An introduction, overview and how-to-use tutorial of the venerable Bird Model 43 Thruline directional RF wattmeter / power meter. The Bird 43 was introduced in 1952, and is still being produced/sold today, largely unchanged from its original design. These meters are basically the standard of the industry, much like Fluke is for DMMs. I review the various aspect and elements of the meter, what the slugs do, and how to use the meter. While this meter does not measure VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio), you can determine SWR from the forward and reflected/reverse power readings.
For more information on this meter and others like it, please visit the Bird Electronic website:
The Model 43 and its brethren can be found here: