[AMRadio] Ongoing Quest: Legal Limit AM Amp

[Bob Macklin]

The only place you need more AM power than a DX-100 produces is in the 75M 
AM GETTO!

Bob Macklin
K5MYJ
Seattle, Wa.
"Real Radios Glow In The Dark"


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Poole" <wa1rkt at arrl.net>
To: <amradio at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 6:25 AM
Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Ongoing Quest: Legal Limit AM Amp


> Just a few thoughts to start the day...
>
> 1.  I know that the difference between a DX-100 and the legal limit
> is about 1 "S" unit.  But, an "S" unit is an "S" unit.  I have seen
> plenty of times, although on SSB, where an "S" unit made the
> difference between, say, phone-patch quality (for running traffic for
> boats at sea) and not.  Not that I'm going to be running phone
> patches on AM, just using that as an example.
>
> 2.  QSL on the part about using the best antenna... plan is to do
> that and THEN add power.  Current antennas are a 160-meter inverted V
> at 60 feet with open-wire feeders, and a half wave coax-fed
> off-center-fed dipole at 35 feet.  They both work pretty well, but
> the plan is to get both of those up higher, in the spring.
>
> 3.  I considered using a commercial pair-of-3-500's amp like the
> SB-220 or TL-922, but the ones I've looked at appear to be too
> power-supply limited to get true legal limit especially on AM.  I
> have a TL-922A and get 1200 watts PEP out of it at best, on
> SSB.  Yes, I know that there is no measurable difference between 1200
> and 1500 but per (1) above, if I can't get at least X4 amplification
> (1 "S" unit) then it's not worth doing.  Anyway, nothing I can buy
> for less than around a thousand bucks is likely to be very happy
> running on AM for very long.  Now, a Chippewa... :-)
>
> 4.  I don't "have to ask for a schematic to build one of the simplest
> pieces of ham gear" but it has been more than 40 years since the last
> time I home-brewed a high-power amp (or much of anything else, for
> that matter), so if an article was available on the web that
> describes a reasonable design AND perhaps offered suggestions on
> where to get the necessary parts, that would be very helpful.
>
> 5.  I'm acutely aware of the dangers of high voltage.  I'm currently
> restoring a 30L-1 including rebuilding its power supply, and I'm
> comfortable that I know what I'm doing and will still be here when it's 
> done.
>
> Rick WA1RKT
>
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