At 08:04 PM 10/13/1999 -0400, Phil Levin W2GE wrote:
>
>
>I'm quoting without names a message from what our CB brethren are up to.
>
>
>"Take for instance...
>
>
>2X4CX15,000 being driven by 3X8877
>Ep was close to 14 kV on the 15,000s....
>
>Power output was capable of over 80,000 watts Bird. Tuning it up, with
>a
>1 kW slug in the Bird meter for reverse measurements, we couldn't get it
>to
>wiggle up to 40 kW forward output. At the 44 kW mark (or thereabouts),
>we
>blew the top of the antenna off, a nice blue corona came, and the
>antenna
>spit flames! Nice, to say the least. The tubes are run Class C, and
>tetrodes are the tube of choice. What with screen volts, you get better
>efficiency. Just have to keep those grids biased WAY negative, and you
>can
>live with the higher plate voltage.
>
>After that, we went to a "fighting stick" (Quarter wave, usually made
>from
>3/4 inch copper pipe, chrome plated) and we where able to tune the amp
>to
>75 kW. It still had more to go, but that was where we left it for a
>competition. This was the inaugural run of the amp.
>
>You might wonder where the power comes from for one of these beasts (and
>this is smallish. The last one that I saw perform (over 4th of July)
>was
>capable of nearly 125 kW Avg. output)).
>
Can we hope that the FCC will drop by a few of these competitions? After
all, enough ham-gear exhibitors got zinged at Dayton -- maybe if a few of
these guys had their 7-alternator, nitrous-burning toys disappear at the
end of an FCC tow-chain, it would put a crimp in the market for this stuff.....
73, Pete N4ZR
Sometimes a tower is just a tower
--
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