[Amps] our amplifier in 2010 CQWW

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:26:51 -1000
From: Ken Brown <ken.d.brown at hawaiiantel.net>
Subject: Re: [Amps] our amplifier in 2010 CQWW
To: AMPS <amps at contesting.com>
Message-ID: <4CD8BF7B.7080800 at hawaiiantel.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Well now lets see:

 10 * log (2.5/1.5) = 1.76,

so if they were "very loud" they would have had to been doing something 
very right with their antenna system, or had very good propagation.
Less than 2 dB does not make the difference from "loud" to "very loud." 
You'd be hard pressed to see the difference on an S meter. If you closed 
your eyes and just listened, you would not be able to hear the 
difference.

##  On My old drake  R4C.... the difference between  S-3 [agc threshold]   and 60db over S-9
amounted to exactly 3 db  in the audio level.....due to rx agc action.    So you are 
correct, close your eyes, and you will never hear the difference... you can't. 

Jim  VE7RF





 (you can leave your eyes open and get the same results.) 
Perhaps 2 dB might give you the edge in a pileup, but not much of an 
edge. And it will help a little bit when your signal is right about 
equal to the noise level. It will make the difference between a QSO and 
no QSO, occasionally, but not often. If you're already loud, or very 
loud, 2 dB more is not going to be very impressive.

The advantage of an amplifier that can put out 2.5 kW is not the higher 
full power capability so much as it is the more reliable, high duty 
cycle, long term, full legal limit capability.

Ken N6KB