[TowerTalk] Rai Beam

[Pete Smith]

At 05:19 PM 4/11/00 -0400, wa4dou@juno.com wrote:
>
>Mauri,
>  Respectfully, i'll have to disagree with you. I've seen few cases where
>3 db would have done anything for me. I work mostly cw, and occasionally
>work signals in the noise. Furthermore, i'm a qrp'er, running mostly 5
>watts and under. 3 db is not much gain. I challenge you and all other
>list subscribers to obtain a step type attenuator, install it in line,
>and switch it in and out in a variety of situations. Except in the noise,
>3 db will not make or break your communications. And if i do miss the dx
>today, it will be back tomorrow. 5 watts is 13 db down from 100 watts and
>23 db down from 1000 watts. Propagation is a great leveler of signals. 73
>Roy WA4DOU
> P.S. You are right, gain is a direct function of boom length. Thats an
>entirely different subject.

I think Mauri's right, in the context that he (and I) usually consider,
which is contesting. 2-3 dB can make a whole 'nother layer of stations
available to work, until your system is so good that the stations replying
drop below the external ambient noise level.



73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr@contesting.com 

Don't forget to update your entry on the World Contest Station Database,
now at http://www.contesting.com/stationdatabase.htm

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