km1h @ juno.com wrote:
>This
>sort of discussion has raged for years.
>Even tenths of a dB are of importance to EME'ers and other weak signal
>VHF/UHF ops.
>
>It is also rather hard to get more gain on 80/160M which is where many
>BIG amps tend to proliferate and 1.5dB has been known to make all the
>difference at times.
>
>My own interests are 160/80M DX, primarily CW; and weak signal VHF, so I
>tend to be more attuned to the issue as compared to say a 75 or 20M SSB
>list lizard.
If you only ever make easy QSOs, you'll never miss that extra 1.5dB.
But if you try to do more difficult things, like breaking or running
pile-ups in QRM, or any kind of weak-signal work, +1.5dB *WILL* tip the
odds in your favor.
It's all about probabilities. Pileups become a little easier to break,
and risks of callsign errors are reduced. Difficult QSOs become easier
and complete more quickly, so you have time to work more stations in a
contest. Marginal QSOs just succeed, instead of just failing.
The harder you're trying, the more that extra 1.5dB will improve your
chances.
73 from Ian G3SEK Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.demon.co.uk/g3sek
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