BIRD THRULINE 43 Series User manual

INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR
RF DIRECTIONAL
THRULINE®WATTMETER
MODEL 43
Also Covers Models
4305, 4330, 4431, 4521-27, and 43P
© Copyright 1998 by Bird Electronic Corporation
Instruction Book Part Number 920-43 Revision. C
Thruline® and Termaline® are registered trademarks of
Bird Electronic Corporation
Electronic Corporation
Cleveland (Solon) Ohio USA

Safety Precautions
The following are general safety precautions that are not necessarily related
to any specific part or procedure, and do not necessarily appear elsewhere
in this publication. These precautions must be throughly understood and
applied to all phases of operation and maintenance.
Keep Away From Live Circuits
Operating personnel must at all times observe normal safety precautions. Do
not replace components inside equipment with the high voltage supply turned
on. To avoid casualties, always remove power.
Do Not Service Or Adjust Alone
Under no circumstances should any person reach into an enclosure for the
purpose of service or adjustment of equipment except in the presence of
someone who is capable of rendering aid.
Safety Earth Ground
An uninterruptible earth safety ground must be supplied from the main
power source to test instruments. Grounding one conductor of a two conductor
power cable is not sufficient protection. Serious injury or death can occur if
this grounding is not properly supplied.
Shock Hazard
Do not attempt to remove RF transmission line while power is present.
Radiated RF power is a potential health hazard.
i

Resuscitation
Personnel working with or near high voltages should be familiar with modern
methods of resuscitation.
Safety Symbols
WARNING
Warning notes call attention to a procedure which, if not correctly
performed, could result in personal injury.
CAUTION
Caution notes call attention to a procedure which, if not correctly
performed, could result in damage to the instrument.
This symbol appears on the equipment indicating there is important
information in the instruction manual regarding that particular area.
Warning Statements
The following warnings appear in the text where there is danger to operating
and maintenance personnel, and are repeated here for emphasis.
WARNING
When operating this equipment in conjunction with RF power of 200
watts or higher, the potential of the center conductor of the RF line
section will be 100 volts or higher. Do not contact the center conductor.
If cleaning becomes necessary, shut off the RF power.
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
ii

WARNING
Leaking RF energy is a potential health hazard. Never attempt to
connect or disconnect equipment from the transmission line while RF
power is being applied. Severe burns, electrical shock, or death can
occur.
Caution Statement
The following equipment caution appears in the text whenever the equipment
is in danger of damage, and is repeated here for emphasis.
CAUTION
When making low reflection readings using a more sensitive element,
take care to insert the element so that it senses reflected power only.
Do not rotate the element in the socket so that it is subjected to
forward power. This can result in damage to the Plug-In Element, the
microammeter, or both.
Safety Statements
USAGE
ANY USE OF THIS INSTRUMENT IN A MAN-
NER NOT SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFAC-
TURER MAY IMPAIR THE INSTRUMENTS
SAFETY PROTECTION.
USO
EL USO DE ESTE INSTRUMENTO DE MANERA
NO ESPECIFICADA POR EL FABRICANTE,
PUEDE ANULAR LA PROTECCIÓN DE SEGURI-
DAD DEL INSTRUMENTO.
iii

BENUTZUNG
WIRD DAS GERÄT AUF ANDERE WEISE VER-
WENDET ALS VOM HERSTELLER BESCHRIE-
BEN, KANN DIE GERÄTESICHERHEIT
BEEINTRÄCHTIGT WERDEN.
UTILISATION
TOUTE UTILISATION DE CET INSTRUMENT
QUI NEST PAS EXPLICITEMENT PRÉVUE PAR
LE FABRICANT PEUT ENDOMMAGER LE DIS-
POSITIF DE PROTECTION DE LINSTRUMENT.
IMPIEGO
QUALORA QUESTO STRUMENTO VENISSE
UTILIZZATO IN MODO DIVERSO DA COME
SPECIFICATO DAL PRODUTTORE LA PROZ-
IONE DI SICUREZZA POTREBBE VENIRNE
COMPROMESSA.
SERVICE
SERVICING INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR USE BY
SERVICE-TRAINED PERSONNEL ONLY. TO
AVOID DANGEROUS ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO
NOT PERFORM ANY SERVICING UNLESS
QUALIFIED TO DO SO.
SERVICIO
LAS INSTRUCCIONES DE SERVICIO SON PARA
USO EXCLUSIVO DEL PERSONAL DE SERVI-
CIO CAPACITADO. PARA EVITAR EL PELIGRO
DE DESCARGAS EL É CTRICAS, NO REALICE
NING Ú N SERVICIO A MENOS QUE EST É CA-
PACITADO PARA HACERIO.
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
iv

WARTUNG
ANWEISUNGEN FÜR DIE WARTUNG DES
GERÄTES GELTEN NUR FÜR GESCHULTES
FACHPERSONAL.
ZUR VERMEIDUNG GEFÄHRLICHE, ELEK-
TRISCHE SCHOCKS, SIND WARTUNGSAR-
BEITEN AUSSCHLIEßLICH VON
QUALIFIZIERTEM SERVICEPERSONAL DUR-
CHZUFÜHREN.
ENTRENTIEN
LEMPLOI DES INSTRUCTIONS DENTRETIEN
DOIT ÊTRE RÉSERVÉ AU PERSONNEL FORMÉ
AUX OPÉRATIONS DENTRETIEN. POUR
PRÉVENIR UN CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE
DANGEREUX, NE PAS EFFECTUER DEN-
TRETIEN SI LON NA PAS ÉTÉ QUALIFIÉ
POUR CE FAIRE.
ASSISTENZA TECNICA
LE ISTRUZIONI RELATIVE ALLASSISTENZA
SONO PREVISTE ESCLUSIVAMENTE PER IL
PERSONALE OPPORTUNAMENTE AD-
DESTRATO. PER EVITARE PERICOLOSE
SCOSSE ELETTRICHE NON EFFETTUARRE AL-
CUNA RIPARAZIONE A MENO CHE QUALIFI-
CATI A FARLA.
v

RF VOLTAGE MAY BE PRESENT IN RF ELE-
MENT SOCKET -KEEP ELEMENT IN SOCKET
DURING OPERATION.
DE LA TENSION H.F. PEAT ÊTRE PRÉSENTE
DANS LA PRISE DE LÉLÉMENT H.F. - CON-
SERVER LÉLÉMENT DANS LA PRISE LORS DE
LEMPLOI.
HF-SPANNUNG KANN IN DER HF-ELEMENT-
BUCHSE ANSTEHEN - ELEMENT WÄHREND
DES BETRIEBS EINGESTÖPSELT LASSEN.
PUEDE HABER VOLTAJE RF EN EL ENCHUFE
DEL ELEMENTO RF - MANTENGA EL ELE-
MENTO EN EL ENCHUFE DURANTE LA OPER-
ACION.
IL PORTAELEMENTO RF PUÒ PRESENTARE
VOLTAGGIO RF -TENERE LELEMENTO NELLA
PRESA DURANTE IL FUNZIONAMENTO.
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
vi

About This Manual
This instruction book covers Thruline RF Directional Wattmeters Models:
This instruction book is arranged so that the essential safety information
appears in the front of the book. Reading the Safety Precautions Section
before operating the equipment is strongly advised.
The remainder of this instruction book is divided into Chapters and Sections.
At the beginning of each chapter, a general overview describes the contents
of that chapter.
Operation
First time users should read Chapter 1  Introduction, Chapter 2  Theory
of Operation, and Chapter 3  Installation, to get an overview of equipment
capabilities and installation. An experienced operator can refer to Chapter 4
 Operating Instructions. All instructions necessary to operate the equip-
ment appear in this chapter.
Maintenance
All personnel should be familiar with preventative maintenance found in
Chapter 5  Maintenance. If a failure should occur, the troubleshooting
section will aid in isolating and repairing the failure.
43 43P 4305A 4331
4431 4521 4522 4523
4525 4526 4527
vii

Parts
For location of parts, refer to the parts list and associated drawings in
Chapter 5.
Changes To The Manual
We have made every effort to ensure this manual is accurate. If you
should discover any errors or if you have suggestions for improving
this manual, please send your comments to our factory. This manual
may be periodically updated. When inquiring about updates to this
manual, refer to the part number and revision level on the title page.
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
viii

