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Re: [Amps] Ameritron AL-1500 - Thank you! Also, alternative antenna to w

Subject: Re: [Amps] Ameritron AL-1500 - Thank you! Also, alternative antenna to work with amp?
From: Roger <sub1@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:08:44 -0500
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>

Bill, W6WRT wrote:
> ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
>
> On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:13:16 -0700, Shon Edwards <sre.1966@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>   
>>  Interesting was the return comments I got that I would probably
>> be able to be heard with that and a nice Hy-Gain 53' vertical antenna and
>> not be able to hear everything coming back at me. 
>>     
>
> REPLY:
>
> When you're running high power, that will be true regardless of your
> antenna. 
I can only guess based on experience of talking to many stations around 
the world, but perhaps 15-20% of hams in the US run 800 watts (or more) 
for output.  Then there is the QRP crowd, which might be a percent or 
two.  We have a number of QRPers in this area and I think that's well 
more than average, but it's still less than 10% and more than half of 
those have the capability of running 100 watts or more. It's just one 
more facet of ham radio.

Although we refer to the legal limit as being QRO, in a number of 
countries outside the US some of the hams really run QRO compared to our 
legal limit.
> Low power stations will hear you, you won't hear them. With a
> higher gain antenna, the HP vs LP situation remains the same but
> happens at a greater distance. 
>   
Unless both stations are running the same power there will always be the 
disparity between hearing and being heard. Even then there are no 
guarantees. Sometimes when any particular band is really open it becomes 
difficult to tell how is running power and who is only running 100 or 
200 watts.

The same is true for a noisy band.  160, 75, and 40 are particularly 
prone to QRN and the warmer the weather the worse it gets.  If 75 is 
open in the evening, thunderstorms from Georgia to Florida, to Texas can 
be S-9 or louder up here in the central part of Michigan.  That's when 
you hope for some one out there to call you that is running power. OTOH 
if you call CQ running power when the band is noisy in your area you are 
likely to miss quite a few answers from areas with less noise.  In the 
massive pileups power may be a considerable help for the one running it, 
but timing and technique will trump power quite often unless the station 
is running REAL POWER. OTOH some one in the pile up running power, but 
with poor timing and technique is a hindrance to every one. 
Still if it gets the station with poor timing and technique out of the 
pileup quicker then the rest of us benefit.

Remember that power like many things is a double edge sword

73 and good luck,

Roger (K8RI)
> 73, Bill W6WRT
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