[Elecraft] Re: K3: S-meter calibration (redux)

[Bill W5WVO]

Mike wrote:

> I tend to agree.  If someone doesn't want to use or place any
> importance on a particular S-meter reading that's fine - I tend to be
> that way as well.  But the fact that it's a "meter" suggests - as
> does its intended purpose - that it represents some type of standard
> of measurement.  Therefore IMO it's worth having your meter adhere to
> that, whether or not you choose to pay any attention to it.  Why call
> it a cup if in fact it's a tablespoon?

The S-meter has always been conceived to represent signal strength in terms of 
dB relative to a fixed intercept (nominally, in many quarters, 50 uV = S9). 
When you are measuring dB, you are measuring a ratio of two voltages, not an 
absolute quantity of voltage (though that can of course be derived from 
calibration data). Changing the slope and intercept of the S-meter is no 
different than changing the scaling factors on an old analog VTVM. The face 
might look different after you do it, the needle might react differently, but 
it still reads the same quantities if you know the calibration of the thing. 
>From that perspective, it doesn't really matter HOW the S-meter is calibrated, 
as long as it IS calibrated.

Given the almost complete absence of any kind of accepted standard, I think 
Wayne made exactly the right call in making the S-meter user-programmable. We 
now have the opportunity, given this new feature, to experiment and see what 
really works best, and make a LOGICAL case for establishing that as a 
standard.

Bill / W5WVO