[Elecraft] Limiting Instead of AGC...(WAS: When S-Meters are Useful)

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Karl, K5DI, wrote:
The winning 
setup there is one where you attenuate the strong station and still hear 
the weak guy nearby. This you can do with no AGC and a deft hand on the 
RF gain. If your filter is the right type then you can hear the weak ones.

---------------------------------

I sure agree, and not just contests for me.

My favorite setup has a hard limiter that simply clips off everything above
a certain signal level. I set it to clip anything above the audio level I'm
comfortable with. That way, if a very strong signal appears while I'm
listening to a weak signal without using AGC it won't blow my phones off and
I can hear a weak one in between dits and dahs just fine. My ears recover
from reasonable sound levels faster than the fastest AGC. 

Sure, the audio from strong signals that are clipped is a harsh tone but I
don't mind the sound and can copy it FB, at least long enough to react with
the gain control - if I'm so inclined. 

Ron AC7AC