[TowerTalk] Fwd: Re: fading and the value of 1 dB

[Mike VE9AA ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca]

          A few years back there was someone who did a clever experiment 
and posted CW recordings and they were all 1 or 2dB signal levels apart.
  I don't know who or how that was done, but when I listened to them, 
for sure I could tell the difference most of the time
  in 2dB's of difference and given enough time, often I could hear 1dB 
of difference.
   - - -
  As a "test" I have tried in one contest, some years ago calling 
stations at very low output levels here. 1watt or 1.5w I think I tried 
and often, no reply. Not even a QRZ. Then I called again and I upped it 
to 2 or 3 watts (I forget exactly) and often got a QRZ and sometimes 
only then was a QSO made.   Not exactly scientific, I know...

  My QTH is (typically) very quiet, in rural NB, Canada more-or-less on 
top of a nice hill far from the nearest city and a LOT of times I may 
call a very weak station (full QRO here) and not get a reply.  Obviously 
they have a higher noise level than I do. How much more, I have no way 
of knowing.

  The takeaway:
  Every dB counts.

  I have worked loads of EU on 10m and for hours on end at super weak 
signal levels and rarely been spotted by the RBN on those days.

  Mike VE9AA