Should you trust your VSWR meter? asked an interesting question, and based on experience, including a relevant example, concluded:
The answer is no, like any measurement instrument, prove that it is trustworthy in the intended application.
It went on to ask:
If the VSWR meter is designed to fail, why does it fail?
This article contains an analysis of the analogue circuitry of the IC-7300 directional coupler to explain the likely cause of its poor behaviour.
IC-7300 directional coupler schematic
Above is an extract of the IC-7300 circuit in the area of the directional power coupler used for VSWR measurement. The circuit is a quite conventional Bruene coupler, and its response is similar to several types of directional couplers that produce a DC output voltage from a half wave detector. Continue reading Should you trust your VSWR meter – detector linearity