QRP- DPM

Directional-Coupler Power Meter

Assembly and User Guide

By: W5USJ CyM-Tech Documentation Services

Enhancing Your QRP Operating Enjoyment

The QRP-DPM Directional- Table of Contents

Coupler Power Meter is a kit
Addendum: 1
developed by W1REX and List of Materials (LoM) 2
W5USJ with PCB design and PCB 2
artwork by Rex Harper, Capacitors 2
W1REX; QRPme.com in Resistors 1/4 Watt,
Limerick, Me. 5% Gold Tolerance Band 2
Semi-conductors 2
Miscellaneous 2
The kit is produced and Circuit Board Assembly 3
supplied by QRPme.com. Toroids 4
Large Parts 5
The 4-port directional coupler Final Assembly 6
used is similar in function to Adjustment and Testing 7
PCB Assembly Top View the WM-2, W1FB, NoGaWatt, Power Measurements 8
Theory and Applications 9
GQRP, KD1JV and others. Some History 9
Addendum: QRPme first used the 4-port Measuring VSWR 9
coupler for a Kit of the Month Transmitter Tuning 9
Added 9D9 diode marking illustration (KotM) club project. Appendix 10
Schematic 10
The 4-port coupler design has Meter Scales 10
Enclosure (suggested) 11
it’s origin based on a 1969 Small Basic VSWR Program 12
patent. See manual page 9. Power Equations 12

Insertion Loss: Less than 1dB

Return Loss: Greater Than 26 dB,
160 through 10 meters: greater than
30 dB mid range.

26 dB RL = 1.11 VSWR
30 dB RL = 1.07 VSWR

Match marked end of diode to PCB silk

screen image anode and cathode.

Document Created with FrameMaker Please study the entire guide before starting assembly.
QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

List of Materials (LoM)

PCB
[ ] 1 – Rectangular green labeled Directional Power Meter

Note: Some parts labeled on the PCB have changed – refer to the text.
The kit may contain extra parts, set those aside.

Capacitors
Qty Value Marking
[ ] 4 – 0.1 uF 104
[ ] 1 – 10 uF electrolytic (polarized)

Resistors 1/4 Watt, 5% / Gold Tolerance Band

[ ] 1 – 0 ohm blk band
[ ] 4 – 100 ohm brn, blk, brn 5%, alt blu bdy, brn, blk, blk, blk brn 1%
[ ] 2 – 27 k red, vio, orn
[ ] 1 – 51 k grn, brn, orn
[ ] 1 – 12 k brn, red, orn
[ ] 1 – 1 k brn, blk, red 5%, alt blu bdy, brn, blk, blk, brn, brn 1%
[ ] 1 – 18 k brn, gry, orn
[ ] 1 – 5.1 k grn, brn, red
[ ] 1 – 10 k 20 t potentiometer (Sens)
[ ] 1 – 10 k 20 t potentiometer (1 W adjust)
[ ] 1 – 2 k 20 t potentiometer (0.1 W adjust)
[ ] 1 – 2 k 20 t potentiometer (10 W adjust)

Semi-conductors
Diodes (polarized) 1N34A
Note: Orientation [ ] 3 – 1N34A Point Contact Diode
1N34 Cathode band Alternate: 9D9 White anode dot 9D9
9D9 Anode white dot
[ ] 1 – 1N5818 or Schottky Diode
Integrated Circuit
[ ] 1 – TLV-272 Op amplifier Point Contact Diodes.

Miscellaneous
[ ] 2 – FT37-43 Toroids This is a Schottky silicon junc-
[ ] 2 – Switch SPDT tion diode: Alternate use for
[ ] 1 – Switch SPDT Center Off reverse polarity protection.
[ ] 1 – 9 volt Battery Snap
[ ] 2 – BNC Jacks
[ ] 1 – 8-pin DIP Socket
[ ] 1 – Roll Magnet Wire
[ ] 1 – Hook-up Wire and 20 ga buss wire

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Circuit Board Assembly

[ ] Install 4ea 100 ohm resistor as shown in the illustration below

[ ] Bend leads slightly, as they are inserted, to hold parts in place.

[ ] Ensure that the parts are seated against the board,...
[ ] ...solder the leads and trim them off close to the board.
1N34 Color Band Continue in this manner with the remainder of the parts
[ ] Install 3 ea 1N34 diodes; Alternately, 3 ea 9D9 diodes.
Note: Bend leads carefully to prevent glass breakage. Make sure the
marked ends of the diodes matches the silkscreen outline on the PCB.
[ ] Install 2 ea 27 k ohm resistors
[ ] Install 4 ea 0.1 ceramic capacitors
[ ] Install 56 k and 12 k ohm resistors
[ ] Install 1 0-ohm resistors (single black band)
[ ] Install 1 k, 18 k and 5.6 k ohm resistors
[ ] For a test point (TP) at U1-pin5 form, using a clipped component lead,
a U- shaped loop with spacing of 0.1 inch. Insert the loop into the two pads at
9D9 White Dot the corner of U1-pin5. Space the loop about 3/16 in above the PCB and solder
in place. See illustration Pin 5 TP above.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Toroids
[ ] Cut two 7-inch lengths of magnet wire
[ ] Carefully wind 10 close-spaced turns on each of two FT37-43 toroids:
About 37 uH. Leave 1/2 inch of lead at each end. Strip the insulation from
these leads close to the cores. Ensure that both are wound in the same
direction, CW or CCW.

Note: There are on-line tutorials about winding toroids

[ ] Insert the wire ends into the pads on the PCB. Align the core with the silk
screen. Hold the cores in place and solder the wires. Trim excess length
[ ] Cut two 1-inch lengths of magnet wire. Strip insulation about 1/4 inch from
each end.
[ ] Solder one end into the PCB as shown in the illustration. Pass the wire
under and up through the toroid and then down into the other pad.
[ ] Solder the wire and trim excess length.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Large Parts
[ ] Install 2ea 2 k 20t pots, 2ea 10 k 20t pots and 10 uF capacitor. Observe
capacitor polarity.

[ ] As shown in the previous examples, bend leads slightly as they are inserted
to hold parts in place.
[ ] Ensure that the parts are seated against the board,...
[ ] ...solder the leads and trim them off close to the board.
[ ] Install the DIP socket. The notch should be positioned relative to the silk
screen image. Hold the socket against the board and solder the pins.
[ ] On a flat surface, form by bending the leads on both sides of the Op Amp
such that they are parallel to each other.
[ ] Carefully insert the Op Amp into the socket without bending or kinking the
Op Amp leads. Observe that the notch/dot in the corner of the op amp is at the notch-end
of the socket.

Note: The 4-port coupler design has it’s origin based on a 1969
patent. A high-power version is in recent ARRL Handbooks.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Final Assembly
Assembly for testing prior to mounting in final enclosure.

Keep In/ Out connections short as possible when mounting in enclosure

Wire lengths as needed

to fit enclosure

Final assembly, with connections to panel-mounted components, will need to

consider lengths of interconnect wiring to fit as needed.

Power connections can be to a 9 Vdc battery with on/off switch along with a
polarity protection diode. Review the schematic in the Appendix. Alternately,
the power connections can be an external 13.8 Vdc supply with 9 volt regulator
and a DPDT center-off switch to select battery or regulated external supply.

Wire colors have typically had meaning: Black and Green for ground, Red and
Orange for power. Brown, Red and Orange for the switches — the color codes
for 1, 2 and 3 respectively — help to identify which switch terminal is
connected to which pad on the PCB.

20 ga buss wire is used to wire and support the PCB to BNC connections. Place
a small hook and loop pad center bottom for support.

[ ] Insert the lead for the meter ground connection ( – ) through the pad and
across the bared PCB spot. Solder the lead to both the pad and the PCB.

See the Appendix, page 11, for a suggested enclosure.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Adjustment and Testing

Refer to the Adjustment setup drawing at the top of page 8.

[1] Connect 9V to DUT (battery snap)

[2] Connect 1mA meter to meter pads
[3] Connect DVM to pin 5 test point
[4] Connect jumper from 3 Vdc to Fwd port
[5] Set SW2 to 10W position
[6] Adjust Sens Pot to 2.6 V at pin 5
[7] Adjust meter pot for 1mA FS
[8] Set Sens Pot to 0.8 V at pin 5
[9] Set SW2 to 1W position
[10] Adjust 1W pot for 1mA FS
[11] Set Sens Pot to 0.26 V at pin 5
[12] Set SW2 to 0.1W position
[13] Adjust 0.1 W pot for 1mA FS
[14] Set SW2 to 10W position
[15]: Return Sens pot to top of range
[16] Remove all setup hookups but meter

SW1

SW2

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Power Measurements
[1] Source of accurately measured 10W, 31.7 Vpk**, 50 Ohms
[2] Accurate 50 Ohm Dummy Load, or accurately measured resistor load.
[3] Accurate 10 dB and 20 dB attenuator or 2ea 10 dB
[4] SW2 to 10W position, Input, 10 W observe meter
[5] Insert 10 dB SW2 to 1 W position observe meter,
[6] Add 10 dB, SW2 to 0.1 W pos, observe meter
Adjust the setting pots as needed for each power level.
**Adjust Vpk as needed for other than 50 Ohms, e.g.,
22.75 Vrms (32.168 Vpk) for 51.6 Ohms.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Theory and Applications

