If you want a test instrument, purchase a test instrument and don't load up the cost of the K3 for all of the other users. The K3 S-meter is one of the most accurate and linear meters of any transceiver - particularly if the K3 Smeter is configured for absolute mode. Resolution better than 5/6 dB per step is better left to an SDR solution like SDR-IQ or LP-PAN.
> Most people would not buy any piece of test equipment > with 300% inaccuracy. Where is the 300% inaccuracy? When calibrated according to the instructions, the K3 Smeter works out to about 4.5 dB per unit (50 uV at S9, 1 uV at S2 => 34 dB/8). That makes the maximum "offset" in the middle of a step 30% - not 300%. If you need better resolution than that - buy a spectrum analyzer. 73, ... Joe, W4TV > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Craig > Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 5:08 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Bigger K3 S-meter > > > > Hi Guy > > It seems that the consensus is that a pretty innacurate S-meter is ok. > > I dont know why everything related to ham radio has to be > reduced to the bare minimum or be in the totally useless > category. Not everyone's ham radio life revolves around > giving out cookie cutter signal reports. > > Most people would not buy any piece of test equipment with > 300% inaccuracy. I could just imagine all the shouting if > power meters had a tolerance of +- 200% or likewise VSWR > meter. S meters should be no different. > > A calibrated S meter could be useful tool in many other ways. > > - Measuring field strength and patterns of antennas. > > - Reporting on things like BPL and other radiated and > conducted measurements that seem to be a daily threat on HF. > Just knowing they close to S9 plus plus minus 20 db is not a > professional way to build an argument against such pollution > in professional circles. Having a calibrated S meter and > adding something a like calibrated loop with a known antenna > factor would make collecting and surveying potential RF > pollution data very easy. While we don't need 0.1 db accuracy > 1 db of accuracy is easily achieved in SDR radios. > > http://www.vk1od.net/bpl/QueanbeyanBplTrial2.htm > > - Using a good S-meter would also be a reliable way of > surveying a potential new QTH. The data could be used to > compare signal noise levels to the thermal noise floor, or > even compare what you are measuring to the surveyed ITU noise > levels on HF. It would be nice knowing that your potential > new QTH is in a QRM silent location. It would also be good > comparing noise floors amongst hams for various locations. > > - It would also be useful knowing how accurate and reliable > propagation programs are on a daily basis since they do > predict signal levels. This might come in handy if one > wanted to build a DSP based DF system which relies on > ionospheric data. > > - As a general level meter around the shack, it could even be > used as an accurate power meter. > > So to me a well calibrated S-meter can take the place of > many expensive instruments that most hams dont have access to > on a daily basis. It is a very useful tool. When we use some > sort of absolute reference our understanding of what we are > measuring on a daily basis increases our understanding of > what we are doing in our hobby. > > While we on this subject if further work is carried out on > the K3's s-meter you might as well follow the IARU's > recommendation for S-meters and make it quasi peak in nature. > > Besides these days, with the competition increasing in the > new radio market with radios like the Perseus, ADAT and the > newly released cheap Flexradio models, all which offer a very > accurate S-meters as a feature. It would do no harm to the > K3's reputation having a feature that some consider > desirable, that's marketing not rocket science. > > > 73 > Craig > > --- On Fri, 10/31/08, Guy, K2AV <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > From: Guy, K2AV <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Bigger K3 S-meter > > To: [email protected] > > Date: Friday, October 31, 2008, 12:05 PM > > I would just like to see signal strength, including noise, > > in absolute > > reference levels. In particular when listening to a local while > > turning a beam kind of thing. Although that can be done relatively > > with the audio > > voltage level, it wouldn't allow me to tell a local > > that his ground wave > > signal has gone down 3 db and is staying there, or be able > > to create data > > for studies over time. > > > > Since it is an SDW, such is possible. dBuv is fine. Might need > > linearity points as part of the package which could be calibrated > > with a precision > > attenuator. > > > > > > Changing the functionality of the BG or SM commands so they could > > provide greater resolution *would* break software, which is what I > > was saying. But > > while I can see that having software access to the dBm > > reading could be > > useful for antenna measurement purposes, given the vagaries > > of propagation I > > would have thought that a 1 S-unit resolution was perfectly > > adequate for > > normal purposes. I cannot see how it would be more useful > > to be told I am > > S6.5 rather than S6 or S7, or even S5 or S8! Whatever the > > reading is it is > > going to be different 20 seconds later anyway. > > > > > > -- > > View this message in context: > > http://n2.nabble.com/Bigger-K3-S-meter-tp1399030p1437492.html > > Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Post to: [email protected] > > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [email protected] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
