We use 250 radio loud quasars with UBV photometry available and z<1.65, to study whether there is a gap in the distribution of absolute magnitudes, from M_V_~-25.8 (for H_0_=100km/s/Mpc, q_0_=0.5) to -25.3, as was suggested by Teerikorpi (1981A&A....98..309T; Paper I). In Paper I it was also proposed that there is a class of the most luminous radio quasars, differing in some properties from fainter quasars on the other side of the gap. The main conclusion of Paper I remains intact. The gap in the distribution of absolute magnitudes is confirmed with the new formalism of cosmological Malmquist bias (Teerikorpi, 1998A&A...339..647T), which allows one to use heterogeneous samples with magnitude inhomogeneity.

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/353/77/tablec1 (Basic sample (M_min_<-22.0mag))