Radio Frequency (RF) connections assembly

For proper testing, the radio needs to be connected, ideally, to a power meter (also called wattmeter), which should be connected to a dummy load, as shown in Figures 2.26 and 2.27.

Figure 2.26: Back of the power meter with the cables attached.

Figure 2.27: Both the dummy load (left) and the power meter (right).

The radio (sBitx) has a BNC female connector, and needs the appropriate cables and adapters to be connected to the Wattmeter and dummy load (eg. by using BNC Male to UHF/SO239 Female). The wattmeter measures the forward and reflected power of the radio, and the dummy load simulates an antenna without radiating the signal.

The radio needs to be connected (see Figure 2.29) to the “TX” or “Transmitter” (see Figure 2.28) port of the power meter, while the dummy load should be connected to the “ANT” or “Antenna” port.

Figure 2.28: Back of the power meter in which the ANT and TX writings can be seen.

Figure 2.29: The power meter (left) and radio with the connected cable (top right).

Make sure the cables are properly connected and the front of the power meter (Figure 2.30) is in a visible position.

Figure 2.30: Front view of a power meter