Table of Contents
Safety Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
WarningStatements. .....................ii
Caution Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Safety Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
About This Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Purpose and Function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Performance Characteristics and Capabilities. . . . . . . . . 1
Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Theory of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Travelling Wave Viewpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Coupling Circuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Standing Wave Ratio vs Reflected/Forward Power Ratio. . 9
Load Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Measurement And Monitoring of Transmitter Power. . . . 14
Testing of Lines, Connectors, Filters, Etc.. . . . . . . . . . 14
FrequencyResponse.....................16
ImpedanceMismatch.....................17
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Portability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
ix

Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Remote Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Operating Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Zero Adjust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
General. ...........................24
NormalOperation.......................25
Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Troubleshooting........................31
Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Preventive Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Line Section Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Contact Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Calibration Checks - Thruline Wattmeter vs
TermalineWattmeters. ...................34
Model 43 Replacement Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Model 4431 Thruline Wattmeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Theory of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Operation. ..........................40
Maintenance..........................40
Model 4431 Replacement Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Series 4520 Thruline Wattmeters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Installation...........................42
Theory of Operation, Operating Instructions and Mainte-
nance Sections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Series 4520 Replacement Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Model 4305A Thruline Wattmeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
x

Model 4305A Replacement Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Model 4330 Thruline Wattmeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Model 4330/31 Replacement Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . 46
Model 43P Peak Wattmeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Model 43P Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Operation. ..........................47
Peak Detector Response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Model 43P Peak Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Maintenance..........................49
Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
xi

Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
xii

Chapter 1
Introduction
Purpose and Function
This instruction book covers the use and operation of the basic Model 43
Thruline Wattmeter. These instructions also apply to other units that are
very similar to the Model 43 in electrical characteristics and operation.
These different models and their variations (refer to About This Manual for
a complete listing) are also included in this book; however, the operational
procedures and, in most cases, the electrical specifications of the Model 43
apply to these units as well. The basic difference in the majority of these
units is physical, being panel rack mounted versions of the Model 43 Thruline
Wattmeter. However, two of the units are similar in appearance but differ
in as much as they have an RF sampler port included. The Model 43P has
peak power handling capabilities.
All differences pertinent to these units can be found in the specifications for
each of these models, in the back of this book.
The Model 43 Thruline Wattmeter is an insertion-type RF wattmeter, de-
signed to measure power flow and load match in 50 ohm coaxial transmission
lines. It is intended for use on CW, AM, FM, and TV modulation envelopes,
but not pulsed modes. The Model 43, when used in 50 ohm applications, has
an insertion VSWR of less than 1.05 to 1, up to a frequency of 1000 MHz.
The meter is direct reading in watts, expanded down scale for easy reading
and is graduated 25, 50, and 100 watts full scale. The power ranges used
are determined by the Plug-In Elements, which fall in various power and
frequency ranges (refer to the Bird Electronic Corporation Catalog).
Performance Characteristics and Capabilities
The Model 43 Thruline Wattmeter is a portable unit contained in a die cast
aluminum housing, with a formed metal enclosure on the back which is easily
removed. Included with the unit is a carrying strap, four rubber bumpers on
1

the base, and four rubber bumpers on the back, which allow the Model 43
to stand (vertical) or lie flat (horizontal) when used. For additional protection,
the microammeter is specially shock mounted. A slotted screw is provided
on the lower front face of the meter for zeroing the pointer. Below the meter,
the RF line section face protrudes slightly from the wattmeter housing with
the Plug-In Element socket in the center.
A shielded cable connects the microammeter to the dc jack which is attached
to the side of the RF line section casting. This cable, 32 inches long, permits
removal of the RF line section from the wattmeter housing. Meter connections
may be maintained with any installations outside of the housing.
Inside the dc jack assembly, there is a filter capacitor which shunts the meter
circuit to prevent misreadings caused by stray RF energy existing in the
Plug-In Element. Mounted on the dc jack is a phosphor bronze spring finger,
which protrudes through a lateral hole and into the Plug-In Element socket
of the RF line section.
The spring finger has a button on its end which mates with the contacts of
the Plug-In Element. The silver plated brass RF line section is precision
made to provide the best possible impedance match to the coaxial RF
transmission line in which the Model 43 is inserted. The ends of the line
section are nested in mating slots to provide additional mechanical support.
At each end of the line section are Bird Quick-Change (QC) type RF
connectors, which may be quickly interchanged with any other Bird QC
connector by removing the four screws on the mounting flanges. The watt-
meter housing does not interfere with any connector changes.
To make measurements, the cylindrical shaped Plug-In Element is inserted
into the line section socket and rotated against one of the two stops. A small
catch in the upper right hand corner of the casting face presses on the
shoulder of the Plug-In Element to keep it in proper alignment and assure
a good contact with the dc jack and between the lower edge of the element
and line section body, refer to figure 1.
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
2

