The 5% spec is ignored by CB muppets. To them a Bird meter is absolute.
They are 100% accurate but only in their minds.
For that matter, their 50 year old CRO is 100% accurate too.
These people do not know ANYTHING about measurement. A bird meter is infallable to them.
If there is 100 watts showing on a Bird meter, to them it's 100 watts.
I agree. Most hams I know don't really think about accuracy and tolerances. Whatever their low-cost SWR / PWR meter reads must be correct, even though it's lucky to be +/- 10% of full scale and they don't understand the error applies to all the readings on the scale.
Bird's website shows they offer calibration.
https://birdrf.com/Services/Service-Center/Calibration-Repair.aspx
Joe,
They do offer such services, as do many other manufacturers, but that presumes two things:
1. That the person knows it needs calibration.
2. That the person is willing to pay for the shipping & service.
I've been a ham since I was a teenager (1974) - 48 years. I can honestly state here, I've never heard of a single ham sending any instrument in to any manufacturer to be calibrated. Nor have I ever heard them even talk about doing it and then not doing it.
Never.
Also, most hams are notoriously tight with money. None of the hams I know would spend money on calibration services for any instruments they have (which mostly would be a cheap SWR / PWR meter or DMM). They would ask, perhaps, for me to check it out since they know I have the equipment and skills, but paying for shipping and the service from a manufacturer?
No way.
What I'd really love to do, is get a Bird Wattmeter with elements for several ham bands, and I'd make sure it was within tolerances comparing the readings with my hp 437B power meter. Then I'd make up a story that I was collecting data for my own research. I want to know the power readings from HF, VHF, and UHF transceivers for a spreadsheet.
What I would do is send out the Bird meter and elements and have the guys hand it off to each other (I don't care how many 4, 6, 8 ...) after they collected the measurements. I want Low, Medium, and High power on as many bands as possible. So that makes them select the right element and power level. Take your time and get it back to me in 3 or 4 months. I want it to be passed to different people and used and whatever abuse it gets is what it gets. I'd give the minimum direction on how to use it if they didn't know already, but I wouldn't say a thing about any concerns about being "careful" just use it correctly please.
I wonder what I'd find when it finally got back to me? How many elements would still work? What damage would have occurred? How many times would the needle have been slammed into the max stop?
The above experiences/opinions are mine and not meant to represent all Hams - only the group I have been associated with.