COLIN LAMB wrote:
Generally, close is good enough. As Eric says, under 2:1 is probably fine.
A number of ham operators have impedance bridges or you can use a reflected
power meter. However, before cussing at your antenna, be sure the meter is
designed for the frequency range and is of good quality. The cb meters will
not give you reliable readings here.

It's measuring a ratio, not an absolute quantity, so they work just
fine. Sure, the response is lower, but you calibrate the meter each time
you use it, and that compensates for the response difference as well as
the output power of the transmitter. That was the conclusion of a long
thread on this a year or two ago. Radio Shack has them cheap enough, as
do other places, so every pilot can own one, or know a pilot that does.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org