On diametrically opposite sides of the Plug-In Element body are contacts to
provide dc pickup in either direction of power flow, refer to figure 2. These
contacts make connection with the spring finger of the dc jack only when the
Plug-In Element is in the precise forward or reverse position, which occurs
only when the stop pin on the element is in the lower level of the stepped
line section casting face and against its respective stop.
The Model 43P Thruline Wattmeter has the same abilities as the Model 43
with the added feature of peak power measurement capabilities. A conversion
kit (P/N 4300-400) is available to convert any standard Bird Model 43 to
peak reading capabilities. This kit comes complete with all necessary parts
and easy to follow instructions for simple and quick conversion.
Raised Stop Edge
Stop Pin
Figure 1
Stop Pin
S
top Pin
Co
nt
ac
t
Figure 2
Stop pin and
contact
Introduction
3

Specifications
These specifications include data covering Models 43, 43P, 4305A, 4330, 4431,
4521, 4522, 4523, 4525, 4526, and 4527. Specifications for models not listed
are identical to the Model 43. Any specifications pertaining to a particular
model will be found in the section for that model number, located at the back
of this book.
Impedance, Nominal (All Models) 50 ohms
Insertion VSWR
All models except 4431
4431 Less than 1.05:1 maximum 1.07 (when coupling is less than
30dB)
Connectors
RF Sampling (if applicable)
Primary Line Female BNC Bird “QC” Female N normally supplied
Power and Frequency Range
Models: 43, 43P, 4521/22/23/25/26
Model 4527
Model 4431
Model 4305
Model 4330
100mW-10kW Frequency range from
0.45 to 2700 MHz (depending on
element).
1000W maximum 2-200MHz
500W maximum from 200-512MHz
5000W maximum from 2-30MHz
1000W maximum from 30-1000MHz
(applicable only when coupling is
less than 30dB).
25kW Maximum from 0.45-2.5 MHz,
10kW from 2-30 MHz.
5000 W Maximum from 2-30 MHz.
1000 W Maximum from 30-1000 MHz
(applicable only when coupling is
less than 30 dB).
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
4

Accuracy (All Models CW)
(Model 43P, Peak Power) ±5% of full scale.
±8% of full scale.
Dimensions, Nominal
Models 43
Model 4431
Model 4305A
Models 4521/22/23/25/26/27
3-5/8"L x 4"W x 6-7/8"H
(92.1 x 101.6 x 174.6 mm)
3-27/32"L x 4"W x 6-7/8"H
(97.6 x 101.6 x 174.6 mm)
4-5/32"L x 3-27/32"W x 6-53/64"H
(105.6 x 98 x 173 mm)
19" W x 5-7/32" H x 1-11/16" D
(483 x 133 x 43mm)
Weight, Nominal
Model 43
Model 43P
Model 4431
Model 4305A
3 lb. (1.36 kg)
4 lb. (1.8 kg)
3-1/2 lb. (1.59 kg)
3-1/4 lb. (1.47 kg)
Operating Position Any
Finish (All Models) Grey Powder Coat
RF Coupling
Model 4527
Model 4431
Approx. -53 dB from 512 MHz down
to 10 MHz decreasing to -70 dB
between 10 and 2 MHz.
Adjustable, 15-70 dB
Insertion Loss (Model 4431)
2-512 MHz.
512-1000 MHz 0.1dB Maximum 0.2dB Maximum*
*Above listed specifications are applicable only if maximum coupling used
does not exceed 30 dB. This requires a minimum decoupling of four full turns
counterclockwise (CCW) above 200 MHz and a minimum decoupling of seven
full turns (CCW) above 800 MHz.
Introduction
5

1-5/16"
(33.3mm)
3-3/8"
3-5/8"
(92.1mm)
(85.7mm)
6-7/8"
(174.6mm)
4"
(101.6mm)
1-3/4"
(44.5mm)
Female "N" Q.C.
Connectors (2)
(Normally
Supplied)
Socket for
Extra Element
Model 43 Outline Drawing
Bird Model 43 Wattmeter
6