Bird 43 Peak Reading Kit

A kit that lets a Bird 43 wattmeter read peak power as well as average, and stretches the range of each element.

A gray Bird 43 Thruline wattmeter on a desk with a 100 watt, 2 to 30 MHz element in the front and a gray cup holding two small toggle switches in the side of the case — The finished meter, with the two new switches in the side of the case

In the winter of 2026 I installed a peak reading kit in my Bird 43 wattmeter. With the flip of a switch, the meter now reads either average (CW) power or peak (PEP) power.

That matters on single sideband. A stock Bird 43 shows average power, and a voice signal jumps around too quickly for the needle to follow, so the reading comes out well below what the radio is really putting out on voice peaks. In the Peak position the kit holds the needle at the top of each peak long enough to read it.

A second switch is a range extender with three positions: Normal, 2x and 5x. With a 100 watt element, for example, it lets the same scale read up to 200 or 500 watts.

Average or peakchosen with one switch

2x and 5xrange extender on the second switch

9 Vbattery inside the case

1. The kit

The kit came from Watts Electronics, bought on eBay. It is one circuit board with the two toggle switches and a blue LED already wired to it, a clip for a 9 volt battery, a gray cup that holds the switches, and a small bag of washers.

The Bird 43 lying on a cutting mat with its element socket empty, beside a green circuit board with a bundle of colored wires leading to two toggle switches, a gray plastic cup, a 9 volt battery, a bag of washers and the seller's card — The meter and the kit before starting: the board, the switches, the gray switch cup and a 9 V battery

2. Fitting the board

The board mounts on the two terminal studs on the back of the meter, on the pads marked Meter Pos. and Meter Neg., so it needs no other bracket. The lead from the element socket, which used to go to the meter, now goes to the terminal marked “Coax Center Here”. The signal passes through the kit on its way to the meter.

Inside the case: the round black back of the meter with its two brass terminal studs, the brass element socket beside it, and the switches with their colored wires below — The back of the meter with its two terminal studs, before the board goes on

The green circuit board bolted onto the two meter studs, with a row of five blue trimmers, a small chip and the lead from the element socket attached to a terminal at the top — The board bolted to the meter studs, with the five blue calibration trimmers along the bottom

3. Battery and switches

The 9 volt battery sits in the bottom of the case, below the line section. The switches go in the gray cup, which fits a hole that was already in the side of the Bird's case, so there was no drilling or cutting. The blue LED lights up the cup.

The meter standing upright with its back cover off: the circuit board at the top, the silver line section across the middle with the wire bundle strapped to it, and a 9 volt battery clipped in at the bottom — Everything in place: the board at the top, the line section in the middle, the battery at the bottom

The side of the meter case: a gray cup set into the case holds two small toggle switches and a lit blue LED, above the antenna connector — The two switches and the blue LED in the side of the case

4. Calibration

The five trimmers on the board calibrate the needle. The idea is that a steady carrier has the same average and peak power, so the Peak position should show exactly what the Average position shows.

Zero. With no RF power applied, check that the needle rests exactly on zero. If it doesn't, adjust the zero screw on the face of the meter.
Average reading. With the switch on Average, apply a steady CW carrier and note the reading.
Peak. Switch to Peak, press the calibration button on the board, and adjust the trimmer until the needle matches the Average reading.
Range extender. Check the 2x and 5x positions against known power levels.

Parts

Bird 43 Thruline wattmeter
Peak reading and range extender kit from Watts Electronics
9 volt battery
Element shown: Bird 100H, 100 watts, 2–30 MHz