There are really two problems here and they are not mutually exclusive
so beating people up about how an s-meter should work is silly.
The idea that an s-unit is 6dB has been around only since Collins
decreed it as such. Prior to that it was just an indication of AGC
voltage at best. But the real definition of signal strength is a
subjective one. The range (by ear) from S1 to S9 really spans only
about 15dB-20dB of signal-to-noise ratio. By the time the signal is
20dB out of the noise, it is S-9 by ear even though it only spans
about 3 S-units from there down to where it disappears in the noise.
So the s-unit as a measurement of absolute signal level is not all
that useful.
The advent of DSP and SDR means that we can measure both signal
strength and S:N very accurately even using a piece of amateur
equipment, e.g. the K3. Personally I would rather dispense with S-
units altogether and have a display of S:N and of absolute signal
strength in dBm.
But that is the beauty of software: you don't need to change the
hardware to add the feature.
Brian Lloyd
Granite Bay Montessori School 9330 Sierra College Bl
brian AT gbmontessori DOT com Roseville, CA 95661
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) +1.791.912.8170 (fax)
PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C
PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C
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