[CQ-Contest] History of Low Power Category

[Leigh S. Jones, KR6X]

Randy, the standardization on first the dual 807 tube then later the dual 6186 tune as typical low power output stages in high quality amateur radio transmitters led to a de-facto standard of a 150w to 180w input with 100+w output.  The ARRL rated transmitters by their input power because the FCC rated the amateur radio power limit according to input power, so the 150w input became the standard for low power while the 1KW input level (2KW PEP for SSB) was the FCC-imposed high-power limit.  This is the genesis of the 150W standard.  Later the FCC selected output power as the measurement by which amateur radio maximum power would be defined, and the ARRL went along with this without reformulating the 150w while CQ magazine took an independent path.

Leigh S. Jones

> On Sep 16, 2014, at 4:38, "Randy Thompson K5ZD" <k5zd at charter.net> wrote:
> 
> I was recently asked why the CQ Contests use 100W as the limit for low power
> and the ARRL Contests use 150W.  I had not really thought about this much
> and wonder if anyone can explain how the limits were chosen.
> 
> 
> 
> The CQWW introduced a low power category in the writeup for the 1990 CQ WW
> SSB Contest (and the rules for 1991).  It  is assumed that 100W was chosen
> because it was easily accomplished by most barefoot transceivers or radios
> of the time.
> 
> 
> 
> Can anyone explain the history of the ARRL selection of 150W?  The slightly
> higher power level can be reached by some radios, but it also encourages
> "low power" stations to run an amplifier to gain that extra db between 100W
> and 150W. 
> 
> 
> 
> It would be nice if all contests used the same low power limit.  Not because
> one limit is more right than another, but so there would be less confusion.
> Last year there was one entrant that entered CQWW as low power and then
> realized they had exceeded 100W (I think they ran 110W or 120W).  They asked
> to have their entry reclassified to high power.  Admirable integrity, but
> unfortunately caused by the confusion between ARRL and CQ category limits.
> 
> 
> 
> Randy, K5ZD
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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