To modify most meter settings, you need to follow two simple steps:

1. Select the menu for the item you wish to control. Do this by pushing the Menu DOWN Scroll button or Menu UP Scroll button shown below. Each of the 19 available menus will scroll in alphabetical order on the bottom line (line 4) of the LCD. Release the scroll button when the desired menu is displayed. A single push of the UP or DOWN Scroll button will advance to the next menu, or move back to the previous menu if you overshoot using the UP or DOWN scroll buttons.
   
    When you become more familiar with the meter, you can use the lower row of buttons, referred to as "Shortcut buttons", to bring up most of the commonly used menus with a single button push. This is discussed in more detail below.
    
2. When the desired menu is displayed on line 4 of the LCD as shown below (Panel Meter menu shown), press one of the four menu buttons, M1 through M4 to modify the first through fourth menu items on line 4, as read from left to right on line 4 of the LCD. This will modify the setting associated with that menu button.
    

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Example - Controlling the Panel Meter 

The example above shows the menu that controls the Analog Panel Meter functions. Menu buttons M1 - M3 correspond to the three positional items, as read from left to right, on line 4 of the LCD.  (Menu items are separated on line 4 of the LCD by one or more spaces.)

Each push of a menu button will select the next available choice for that option.

• In this example, menu button M1 selects the Panel Meter. (MB-1 supports external analog meters in addition to the built-in crossneedle meter).  Panel meter 1 (P1) , which is the internal crossneedle meter,  is selected in the above example. If you have not added any additional external analog meters, P1 will be your only choice. As you add additional meters, this menu will automatically adapt to allow you to select  the additional analog meters you have added.
   
• M2 selects the measurement type you want to display on the selected Panel Meter.  TUNE (Instantaneous) power is selected in the above example. Each press of M2 cycles through the other measurement types that can be displayed on the analog meter (e.g., Peak Power, Average Power, Delivered Power, Min and Max functions, etc.).
   
• M3 selects the Panel Meter manual range. In the above example, the third range (currently set at 2000 watts) is being controlled by the AutoRange function (the asterisk indicates that the Panel Meter AutoRange function is on, and is therefore controlling the range based on the magnitude of the signal being measured). Pressing M3 will turn the AutoRange function off and will select the lowest range that the panel meter was calibrated at when it was set up during calibration. Subsequent presses of M3 will select successively higher ranges with wrap-around.
   
• Since the Panel Meter menu has only three options corresponding to the three fields on the line 4 menu, menu button M4 is not used with this menu.

 

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Example - Controlling the Bar Graph

 

The example above shows the menu that controls the Bar Graph functions. Menu buttons M1 - M4 correspond to the four positional items on the menu line (line 4) of the LCD that can be used to control the Bar Graph.

As with the Panel Meter example above, each push of a menu button selects the next available choice for that option.

• Menu button 1 (M1) selects the Bar Graph device that the selected measurement is displayed on (BGINT = internal Bar Graph, which is displayed on Line 1 of the LCD). The other choices for this option are BGEXT (the external Hi Visibility LED bar graph module), BGBTH (both the internal and external bar graphs are driven simultaneously), and NONE (Bar Graph display is turned completely off).
   
• M2 selects the measurement type you want to display on the Bar Graph (AVG - Average power is selected in the above example). As with the Panel Meter example above each press of this button cycles through the other measurement types that can be displayed on the Bar Graph meter (e.g., Peak Power, Average Power, Delivered Power, Reflected Power, SWR, Min and Max functions, etc.).
   
• M3 selects the bar graph manual range. In the above figure, the Bar Graph is in the AutoMax mode. Pressing M3 will turn off the AutoMax function and will select the lowest range that the bar graph was programmed at. When a manual range is selected, the third field on the menu line (currently set to AUTO) will display the numeric value of the range. Subsequent presses will select successively higher ranges with wrap-around.
   
• M4 toggles the Bar Graph sticky bar on and off. The sticky bar keeps the maximum illuminated segment on for user programmed duration.  (SOFF = Sticky Bar OFF in the above example).

 

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Saving All of the Meter Settings to a Configuration Set 

 

At any point, you can save the current state of all meter settings to the Startup Configuration Set.  You typically will do this once you have configured the meter with your preferences, such as the devices you want various measurement types to be displayed on, the desired coupler and analog meter you want to use with the Startup set, peak hold settings, and the like. Once saved, these settings will be automatically restored each time the meter is powered up. Saving the meter settings to the Startup Set is easily accomplished with a long press of Menu button M1, and can be done regardless of the current menu being displayed on line 4 of the LCD. A confirmation message on the LCD will confirm successful storage of the settings to the Startup Set.

Including the Startup Set, there are a total of seven configuration sets (six user-defined sets and one factory default set).

 

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Modifying Meter Settings - Example 1: Peak Hold Time Example

To modify a meter parameter,  such as the peak hold time:

1. Bring up the menu associated with the parameter you want to modify on line 4 of the LCD. For example, to modify the Peak Hold time, the Peak Hold menu would be selected as shown in the first LCD screen below.

2. Apply a long press to the Setup button Set-Up, which is the top right button on the front panel. This brings up the Setup screen which is the second LCD screen shown below (insert 3).

3. Dial-in the NEW desired Peak Hold value (100ms to 9900 ms in 100 ms increments) using the front panel pot.  

The OLD value in the second LCD screen below is the current value of the peak hold parameter. The NEW value will change as you turn the front panel pot. When the desired value is dialed in, press M1  to SAVE the new value and exit the setup screen. The value becomes effective immediately. Press M2  if you want to EXIT without saving the changes.

In the example below, the peak hold time is being changed from 1000 ms (the current (or OLD) value)  to 3000 ms (the NEW value).

 

 

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Modifying Meter Settings - Example 2: Averaging Filter Example

The following shows another example - setting the Averaging Filter parameters. These control the digital filtering parameters for computing average power.  As with any Setup function, first bring up the menu on line 4 of the LCD that is associated with the parameter you want to modify (the AVFLT menu in this example - not shown below).

With the Averaging Filter menu selected on line 4, the following three screens will appear in sequence after the Set-Up button is pressed. Menu buttons M1 - M4 are used as described above to select the positional items on the line 4 menu. Instructions are incorporated into the screens to simplify setup.

        

 

Tip: As in the above example, many of the Set-Up screens have a SKIP option, that when pressed, keeps the current setting, and advances the setup screen to the next option.  The SKIP button is always M3 (menu button 3) on all setup screens that offer a SKIP option.  Keep this in mind when using the setup screens. This will allow you to quickly advance through multi-page setup menus by repeatedly pressing the SKIP option until you advance to the option(s) you want to change.

 

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Displaying Settings

MB-1 gives you the ability to examine most meter parameters in a read-only mode without the need to activate the Setup screen. To display the settings for a particular meter function in a read-only mode, first bring up the applicable menu on line 4 of the LCD. Then press the Display button DISP (short press). The DISP button is the top right button on the front panel. 

 

 The Averaging parameters that were set in the above example are being displayed below.

Display of Averaging Filter Parameters (Read-Only mode)

Some of the Display functions have more than one screen of information. For these functions,  simply push the Display button repeatedly (short press)  to advance to each subsequent screen. After the last screen is displayed, the meter will return to normal operation.