Token wrote above...
"Err....ham is limited to 1.5 kW PEP, not 1 kW."
And 1KW DC is equivalent to 1.5KW PEP, so don't pick nits. If you're a CW guy there no such
thing as peak envelope power; it's all just DC.
I assume by “1kW DC” you mean 1 kW DC input power, or input power (you know, PA plate voltage x plate current).
However, the rules no longer state input power limitation (and have not for a long time, although that was how it was when I was first licensed as a Novice and limited to 75 W input power), they only state PEP limitation, for all modes. And if you are a CW guy there still is PEP, but PEP and average power are the same when the transmitter is keyed (assuming a clean CW signal). This means CW guys can run more output power under today’s regulations, while AM guys have to run less.
By specifying 1 kW of DC input power you are NOT getting the maximum power allowed for ham radio in the US. Depending on the efficiency of the amp when making 1 kW DC input you are making something less than 1 kW output power (both PEP and average during key-down) in CW. With today’s rules you can run to 1500 Watts PEP indicated in CW, and that will be far more than 1000 Watts DC input.
In other words, 1 kW input is not equivalent to 1.5 kW PEP. With 60% efficiency (say, an Alpha 78 amplifier) 1 kW DC input is equal to 600 Watts CW output, which is also 600 Watts PEP in CW. I know I run around 2 kW DC input power to get my legally allowed maximum of 1500 W on CW with my Alpha 9500.
It was not a nitpick, it was a statement of fact. You did not specify DC input power, and even if you had it would have been incorrect. When I made my post I assumed you had made a typo and left off the “.5” and I was correcting that typo so others would not go away with information that was incorrect.
T!
