[UK-CONTEST] Power Limitations

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Don Field wrote:
>Surely setting an ERP limit goes against everything amateur radio is 
>about.

Don's real point was that it goes against everything that amateur radio 
CONTESTING is about.

>Station improvements are surely what we should strive for - antennas 
>are a major part of that, along with low loss coax, etc. ERP can be 
>achieved simply by turning up the output power - no skill required. 
>Those other station improvements might help your receive performance, 
>too!

That challenge is one of the very best parts of amateur radio contesting 
- something that even anti-contest people find it very difficult to 
argue against.

ERP limits would kill that challenge stone dead, because they put a cap 
on *trying*.

Not for me, thank you.


(The 500kHz ERP limit is a side issue, not relevant for contesting. It 
recognises a specific fact about VLF, that amateur-sized antennas will 
always be grossly inefficient, so only a tiny fraction of the 
transmitter power is radiated. An ERP limit turns into a healthy 
challenge on VLF, but that does not apply on any other amateur bands.)


-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek