having fun
New member
Okay, there is a formula, but it's not necessary to know the formula, just a good rule of thumb. Let the engineers worry about the formula. I follow a rule of thumb of 6 forward, 1 back. The means for every 6 watts forward (watts being transmitted), you want (at most) one watt reflected (coming back). I set up a repeater earlier this summer and when I tuned the antenna using my watt meter, I had 6 forward and 1/4 coming back. That was really tight! And that was on both transmit and receive.
If you think of a transmitting power like water.
When you're spraying a garden hose to water your flowers, you want all the water to hit the flowers. Just like transmitting a radio signal. You want all of the signal to get out to a repeater, another radio, etc... Now, let's say you're spraying the hose, but hitting the nice stone wall you put because you're not aiming (or in the case of the radio, tuned right), you're getting some water splashing and not getting on the flowers. You're still getting the flowers some, but not completely- that's what we call "reflective power". To correct that, you adjust the hose (antenna) to get more water (or in the radio's case-power out), and less coming back. Same with the water hose.
Does any of that make sense...
I do understand that, and the purpose, and what you have to do to get that flower the water and maximize. I think it was all the numbers/symbols/formula that was not computing in my peanut head. I guess that's why you guys go to college and make the easy BIG BUCKS.
Lame mans terms, when at your guys age, DON'T DO DRUGS.




