Kn6bi Signal Report Rules: Ya don't need no stinking S meter.. If the station is copy-able, with ease; He's S9
If he's copy-able with some trouble; He's S5 If he's not very copy-able and DX and you need a card; He's S9 If he's not very copy-able and doesn't qualify for the above; He's S3 If he's loud and has a good fist; He's 20/S9 Same as above with a bad fist; He's S9 If you know he's got a stack of mono-banders and is running 10KW and you like the guy or need a card.. He's 20/S9 If you know he's got a stack of mono-banders and is running 10KW and you DON 'T like the guy or DON'T need a card.. He's S9 (Tell him he used to have a great sig on 20.. did he make antenna changes? He needs a K3, his finals must be flat, call Eimac, what-ever..) pete kn6bi -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brian Lloyd Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 10:31 AM To: [Elecraft] Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Re: K3: S-meter calibration (redux) On Jun 7, 2007, at 10:12 AM, Darwin, Keith wrote: > I disagree with this. If S-meter cal was indeed a standard, that's > one > thing but the reality of S-meters is that they are all over the map. > > If I calibrate my rig and know how many dB per s-unit than I'm far > ahead > of my peers who only *think* they know. If I have 4 dB per unit I > expect to see a 2.5 unit jump when the other guy kicks on the linear. I find it interesting that people say they disagree with me and then go on to agree with me. The points I am making are: 1. Most radios have S-meters that don't tell you anything useful other than, "the signal is bigger or smaller." Why bother with the meter if your ear can do just as well and probably more accurately? 2. Just because everyone else has crap for a meter doesn't mean you should too. 3. Having a meter that accurately tells you the received signal strength, one that can be accurately turned into relative dB changes or, better still, changes relative to 0dBm, is a very good thing. 4. Being able to sit down at a random radio, look at its meter, and know what it is telling you without having to get a lesson from its owner would be really nice. The only question is what the calibration should be. If the FCC didn't put it on the test and if there weren't a european standard, I would say "hey, knock yourself out; do what makes you happy so long as it is consistent." But we do actually have a standard and we do (finally) have a radio that can perform accurate measurement to that standard. Why throw that away? Sorry, I have carried on too long about this. When I get my K3 I can set its meter to give me real measurements in S-units. If you use my radio you will know that what you had to learn for your FCC exam is actually reflected in the behavior of the meter in my radio. Oh, and I want a meter with resolution that corresponds to the accuracy of the measurement. ;-) Uh, and can I have it for $59 too? :-) 73 de Brian, WB6RQN Brian Lloyd - brian HYPHEN wb6rqn AT lloyd DOT com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
