several antennas that work with 40% efficiency, and other oddities that cause SWR to be nowhere near ideal and yet world wide communications is done regularly on the HF bands.
      Now a VSWR meter does have value, as it can be a quick life saver for matching antennas to get best performance from the transceiver. NOTE that says TRANSCEIVER not ANTENNA!

  4. This is a boring hack? WTF?

    Is there a blog that deals with electronics hobbyiest stuff and with knowledgable community (e.g. #6)? Apparently Hack-a-day commenters are the “add blue LEDs to IPods” crowd.

  5. I am interested in computers, Astronomy, Ham Radio. I am interested in making my Kodak 6490
    into an astro camera that takes time exposures. The 6490 does not have a Bulb Button to take time exposures.

  6. I’m not sure about a wifi transmitter’s need for operating into a good match. I assume they either have built-in protection or operate at a low enough power level they can cope with a high SWR. Transmitters, such as a CB radio, have a tendency to burn out the last amplifier stage when operated into a poorly matched antenna. Anybody familiar with a wifi transmitter systems care to elaborate? How important is SWR for wifi?

Leave a Reply to travisCancel reply

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.