General exam question G4D07
Subelement G4, AMATEUR RADIO PRACTICES· Group G4D
How much must the power output of a transmitter be raised to change the S meter reading on a distant receiver from S8 to S9?
- A.Approximately 1.5 times
- B.Approximately 2 times
- C.Approximately 4 times (correct answer)
- D.Approximately 8 times
WhyRaising a transmitter's power output about 4 times will change a distant receiver's S meter reading from S8 to S9. Since each S unit represents 6 dB and a 6 dB power increase corresponds to roughly a fourfold increase in power, raising an S8 signal to read S9 at the distant receiver takes approximately 4 times the transmitter power, answer C. The smaller multipliers in A and B understate the power increase 6 dB actually requires, and D overstates it well beyond what one S unit represents.
Published 2026-08-28 · Last updated 2026-08-28 · Question text is verbatim from the 2023-2027 NCVEC Element 3 pool (public domain); the explanation above is original writing, see our methodology.
Related questions
- G4D01What is the purpose of a speech processor in a transceiver?
- G4D02How does a speech processor affect a single sideband phone signal?
- G4D03What is the effect of an incorrectly adjusted speech processor?
- G4D04What does an S meter measure?
- G4D05How does a signal that reads 20 dB over S9 compare to one that reads S9 on a receiver, assuming a properly calibrated S meter?