[Elecraft] AGC Independent S-Meter?

[Fred Jensen]

Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>For CW signals the solution was easy. One added a "hard limiter" to the
>audio channel. If a really strong signal was encountered without warning, it
>was clipped of at some preset maximum volume (below the threshold of pain,
>hopefully). Most operators used the limiter at all times in case a huge
>signal came on frequency.
>
Commercial CW ops wore their phones somewhat forward on their ears to 
protect them against very strong signals [like being called by a ship 
right off the coast 15 miles from your rx site]. In the mid-50's as a 
16-yr old brand new relief op, I have a very distinct memory of being 
whacked on the side of my head by my "mentor" standing behind me when I 
put the cans on directly over my ears.  I still remember the raspy note 
on strong signals.  Wasn't all that bad a sound, actually.  Despite the 
limiter however, the beat "note" still got louder a signal got 
stronger.  My guess is that as the clipping became deeper, the beat note 
gained more and more spectral garbage and it just sounded louder.  I 
might be wrong, however.  That's happened one or two times in my life.

The "rule" always was, "RF gain full for AM, AF gain controls volume.  
AF gain full for CW, RF gain controls volume."  I did this with my SX-28 
and you really had to or strong signals in the IF would greatly exceed 
the BFO level and the beat note would get weak and noisy. There was no 
BFO for AM of course, but as SSB arrived on the scene, you had to use 
the CW technique or it sounded like donald duck.   The "rule" went away 
when product detectors arrived on the scene.  I rarely ... if ever ... 
touch the RF gain on any of my rigs including the KX1.  I've never had 
my K2 on SSB ... I need to try that and see how it sounds.

Somewhere in all this technical history, there appeared "hang AGC," 
billed at the time as the "greatest AGC since canned beer."  It attacked 
rather quickly and then remembered it's last value for short time after 
the signal went away, like when the station paused in talking.  When it 
released, it did so rather quickly.  I think my Drake 2B might have had 
something like it, or maybe not.  I was never fond of hang AGC and I 
really enjoyed the 2B.  Did hang AGC just fade from the ham RX scene?

Put me down in the group that likes the K2 AGC action a lot.  It's 
pretty much invisible, just doing what I expect it to do.  I'll have to 
try it out on SSB and see if it sounds better on FAST or SLOW, but on 
CW, it's just great for me.

Re S-meters and RST:  Does it matter if I'm S2 or S9 if the "R" is "5?"  
In fact, does "S" matter if the "R" is a "2" or "3"?  Besides, all my 
contacts tell me I'm 5NN ... every time .. anyway.  The "T" long ago 
outlived it's usefulness, and if we did away with S and T, think how 
many more Q's DXpeditions could make in their limited time.  In fact, 
since R will always equal 5 in such Q's, skip it too.  If I hear my 
call, I'm in their log.  Do I really need to hear "5NN" when I and the 
entire rest of the planet patiently [ ;-)  ] waiting to call knows 
that's what it will be?.  Probably something wrong with that idea too.

73,

Fred K6DGW
-- Northern California Contest Club
-- CU in the Cal QSO Party 6-7 Oct
-- <www.cqp.org>