Some History
Excerpt from the NoGaWatt directional coupler manual:

“We have been calling this the Stockton (GM4ZNX from W1FB1 info and G4ZNQ
from Sprat) bridge because he is the one who introduced it to QRPers. However if you
were to open your 1996 copy of the ARRL handbook you will see this same
"Directional Coupler" (P22.36) that has a US patent in 1969 by Sontheimer and
Fredrick2.“

1-W1FB’s Design Notebook, Page pg 173

2-Patent No. 3,426,298 Feb 4 1969

From W1FB:
“An SWR bridge circuit appeared in the winter 1989/1990 edition of SPRAT,
the ham journal of the GQRP club. It was designed by D. Stockton, G4ZNQ. I
experimented with the circuit and found the performance to be excellent. The
circuit is simple and bridge balance is easily achieved without the usual
balancing trimmers found in the classic Bruene bridge. The circuit yields good
accuracy, has low insertion loss and is not frequency sensitive.”

Measuring VSWR
The QRP-DPM can be used to sample a transmitter's forward voltage and
reflected voltage output. The voltages measured can be used to calculate
VSWR.** Also, the forward power port can be connected to an oscilloscope
for display of the transmit envelope.

**VSWR = 1 + sqr (Vref / Vfwd) / 1 – sqr (Vref / Vfwd)

Example: Vref = 0.0025, Vfwd = 2.5 VSWR = 1.07:1

Note: See page 12, example Small Basic program for calculating
VSWR

Transmitter Tuning
Connect the QRP-DPM between a QRP transmitter, with a tuner, to an antenna
or 50 ohm dummy load.
Adjust for minimum meter indication at the reflected, Ref (Vref), port.

Without a tuner, adjust the antenna length and or the feedline length to achieve
a matched condition indicated by minimum reflected voltage.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Appendix
Schematic

QRP-DPM Schematic

Meter Scale
Suggested logathrimic power scales for replacing linear numbered meter scales.

Adjust the dimension across the mW scale arc to fit the meter being used. Be careful
to change dimensions uniformally both vertical and horizontal.

The dimension from 0 to 100 where it crosses the arc for the HUA meter is 2 inches.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Enclosure (suggested)

Example installation sketch of the QRP-DPM in an LMB 136P enclosure,

Mouser part number: Mouser # 537-136-P
[ ] Note power switch wiring if both internal and external power sources are
used.
[ ] The HUA meter requires a 2 in clearance hole for mounting.

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QRP-Directional Power Meter (DPM) By: W5USJ Assembly and User Guide

Small Basic Program

Calculate VSWR
' By: Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, 6 Mar 2018
' Utility to calculate VSWR from measured power or power converted to voltage.

' SWR = 1 + sqr ( Pref/Pfwd) / 1 - sqr ( Pref/Pfwd) [Power in Watts or as Volts

'measured with a Peak Detector or RF Probe.]
Calc:
TextWindow.Clear ()
'Calculations
TextWindow.WriteLine ("Enter Forward Power or Volts, Fwd ")
Pfwd = TextWindow.ReadNumber ()
TextWindow.WriteLine ("Enter Reflected Power or Volts, Ref ")
Pref = TextWindow.ReadNumber ()
Div1 = Math.SquareRoot(Pref / Pfwd)
Div2 = ( 1 + Div1 ) / ( 1 - Div1 )
SWR = ( .01 * Math.Round (100 *Div2))
TextWindow.WriteLine (" SWR, P or V = " + SWR )
Agn: 'Go to Calc Start
TextWindow.WriteLine ("")
TextWindow.WriteLine ("Enter C to Continue, 'enter' to End")
Agn = TextWindow.Read ()
If (Agn = "C" or Agn = "c") then
goto Calc
Else
goto end
endif
end:

Power Equations:
Po = Vpk squared divided by 100 — using peak detector/50 Ohm Rload
Po = Vrms squared divided by Rload — using RF probe
Po = ((Vpk x 0.707) + 0.3) divided by Rload — measured Rload

Rload = accurately measured (or assumed) 50 Ohms

Rload = accurately measured, e.g., 51.6 Ohms measured with 0.8% DMM
Subject to component and measurement accuracy...
can be affected using assumed Rload values. A 51 Ohm 5% resistor can
measure from 48.45 to 53.55 Ohms. With a scope-measured 20 Vpk,
calculated power would be about 3.72 W to 4.12 W. With an assumed 50
Ohms Rload, calculated power would be about 4 W.

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