Surecom SW-33 Plus SWR Meter
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Are you interested in better understanding your VHF and UHF radios’ performance? Are you hesitant about spending $150 to $250 dollars for a full range high capacity SWR and Power meter? The SW-33 Plus from Surecom might be just what you need.
You may have seen in some of my videos, I often use an MFJ 874 SWR and Power meter that covers the frequency range from 1.8 to 525 mHz. It’s a very nice device that’s available for about $160 US.
For those of you working on a budget and focusing mainly on the VHF and UHF bands, the Surecom SW-33 Plus Mini Power and SWR meter looks like an economical tool for measuring radio performance for your dual band VHF – UHF radios or your GMRS radios. I’ve got an affiliate link below.
SW-33 Plus Specs
This little meter is fairly new to the market showing up on Amazon in March of 2021. It replaced earlier versions of the device.
As with any mini device there are some limitations necessary due to its small size.
The specs say that to get a reliable SWR reading the radio’s output must be at least 3 watts. Speaking of watts, the specs also say that it will take up to 100 watts. Frankly, if you’re testing a radio with that kind of output, you’re probably better with something like the MFJ 874. But for HTs, it’s a perfect fit.
What You’ll Get
The kit comes with the meter, instructions, a USB charging cable, a low power dummy load and a couple of connectors.
Here’s a photo of what comes in the box.
Using the SW-33 Plus
The device is easy to use. Simply connect your radio’s antenna output to the device using an adapter if necessary. Then connect the antenna to the device on the other end. Turn the device on using the on/off button and transmit on an unused frequency.
The device will return the SWR and power output readings it measures.
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I did a couple of tests on the MFJ meter too and the results were pretty close. The MFJ meter tended to measure power about three tenths of a watt lower. SWR was similar, too.
If this is something you want to keep in your radio Go bag, you’ll probably want to rummage around the house to find a small plastic box to store the device. The box it comes in is nice, but big.
I’ve got an affiliate link to Amazon in the video description so please click on the link to help support the channel.