Bird 3126A – Wattcher Single Carrier RF Power Monitor (300 W to 60 kW)

• Single carrier RF power monitor and alarm

• Power range: 300W to 60kW
• Frequency range: 2 MHz – 1 GHz
• ***Other items required for operation (sold separately)***
• Meter scales: (FWD) 5, 30, 60 kW; (RFL) 1.5, 3, 6 kW

The Bird 3126A Wattcher RF Power Monitor/Alarm is designed to protect and monitor your RF frequency transmission system by connecting the power meter to a Bird dual port Thruline line section and two elements compatible with the RF coaxial line.

The elements are selected by the user to cover the desired power levels and frequency ranges. Abnormal loading conditions cause the transmitter to quickly shut down, a user-selectable audible alarm to sound, and an alarm LED to flash. Remote access is available for resetting audible and visual alarms. Fail-safe or non-fail-safe modes are user selectable and the reflected power trip level is adjustable.

An alarm condition occurs as the result of the reflected power being greater than the reflected power set point for longer than 50ms. If enabled, an audible alarm will sound.

An alarm condition will also activate the interlock. An active interlock will cause the normally open terminals to close and the normally closed terminals to open.

The Bird Wattcher requires additional items for operation which are sold separately.

These include:

• Line section: 1-5/8″, 3-1/8″, 4-1/16″, 6-1/8″
• Elements: Two from tables 1-5/8 B, 3-1/8 B, 4-1/16 B, or 6-1/8 B
• Coupling kit: depends on transmission line type

For more detailed information on setup and accessory selection, please see the manual linked here.

For information regarding elements and their corresponding frequency and power ranges, please see the document linked here.

Line sections, elements, and more can be viewed in the accessories section of this page.

1. Forward meter – analog meter indicating forward power

2. Reflected meter – analog meter indicating reflected power

3. Adjust – for adjustment of reflected power trip level

4. View push button – allows for viewing reflected power trip level during adjustment

5. Reset push button – resets Wattcher to normal operation after the error condition is corrected

6. RFL alarm LED – Red LED, flashes when reflected power trip level has been exceeded for more than 50ms

7. Alarm active LED – Green LED, illuminates when the alarm is active and power is on

Bird offers several versions of its Wattcher series RF monitors.

• 3120A Series Single Carrier RF Monitoring Systems are designed for the protection and monitoring of radio frequency transmission systems.
• 3170B Series High-Speed RF Monitoring Systems automatically activate a variety of safety and equipment protection measures when it detects an abnormal antenna system load condition.

The chart below covers the main features of models in this series: