The S-meter tends to be pretty meaningless on V/UHF, I tend to fall back on the pre S-meter days and give a report by how the signal sounds. A strength 9 by ear may hardly show on the S-meter, a fully readable signal may show zero, so dump the useless things! We could even go to SINPOā¦ 5 megs gave me an ear for SINPO, but other than the hardened denizons of the UK 60 meter band you will find few who have much clue about what it means!
I guess, once you try to retro-calibrate the (originally entirely subjective) scale, among other problems, youāll hit that old float-to-integer conversion pickle of when to round up and when to round downā¦
That GM7ās calibration chart has to be taken with a significant pinch of salt. Say a whole bucketful! All he has done is taken 6dB off the S1 value. This suggests his S meter reads below S0 when there is no signal i.e. received and internally generated noise only and moves from some rest position to display 0.
Iād respectfully suggest he should set the DC offset on his meter driving circuit so it displays 0 in the presence of no signal. Otherwise we end up quickly approaching the situation with Nigel Tufnelās Marshall amp in Spinal Tap where things can go to 11!
Nigel Tufnel: āThe numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven andā¦ā
In reply to MM0FMF:
Sorry, I didnāt intend stirring up a hornetsā nest. Scientific training tells me that if it is less than 0.5 then it rounds to zero.
Rod
Thanks for the suggestion and offer of help. I certainly hope to bring it, although I donāt think the radio itself is at fault. I have just been using it on 3.770MHz with our regular Tuesday am net and getting 5 and 9 from local stations. I think the failing must be either in the connections or the siting, although I have had success in the G/WB area with the same kit.
All understood. It might be prudent to simply bring the all of kit you were using during the failed activation. Iāll bring the antenna analyser so we can check your antenna system too.
In reply to MM0FMF:
Sorry, I didnāt intend stirring up a hornetsā nest. Scientific training tells me that if it is less than 0.5 then it rounds to zero.
Rod
In reply to MM0FMF:
Contester: Again one last time.
FMF: MM0FMF
Contester: GM0FMF 59KW. QRZ?
I do hope he is not going to get the points from this kind of QSO. It is just the kind of situation which turns me away from Contesting, hi !!!
I do the odd contest, particularly in order to get a new mode-band slot for DXCC HI! But, some contesters are just pushing the limits of a āvalid QSOā beyond acceptable limits!!!
I did listen out for you at the weekend but the skip distance was not favourable; better luck next time.
73 de Ken
Get a mobile internet connection active on your phone and go to Spotlite ( Summits on the Air ). This is a lightweight page that is more likely to render correctly on older phone browsers.
Use the SMS spotting server in HA ( SpotGateway Log ). This will let you spot for the cost of an SMS to Hungary.
Use my UK based SMS spotting server which may be cheaper for you. Send an email with your phone number and callsign to mm0fmf AT hotmail.com and I will do the rest.
Sorry, I didnāt intend stirring up a hornetsā nest. Scientific
training tells me that if it is less than 0.5 then it rounds to zero.
When we give a ā5/9ā report we are really giving the RS portion of the āRSTā reporting system (the āTā part being inappropriate for voice modes). This is an accepted convention in the world of amateur radio. A quick glance at any reference that explains the RST system clearly shows that there is no such thing as an S0.
The following example is taken from the foundation licence book:
āā¦and signal strength on a 9 point scale from S1 -Faint signals, barely perceptible to S9 - Extremely strong signalsā.
Q.E.D and 73,
Dave M0MYA
References:
Betts, A (2001). Foundation Licence Now!. 4th ed. Potters Bar: Radio Society of Great Britain. p23.
In reply to M0MYA:
It seems to me that two different things are being conflated here. A signal report can be either a reading from an S-meter or an arbitrary scale of loudness, S or QRK. QRK being arbitary it has no need to follow the scientific necessity of having an origin, there is no QRK zero as an inaudible signal has no loudness, simply you donāt know if it is there or not. Experience at 2 metres and above shows that a signal can be quite readable without showing any indication on the S-meter, a reading of S0 on the meter may make no sense in terms of QRK but it is an exact reading of the meter for all that. This is why on 2 metres and above I will always give the report in terms of QRK unless I am being asked for a comparative reportā¦and in QRK I wonāt give a report of S0.
I donāt see the point in having a meter and then ignoring it, so I intend continuing to report readability as perceived and signal strength as measured.
I donāt see the point in having a meter and then ignoring it, so I
intend continuing to report readability as perceived and signal
strength as measured.
You are forgetting two things. The meter is a scientific instrument, as such it needs calibrating and is subject to error. The definition of signal report says that the lowest report of a heard signal is S1.
So, continue to report S0 if you like but expect to be treated as the King in the invisible clothes.
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