Well whether people have an accurate S Meter is another debate altogether !
If ever I'm working somebody on SSB, and they are S9 +20 with me, but they tell me I'm just S8, I ask them if they have an Attenuator switched in or their Preamp switched off . . . when I point out that their rig's S Meter only reads correctly with the Preamp on, they are often surprised . . . and then turn it on to give me a proper report ! However . . . most people I find DO give accurate reports . . . (and I think most 160m DX operators are intelligent enough to know how to make their S Meter read correctly.) So I find that with most of the general QSOs I get the same reports as I am giving . . . hence my pointing out that it's curious when 160m DX propagation is such that signals are much stronger one way than the other. Regarding using separate Receiving Antennas . . . well I have a Preamp on my 160m Receiving Loop, which is set so that local signals are exactly the same strength as on my Transmitting Antenna . . . in that way I can give meaningful reports, regardless of which antenna I am using. Regarding how strong your signal is above my Noise Level, to me that's kind of meaningless to the other station . . . in practice my Noise Level can vary between S3 and S8 . . . but surely you want to know how strong your signal is with me? (and using RBN highlights this, as it only says how strong your signal is above their noise level . . . so if the figure is low, is that because propagation is poor tonight, or just that they have a high noise level, due to static, etc?) Roger G3YRO _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
