Showing posts with label QRO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QRO. Show all posts

18 Dec 2011

15kW HF PA - definitely not for a QRP man!

A friend sent me this link http://www.dc9dz.de/en/index.html which shows the design and construction of a 15kW HF PA circuit for the amateur bands based around the Eimac 4CX10000D valve. Although I have no real interest in very high power and I do not expect to hear this on the air (please no!), it is a rather elegant piece of radio engineering.

25 Nov 2011

More POWER - why??

Today I see that amateurs in New Zealand are to be allowed 1kW power in future; their limit was 500W earlier I believe. I've read something about amateurs in Eire asking to be allowed 1kW in contests and I think something similar is being requested of OFCOM here.  My simple question is why?

As an example, last evening I had a totally solid QSO on CW with KT5E in Denver, Colorado on 28.060MHz 2-way QRP with 5W each end.  My antenna was a small wire halo. Like many people, I have worked well over 100 countries with QRP on CW, PSK31 and SSB and always with simple wire antennas like dipoles, never a beam.

When more power is used it just creates more splatter, and more unnecessary QRM. OK there are times when 100W rather than 5W would make QSOs much easier with fewer repeats. But do people really need to run 1kW? OK you may blast a signal through the pile-up, but do you go to bed at night with any more satisfaction than someone working DX with a few watts or even milliwatts? I very much doubt it. Power is about egos, pure and simple.