Not usually being one to throw a wet rag on things, but here goes.
There are many, many variables which affect perceived signal strength.
1. AGC on many transceivers is not linear.
2. S-meters on many transceivers are not linear and often poorly calibrated,
much less calibrated to a universally agreed upon standard. .
3. Human ears are not linear.
4. Transmitter watt meters are often not linear and are often not even close
to calibrated.
5. ALC can affect signal strength.
6. I could go on forever.
I'm not saying that people are not cheating and/or fooling themselves, but I
gently suggest that one really needs a good understanding of metrology and
how RF physics works to draw ironclad conclusions.
73,
Hank, W6SX
On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 12:49 PM, BRYON PAUL n0ah VEAL <bryonveal@msn.com>wrote:
As for an amp only adding a couple DB's,..what? ...I think this is an insult
> to many of us- I have a neighbor 20 miles from here with a clean set up-
> With 100 watts, I typically receive his signal at S-7 on 20M. He goes to
> 1,500 watts, he is 30-40 db- I typically see double signal strength in a
> lot of hams using 100 watts going to 1,500- If it walks like a duck, talks
> like a duck, and acts like a duck, its a duck. If an amp only added 1-2 db,
> why in anyone's right sense would you pay $3,000-6,000?
> Have excellent feed lines, have the best antennas you can find, and use
> contesting skills. I'd put the amp around 10th on the list....if you can't
> hear them, why bother with the rest? If you have to run amp, I am not
> minimizing their benefit for a moment. But I am not going to agree with
> they only add a slight margin to signal when my S meter rocks
> out.............or the disruption they cause in crowded conditions in the
> hands of unskilled ops- hihi
> 73
>
> Bryon "Paul" Veal MAED
> FCC Amateur Radio License-N0AH
> n0ah@arrl.net
> Certified ARRL Volunteer Wireless Technology Instructor
>
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