[Amps] Ceramic capacitor ratings

[Peter Chadwick]

Manfred said:
>By the way, we can get even more peace of mind if we consider that an 
amplifier in ham use will run in ICAS, and typically in SSB, with an 
average much below the peak. So it turns out that those 100pF caps in 
practice will just be loafing along!<
I would have supported this view until recently, when I started a rebuild of a 45 year old amplifier where the capacitors were rated on that basis. There I found definite signs of overheating, with presumably some loss of metallisation, as the measured capacity was only 50% of what it should have been in one case. So although the concept is true, I'm not too sure about long term reliability. Of course, you could question quite what you want in terms of life from an amplifier!! It's the sort of thing you can get probably get away with if you're 60 years old, but you may not want to if you're only 20.
73
Peter G3RZP