[AMRadio] AM Transmitter Advice??

[Grant Youngman]

> I have heard from many AM ops that with the correct setup, a 
> linear amp works great. 

A proper amp and low-level exciter is totally indistinguishable from a
high-level plate modulated rig at the far end.  Some of the best sounding AM
on the air is done this way, with exciters as simple as a (modified) DX-60.
Perhaps one could argue about efficiency, but if the amp has sufficient
plate dissipation and is properly loaded, you'll have a good clean AM signal
(given the exciter is also clean and properly adjusted).  An AL-1200 or
similar amp, for example, handles 375W or so carrier output without even
noticing it, and can be loaded well beyond 1500 watts -- into a dummy load
of course -- to allow plenty of headroom for low distortion on modulation
peaks.

It may not be as "romantic", have see-through glass to watch the tube plates
turn orange, or generate as much ozone as a big-iron rig, but it get's the
job done just as well, and it isn't rocket science to set up properly.  

And then there's Class E, but that's another story ....  :-)

Grant/NQ5T