Various forms of communication have evolved over the millennia. The spoken word can be transmitted from one person, and heard or received by another. In modern times town criers hold an annual contest to discover who can shout a comprehensible message over the greatest distance [1]. However, while the world record is for loudest crier is 112.8 decibels, it can only be understood at less than 100 meters. The desire to communicate more effectively than shouting, is old as speech itself.

In RF, when you want to transmit at a longer distance - the answer is easier - get an amplifier. However, for the non-analog developers, many amplifier specifications are gibberish. In this talk, we will look at a variety of amplifier specifications like P1dB, Noise Figure, IMD, S Parameters, and relate this to a practical digital communications examples, and show real world results, which may not be obvious to the causal user.

[1] http://www.americantowncriers.com/ (yeah, its a thing)