If you’ve watched videos on this channel for very long, you know that I work on the noise starting at the front end of the receiver. In this video I show how to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio of a SSB signal by using a technique I often call, "Work the S-meter to the Left".
We are conditioned to turn all knobs to the right and see meters go to the right. Therefore we tend to use too much gain/sensitivity, as we attempt to obtain the highest S-meter reading. Modern receivers are very sensitive. We usually need less sensitivity, especially below 18MHz. That’s why features such as IPO exist. I even use IPO at 28MHz when listening to a stronger station.
I use only as much gain as needed and I try to improve the S/N ratio. This can result in the additional benefit of improving the receiver’s ability to reject interference from up and down the band.
I’ve covered all these concepts in various operational videos on this channel. This video just focuses on that specific topic. Many times I have shown that I hear signals best when the S-meter is barely moving above zero.
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73, de N4HNH