My opinion on S meter readings is that the manufacturers may intentionally
distort the readings to sell product. They are conscious that often the
buyer will compare two radios and the one with the highest s meter reading
on a weak signal is the one purchased. It would be easy to design an s
meter on a $3,000 dollar radio to be accurate - if the manufacturer wanted
to.
At one time, there was an unaccepted standard of 50 uv for S9 and 6 db per s
unit. I recall the early Collins receivers came out pretty close on 20
meters. On the other hand, my late model Icom might go 3 s units for 6 db.
It would be easy to get it right - if the ARRL lab started rating s meter
accuracy. But, they seem to consider it not a big deal, so it never will
be.
If it is important, you can take a signal generator and make your own
calibration table - similar to the calibration curve of the old HRO. Colin
K7FM
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