[Elecraft] What is a dB worth was: Re: KX3 vs. K3 and other rigs?

[Jim Brown]

On 6/7/2011 6:14 AM, Pete Smith wrote:
> It is pretty widely accepted in contesting that an improvement in
> *either*  receive or transmit capability of 1 dB will yield a useful
> increase in the number of QSOs over a 48-hour contest, even if it has an
> indiscernible effect on 99.5 percent of your contacts.

On the basis of statistical analysis of scores, one of the guys in our 
contest club came up with the number that 1 dB is good for a 2.6% 
increase in a Sweepstakes score.  3dB would be good for 1.026 x 1.026 x 
1.026 = 8%, 7dB would be good for 20%.  The advantage can show up in 
several ways -- your ability to get over the other guy's noise, to hold 
a frequency, to get answered sooner when there are multiple callers, to 
pick up a rare multiplier.

It doesn't matter how you get the advantage -- better antenna, low loss 
in the feedline, or power amp, and as you noted, it also helps to be 
able to hear better, whether by reducing RX noise, using dedicated RX 
antennas, choking noise sources, choking feedlines to reduce noise 
pickup, exploding the chargers for power tools and mobility scooters, 
etc. :)

73, Jim K9YC