[RFI] Why we badly need "party line" materials for all hams

[Dave Hachadorian]

On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 18:25:21 -0400 "Tom Rauch" <w8ji at contesting.com>
writes:
 
> Almost any ham has the ability to provide useful data. All
> he has to do is:
> 
> 1.) Use a step attenuator to calibrate the dB change in his
> particular S meter.
> 
> 2.) Drive out away from poles, and record noise levels or
> weakest readable signal levels
> 
> 3.) Go into the BPL area, and note the change and provide it
> in dB for a given receiver bandwidth.
> 
> S-units are useless.

If you don't have an external precision attenuator, you can
use the step attenuators (including preamp bypass, like Kenwood's
AIP) built into most radios to make a Very
Good Approximation of dB level changes. Just change step 3 of
Tom's procedure to:

3.) Drive into the BPL area and enable various combinations of
internal step attenuators to bring the s-meter back to the
reading noted in step 2. Some interpolation may be required, but
you will be very close.

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Big Bear Lake, CA