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Re: [Amps] Grid Vs cathode drive

To: "Bill Coleman" <aa4lr@arrl.net>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Grid Vs cathode drive
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>
Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2006 13:30:44 -0400
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>
> I was just looking at the 160m history information on your 
> own site,  Tom, and seems like there were plenty of guys 
> in the 30s who ran a  handful of watts.

160 meters had a power limit of 10 watts in most foreign 
countries.
In the USA it changed over the years from a low of 25 watts 
on permitted segments to a high of 200 watts night power.
It was only in the 70's and 80 with the decommissioning of 
LORAN A power limits saw a substantial increase.

There were a lot of 10 watt 807's and even a few known 10 
watt pairs of 813's on 160.

> And there are certainly a lot of Novice rigs from the 50s 
> and 60s  that only managed a few watts out. The "Novice 
> Special" comes to  mind, at about 10-15 watts input.

Sure, and people were busily upgrading to bigger rigs as 
fast as they possibly could. I lasted about three weeks with 
page after opage of no contacts in my log until I upgraded 
from a 6V6 to a MO/ PA at 75 watts. I did everything I could 
to get up to the maximum limit.

> All this stuff was QRP -- all homebuilt, too. I think it 
> was just a  matter of getting on the air with whatever you 
> could managed to use  at the time.
> Running QRO became a lot more affordable in the 60s. Seems 
> like it  was the early 70s when people started to 
> recognize QRP efforts.  Perhaps some of it was nostalgia.

The conversation was actually about commercial rigs Bill, 
not homebrew. Look back through old magazines and aside from 
bottom level very cheap kits or entry Novice rigs, or VHF, 
almost everything was 50 watts and higher. The trend to the 
area of 100 watts power had nothing to do with amplifier 
drive power, it mostly occurred long before the drive 
limits.

> QRP is its own sub-hobby, and can be a lot of fun. Isn't 
> for everyone.

That goes without saying. :-)

What we have here is a blame game where rules made because 
of people's own flawed character or lack of ability is 
blamed on others, like the FCC. It's the no-code no-job 
everything-for-nothing mentality at its finest.

I don't care if people like QRP, I don't care if people like 
CB. I simply don't like my life being impacted to satisfy 
underachievers. Especially those who, because they are 
unwilling to work and earn things properly, try to steal 
what others have earned. Worse of all, they often claim they 
deserve full rewards without working like the rest of us.

73 Tom 


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