[TowerTalk] perspective

[K3BU@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/19/2000 9:28:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
wa4dou@juno.com writes:

>  S-0 does not mean no signal. S-0 means nothing measurable on the
>  S-meter. Many times i've worked dx that was s-0. There was enough signal
>  to noise ratio to sustain communications at a q-4 or q-5 level. Theres no
>  point in pursueing this any further since .5 db cannot be perceived by
>  anyone during ionospheric communications and cannot even be measured
>  accurately and repeatedly in just about any lab setting with the most
>  sophisticated equipment available. 73 Roy WA4DOU
>  

I know you can hear signals that register 0 on the S-meter, what I meant is 
S0 = no perceivable signal, below the treshhold of RX sensitivity and S/N. 

You are right, "theres no point pursueing this any further ..." between those 
who take "scientific" approach and those who been there, done it, seen it. 
When you start playing with antennas that push the envelopes, it will open 
your eyes just like Galilleo saw when he "upgraded" from field glasses to 
telescope.

There is no point trying to put figures on how much 1 dB means in QSOs in the 
contest, there are too many variables. Again, 1 dB can make difference 
especially under marginal conditions. Being 20 or 21 dB over S9 hardly makes 
difference.
I know this much: trying to squeeze extra dB from the antenna allowed me to 
hear (only one from NA) VK0 who blew the finals and I heard his driver 12BY7 
through the capacitance of the finals and worked him, K1MM logged me on his 
first page from Spratley two hours before any other NA was audible, I could 
hear Eu pileup on W2PV while they kept calling CQ, etc. etc. Measure that 
with "the most sophisticated equipment available".  :-)

73 Yuri, <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/ve3bmv/index.htm">VE3BMV</A> 

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