[Amps] Most power ever run on amateur radio :-)

[Manfred Mornhinweg]

About two years ago I was contacted by an Italian ham, who wanted my 
advice about how to wind a three phase high voltage power transformer 
for his amp. He reported that he was running 45kW, and that lacking an 
actual 3-phase connection, he was using one phase out of each of two 
neighboring homes (good neighbors!), and his own phase. And that his 
existing combination of three single-phase pole pigs ran too hot and was 
the limiting factor.

I asked him about the legality of such operation in Italy, and he just 
told me that many hams are doing the same he does.

And a ham in Germany told me about taking down antennas the fast way, in 
a military club station, by loading up a big amp on CW and making the 
insulators break from arcing. He didn't want to tell me the actual power 
level used, but it also seems to have been comfortably above the legal 
limit.

Makes me wonder what the shortwave broadcasters in some gulf states have 
done with their transmitters. About ten years ago, there were many 
signals on the air from those countries, running 500kW to 1MW each. I 
think there were even a few 2MW and 3MW stations. They have mostly 
disappeared, since broadcasting went the satellite route. Maybe some 
(obviously very law-abiding) ham would like to rescue those transmitters...

I wouldn't like to have to pay THAT power bill, though! My personal 
opinion is that the existing legal limit in most countries is pretty 
reasonable, to avoid a senseless and very expensive competition in brute 
force. Of course, others might think differently. I can also understand 
the thrill in putting such a power on the air.

Manfred

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