In article .com,
"john" wrote:

hi,

i'm noticing a discrepancy between the s-meter readings of these three
radios. all three radios are connected to the same antenna for the test
and signals can be heard equally well on all three, but the kenwood
r-5000 always has the highest signal levels, by quite a bit - followed
by the palstar and then the drake. the palstar and the drake are the
closest. when i turn the pre-amp on the drake closes in on the palstar,
but still a little low. are s-meter readings standardized - is this a
fair way to test for a radios sensitivity.

Yes and no.

Some radios have the same sensitivity and the relative S-meter reading,
which is usually a reading of the AGC circuit would be of a similar
value.

Radios of dissimilar sensitivity would not normally have the same
readings.

An exception would be radios that have a signal strength meter in dBm,
which is an absolute scale.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California