[Amps] Switching RF Amplifiers [Was: SS amps watercooling - was PowerGenius XL]

[qrv at kd4e.com]

Are you speaking of Class-E amps?
http://www.classeradio.com/sokal2corrected.pdf

Here's a switching design from the late 80's
http://www.robkalmeijer.nl/techniek/electronica/radiotechniek/hambladen/radcom/1990/02/page30/index.html

Fascinating ... kd4e

> It's my humble opinion that this whole thread on how to cool high power
> solid state amplifiers, using water (or evaporation, oil, freon,
> whatever) is on the wrong track.
>
> Instead of using high power amplifiers built basically like small signal
> amplifiers on steroids, that is, transistors acting as RF-controlled
> variable resistors that drop more or less of the supply's voltage to
> produce the desired waveform, and thus incur in huge power loss that has
> to be removed as heat, we should be building high efficiency amplifiers,
> in which the transistors act as RF-controlled switches, so that the
> power loss is tiny and can be easily handled with very modestly sized
> heatsinks.
>
> The broadcasters have been doing it for ages. It's about high time that
> we "technologically advanced" hams do it too. A handful of hams are
> actually doing it, but most hams still cling to antiquated and
> inefficient technology, and that's really a shame.
>
> I don't mean to blame any individual ham. For a single individual it
> does take a considerable effort to think totally outside the box and
> come up with a good, highly efficiency, low distortion power amplifier
> that doesn't break the bank. But collectively we should be able to move
> standard ham equipment technology from class AB linear amps to something
> much better.
>
> Manfred
>
> ##  which broadcasters  are using SSB  ???
>
> Jim  VE7RF