Comparison Table

Typical Specs - Std. Coupler	LP-100A	LP-500 / LP-700 Wattmeter Mode	LP-500 / LP-700 Scope Mode	LP-500 / LP-700 Spectrum Mode
Power Range	50 mW to 3 KW	0.1 W to 3 KW	0.1 W to 3 KW	0.1 W to 3 KW
SWR Range	1.00 to 9.99	1.00 to 9.99	1.00 to 9.99	N/A
Power accuracy @ 7 MHz, NIST traceable	+/- 3% (Reduced accuracy below 1W)	+/- 3% (Reduced accuracy below 5W)	+/- 3% (Reduced accuracy below 5W)	+/- 0.15dB (Reduced accuracy below +37 dBm)
1.8 to 54 MHz, relative to 7 MHz	+/- 0.5%	+/- 1.0% from 1.8 to 30 MHz +/- 1.5% from 1.8 to 54 MHz	+/- 1.0% from 1.8 to 30 MHz +/- 1.5% from 1.8 to 54 MHz	+/- 0.075dB from 1.8 to 30 MHz +/- 0.05dB from 1.8 to 30 MHz
SWR accuracy	+/- 2% (Reduced accuracy below 1W)	+/- 5% (Reduced accuracy below 5W)	+/- 5% (Reduced accuracy below 5W)	N/A
Coupler directivity, 1.8 to 54 MHz	> 45dB, software corrected	>30dB	>30dB	>30dB
Input Return Loss	>40dB	>40dB	>40dB	>40dB
A/D Converter	12 bit / 20k samples/sec	16 bit  / 200k samples/sec	16 bit  / 200k samples/sec	16 bit  / 200k samples/sec
Impedance Measurement (R+|jX|)	Yes	No	No	No
Oversampling	4X	8X to 64X	2X	2X to 16X
Display Refresh Rate	20 FPS	20 FPS	5 to 25 FPS	5 to 15 FPS
Sampling Rate	400 samples/sec	20k samples/sec per channel	3k to 18k samples/sec per channel	10k to 25k samples/sec per channel
Effective resolution	14 bits	18 bits	16 bits	16 to 19 bits
Screen type	Graphic VFD - Blue/Green	LP-500:  5" Color TFT - LED LP-700:  7" Color TFT - LED	LP-500:  5" Color TFT - LED LP-700:  7" Color TFT - LED	LP-500:  5" Color TFT - LED LP-700:  7" Color TFT - LED
Screen resolution	140 x 32 pixels	800 x 480 pixels (WVGA)	800 x 480 pixels (WVGA)	800 x 480 pixels (WVGA)
Bargraphs	2 bargraphs, 90 divisions each	3 bargraphs, 600 divisions each	2 bargraphs, 255 divisions each
Channels	1 or 2 (2nd channel optional)	4	4	4
Simultaneous sampling	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Frequency Coverage	1.8 to 54MHz (custom ranges available down to 40kHz and up to 80MHz)	Almost any frequency with appropriate coupler	Almost any frequency with appropriate coupler	Almost any frequency with appropriate coupler
Alarms	SWR, adjustable	Power & SWR, both adjustable. Channel specific chimes with adjustable volume & pitch.	Power & SWR, adjustable. Channel specific chimes with adjustable volume & pitch.	Power & SWR, adjustable. Channel specific chimes with adjustable volume & pitch.
Power requirement	11-16VDC @ 350mA max.	11-16VDC @ 800mA max.	11-16VDC @ 800mA max.	11-16VDC @800mA max.
Size	6.0"W x 6.0"D x 2.5"H	LP-500:  8.0"W x 6.0"D x 4.5"H LP-700:  9.85"W x 6.0"D x 5.5"H	LP-500:  8.0"W x 6.0"D x 4.5"H LP-700:  9.85"W x 6.0"D x 5.5"H	LP-500:  8.0"W x 6.0"D x 4.5"H LP-700:  9.85"W x 6.0"D x 5.5"H
Weight
Price Prices for LP-500 are introductory prices.	$465 w/ LPC1 Coupler Additional LPC1 Coupler $125 Coupler Upgrades $75 ea Dual Coupler Option $85	LP-500 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $800 LP-700 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $870 Additional Couplers: $150-200 ea	LP-500 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $800 LP-700 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $870 Additional Couplers: $150-200 ea	LP-500 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $800 LP-700 w/LPC501 Coupler:  $870 Additional Couplers: $150-200 ea

FAQ
How does the LP-700 differ from the LP-500?
Only in screen size and enclosure size.

