Suggested Salt Lake City Receiver Applications

Licensed Radio Operators

• Measure Antenna Performance Differences
  
  
  • Switch between two or more antennas while watching remote signal-strength plots.
  • Rotate directional antennas while watching a remote signal-strength plot.
• Check for Interfering Stations on Your Frequency that You Cannot Hear from Your Location
  
  
  • Anyone who has listened to Amateur Bands from locations outside the U.S. knows it is common for two or more U.S. stations who obviously cannot hear each other to call on the same frequency. That often happens even within the U.S., but it is especially true when trying to work DX, because skip distances tend to be long when long distance paths between continents are open. Check a frequency you are about to call on here before calling, both to have a better chance of a clear channel and to avoid rude interference with others.
• Make Signal Strength Comparisons between Stations
  
  
  • Compare your signal strength here with the strengths of other similarly equipped stations (power and antennas) near you. Antenna pattern differences can cause substantial differences over any given path. However, if your signal strength is roughly similar to the strength of signals from comparable stations, the chances are good that every is ok. However, if your signal is significantly weaker than the comparables you probably should try to find why.
  • The S-Meter plotting system at this site has been carefully calibrated against laboratory quality test equipment. Relative indications are accurate to within a fraction of a decibel. If a station near you with a similar antenna is running four times the power you are, its signal should average about 6dB, or one S-Unit, stronger. If a reference station is running ten times your power, its signal should average about 10dB stronger, etc.

Anyone, Licensed or Not

• Explore Propagation Differences between Geographic Locations
  
  
  • Big signal differences between geographic locations are common, especially on the higher frequencies. Sporadic E-Layer (ionosphere) skip sometimes provides strong 10-Meter Band openings between two or more states while the 10-Meter band is dead throughout the rest of the country. There are a variety of other reasons for differences.
• Listen to Stations You Cannot Hear from Your Location
  
  
  • Roundtable discussions between several stations are common on the 75-Meter Amateur Radio band. If you can't hear all the stations from your location, you may be able to here.