[TowerTalk] perspective

[Pete Smith]

At 10:37 AM 7/18/00 -0400, Tom Rauch wrote:
...
>Big hairy-armed competitors with max limit or more amplifiers need 
>to worry about every last dB. The guys with typical stations would 
>never see the difference at all.

Well, yes and no...  I agree nobody will perceive the difference from QSO
to QSO in real time.  However, even for a much more modest station like
mine,  in the aggregate, an added dB of gain will mean more QSOs/contest.
This is not because I'll hear them better - as Tom says - but because my
signal to them will be just enough better to salvage QSOs over the trolley
bus QRM on their indoor dipoles in their basement apartments.

Which raises something that I still find astounding.  We talk about
excellent antennas with less than 20 dBi gain, and a 10 dB range from 1 KW
to 100 watts, yet I routinely hear signals within a minute's time, from the
same DX country, that run the gamut from S9+30 to S1 or less.  For some of
the weaker ones, N6BT's light bulb would be a BIG step up!  

73, Pete Smith N4ZR

The World Contest Station Database 
is back up and running at
http://www.qsl.net/n4zr 



--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/towertalk
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com