Are the LP-100A couplers interchangeable with the LP-500 couplers?
No. They look similar but are totally different inside.

Does the LP-500 measure complex impedance?
No.

What other frequency ranges will be available for the LP-500?
We have couplers in development for 2m and 3/4m. We will also have various couplers for industrial use like the LP-100A, and for VLF.

What other power ranges will be available for the LP-500?
LPC502 & LPC503 are now available. These are rated at 5KW PEP, 1.8 to 54 MHz... and 10KW PEP, 1.8 to 30 MHz respectively. Lower power couplers will also be made available.

Can I use a Bird® or other third party coupler with the LP-500?
Not currently, but we are looking into this. These couplers would require a different linearity correction curve than the LPC-5xx couplers, plus they may have trouble providing a fast enough time constant for waveform and trapezoid envelope detection.

Does the LP-500 come with Windows® software?
Yes, we provide a "Virtual Meter" program which emulates many functions of the meter. This will eventually emulate the meter completely. In addition, will are planning an LP-500 "Utility" program which will allow the user to view/edit/save and upload setup parameters (which you can also do at the meter, of course). The LP-500 also comes with a bootloader program which facilitates the flashing of firmware upgrades. The bootloader is fast and easy to use. It takes about 10 seconds to upload new firmware into the meter.

Is there software available for the Mac?
No, but with any luck it will work with emulators such as Parallels and VM Ware. The main issue here is how well the emulator interfaces to the USB hardware.

Does the LP-500 have a USB port?
Yes, the LP-500 has built in USB which uses the standard Windows® drivers, so there is nothing to install. When you plug the LP-500 into a USB port, Windows® should recognize it and it will be ready to use with any of the supplied software.

Can I use custom test signals with the LP-500?
Yes, you can feed your own test signals to your rig from you PC or a test generator, and there are custom choices in the LP-500 test generator selector where you can access test signals that you have saved to the LP-500's audio memory card (uncompressed .wav files, any standard sampling rate). You just have to follow the proscribed naming conventions when naming the files, ie. USER0001.WAV, USER0002.WAV, etc.

Connecting Test Tone Output to Your Rig…

The Test Tone output is intended to feed a line level audio input of the rig. Some rigs have a dedicated jack for this, but some of the newer rigs which have limited space for connectors don’t. Most rigs have a DATA connector, which is meant to be connected to a TNC or Sound Card RTTY interface. These usually take the form of a DIN or mini-DUN connector. Sometimes these are labeled ACC-1, ACC-2 or ACC-3. The pins that you want to look for are usually  labeled Data IN and Gnd. These would connect to the tip and sleeve of the audio jack on the LP-500.

An alternative is to use the front panel MIC jack on the rig, either an 8-pin round or 8-pin modular (Ethernet type) connector. You will need an interface like the inexpensive  W2IHY iBox to make this connection. The iBox accepts the unbalanced line level output of the meter, and converts it to any number of outputs to feed various connectors on your rig, either front panel or rear panel. Julius, W2IHY can direct you to the best option for your rig. It is generally preferred to use a rear panel connector so that the microphone (or mixer) can remain plugged into the front panel. This will usually allow you to have independent gain controls for the mic and meter levels, so that they can be matched. If the levels aren’t matched, adjustments made with the test tones will not correlate directly to microphone use.

Here is Julius' information...

Website: www.w2ihy.com

W2IHY Technologies Inc.
19 Vanessa Lane
Staatsburg, NY 12580

Toll Free: 877-739-2449
Land Line: 845-889-4253
Julius@w2ihy.com

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