Are you looking for the best SWR meter for ham radio or CB radio?
I’ve been operating ham radios and cb radios for years and I’ve tuned countless antennas and you must have a high quality SWR meter to do so properly. With that in mind, I’ve reviewed the top SWR meter models available and after reading this article you will know my recommendations.
Check the quick list below for links to customer reviews and prices for my best SWR meter picks, or read on for the full review:
- MFJ SWR Antenna Analyzer
- RF Power & SWR Meter HF / VHF / UHF 200W
- Daiwa Original Cross Needle SWR & Power Meter
- Youmei Digital SWR Watt Meter VHF and UHF
- MFJ 870 SWR Meter
An SWR meter is an integral tool for all ham, CB, marine, and aviation radio operators. All radio antennas must be tuned to ensure top performance and to avoid damage to your radio system. A poorly tuned antenna will create interference in your signal and diminished range. But worse of all, a radio antenna that is not properly tuned can send power back to your radio system causing significant damage to the unit.
Top Rater SWR Meters for Ham Radio and CB Radio
Whether you have a ham radio or CB radios you must test your antennas to ensure peak performance and to prevent damaging your radio. I’ve reviewed the most popular models on the market for performance, accuracy, and value. See the top picks below.
MFJ SWR Antenna Analyzer
This is the best all around SWR meter for both ham radio systems and CB radio setups. This is a truly excellent SWR meter that performs impressively. This meter gives readings on SWR, complex impedance and more. This meter allows you to determine velocity factor, length of coax, coax cable loss in dB, and distance to a short or open in feet. At once you can see return loss, and reflection coefficient at every frequency. It features a very easy to read two line LCD screen with side by side meters. It also has a built in frequency counter and smooth reduction drive tuning. This is an amazing unit that covers all your SWR meter needs.
- Best all around SWR meter for ham radio and CB radio users
- Provides readings for SWR, complex impedance and more
- Incredibly accurate and consistent
- Easy to read display
RF Power & SWR meter for 1.8-525Mhz – HF / VHF / UHF 200W
This SWR meter is ideal for Ham radios, CB radios, Marine radios and aviation radios. This SWR meter performs exceptionally well. It reads SWR and power levels up to 200 watts. It has a 5 watt and a 20 watt and a 200 watt power range. It covers HF, UHF, and VHF with frequencies of 1.8Mhz – 525Mhz. The SWR meter screen is easy to read with a backlight making it excellent for many applications.
- Ideal for ham radio operators, CB radios, Marine and aviation
- Reads SWR and power levels all the way up to 200 watts
- 1.8Mhz to 525Mhz frequency range
- HF, VHF, and UHF
- Screen illuminates
Daiwa Original Cross Needle SWR & Power Meter
This SWR meter is an excellent choice for both ham radio operators and CB radio owners. This meter performs flawlessly and readings are accurate and consistent. This is imperative for tuning your radio setups. Measures both SWR and power for antenna tests while matching and tuning your transmitters. It features a dual needle meter that can measure forward power and reflected power. The existing SWR is measured at the cross point of the two meters giving you three accurate readings. The HP model can measure peak power in SSB operation mode and the meter frequency range is 1.8 – 200Mhz at 20 watt and 200 watts. The meter screen is backlit and is very easy to read.
- Ideal for ham radio operators and CB radio users
- Excellent and consistent performance
- Measure SRW and power
- Features dual needle meter
Youmei Digital SWR Watt Meter VHF and UHF
This compact SWR meter is ideal for CB radio owners. It measures forward and reflected VSWR readings with the single push of a button. This is an easy to use meter. The straight forward digital display is quick and simple to use. The digital screen also has an LCD light that works well. This SWR meter is compact and powered with just 2 AA batteries or the USB port. This meter can also be connected permanently due to the low insertion loss structure.
- Ideal for CB radio users
- Forward and Reflected VSWR readings
- Easy to use
- Backlit digital display
- Can be connected permanently
- Excellent value
MFJ 870 SWR meter
This SWR meter is the top pick for ham radio operators. This is maybe the most accurate SWR meter available. It provides consistent, highly accurate readings to ensure your ham radio setup is running at peak performance. It features a large illuminated screen for very easy reading. The meter scale is colored in red and black for simple measurement readings, a very good feature you will appreciate. Simultaneously read forward and reflected power. This unit includes required wiring and allows you to select power ranges, bands, and SWR readings. This meter shows the full SWR range allowing precise and wide range measurements. The construction is very well done and durable making this a meter that will last you years.
- Top ham radio SWR meter on the market
- Prices and consistent measurements
- Quality and durable construction
- Forward and reflective power readings
- Exceptional value
For more radio guides and tips read the articles below:
- Best Handheld CB Radio
- Best CB Radio
- Best Marine VHF Radio
- Best CB Radio Antenna
- Best Ham Radio Base Station
- How to Get a Ham Radio License
- Best BaoFeng Radio
- Best Long Range Walkie Talkie
Whether you are a ham radio operator, have a CB radio on your truck or boat and plane, a tuned radio antenna is a must. To achieve the best performance of your system and to prevent significant damage to your radio you must tune your antenna with a high quality SWR meter. After testing the most popular meters on the market it was clear that not all models performed adequately. The top picks for this article are all excellent performing SWR meters that will ensure your radio system is going at peak performance.
Here is the quick list with the best SWR meter picks one more time. To view prices and customer reviews see the links below.
- MFJ SWR Antenna Analyzer
- RF Power & SWR Meter HF / VHF / UHF 200W
- Daiwa Original Cross Needle SWR & Power Meter
- Youmei Digital SWR Watt Meter VHF and UHF
- MFJ 870 SWR Meter
Fred is the Ready Zeal owner and editor. He has been passionately pursuing all things emergency preparation since working alongside his grandfather as a boy growing up in the Midwest. When not working on the family homestead he can be found brewing coffee and reading a good book or backpacking in the wilderness. Contact Fred at [email protected]