When I started in ham radio 60 years ago, S meters were just a tuning aid. I
don’t think in all my experience that I have ever given a signal report based
on an S meter reading, in fact I didn’t even realise that my current rig even
had one. My reports are always based on a comparison between the background
noise and the signal estimated by what is between my ears. Thus S3 is barely
audible and anything above 6 or 7 is easy copy. The meter reading can be set to
any value you like by knob twiddling. If somebody wants a comparison on
different antennas for example then I would use the height of the spike on the
panadaptor but I certainly would not rely on its calibration.
73
Richard G3OQT
_________________
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
|