[Elecraft] K3 S-meter imrovement suggestion

[Craig]

I would like to suggest the following as a possible future improvement to the   K3's S-meters scale..

We would have 2 switchable scales, the current scale  and an alternate meter scale that uses the  current  S9+60db   scale range to indicate  signals only up to the S9 level. This would give a much wider dynamic range and improved s-meter resolution for signals up to S9. 

The current 20 bars would roughly give an indication of 3db per bar. If the signal shoots over S9 a flashing + sign  would flash or the S-meter would automatically  fallback to the standard K3 S-meter scale.
 
Another possibility would be to switch in  the   attenuator automatically  to keep the signal in the  improved scales range if the signal is greater than S9. This feature could  be applied only to the higher bands  or  any number of  bands.

This feature  might not be very useful in places like Europe where  20db over S9 signals are routine on every band, however on quiet bands it could prove to be useful.  

I currently use a VU meter in a similar manner with the AGC off. This  setup  was first suggested by Wayne Overbeck N6NB in his many QST articles on antenna gain measurement.

73
Craig
VK3HE




      
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