Worldwide Controversy Over Radio Manufacturer’s Plans to Have S-Meters go to S-10.

From recently leaked documents it appears that Amateur Radio equipment manufacturers are about to part with tradition and change S-meters to go to S-10 instead of S-9.  This has caused a huge debate on social media.  While some hams see the higher signal reports as a boost to otherwise poor conditions, many are outraged that only people with money for new radios get to hear these stronger signals.
 
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Hitoshi Yakamoto from Yaesu said that they wanted to do something truly innovative for ham radio.  After much discussion, the design team agreed an extra S-unit was perfect, although one of the new engineers said he couldn’t recall studying S-units in school at all.
 
The debates are intense.  Contesters are wondering if everyone is now “5-10” or just those with the new radios.  British and US hams are united in their opposition, complaining it’s yet another example of metric being used to confuse everyone.
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• AdrianVE7NZ/JA1 reporting from an undisclosed location in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 04/01/2022 0:00 Zulu

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