[CW] Transmitting power...

[John/K4WJ]

At 08:30 AM 7/29/02 -0300, & wrote:
>I have never had the opportunity to use more than about 150w. Have worked 
>the world with an old 11m mobile whip up 30 metres on a fire tower, 
>through a tuner and running 100 w on 15 m.
>And have had some surprising luck with an R 7000 + (80M kit) have worked a 
>vk6 and a zk1 on 80 with just 100w.  Mind you it was rough going, but I 
>did it.  I wold like to have an amp that would run me up to about 500w on 
>cw, think that would do me for any possible qso I might want to 
>have.  73  Andrew VE1EX

I'm a rag chewer and it is not unusual for a QSO to last an hour or so. 
During a QSO the band conditions usually change, or the QSB may take some 
deep dips. Also, during the summer the QRN here in South Florida is usually 
very high.

I enjoy QSOs in the 30-50 wpm range. At this speed I need to have a nice 
strong signal coming at me or at times I will have to guess what the other 
operator is saying.

Five watts isn't going to cut it unless the transmitting station is very 
close or is running a very high gain antenna. Even 100 watts will be 
difficult to copy at times. This is why I like to run about 300-500 watts.

During my morning roundtables on 7.020 mHz I run about a KW out to the 
vertical. We have guys checking in from Maine to California and I need to 
be heard over long distances and for a long period of time. The sun is 
rising and propagation changes during this time period. Why should I make 
the receiving stations work to copy me. The QSO should be enjoyable, not 
hard work.

If all I was doing was exchanging RST, QTH rig, antenna and name, I could 
get by with MUCH LESS power.

I'm not anti-QRP, it's just that it just doesn't fit in with the way I use 
the hobby.


73..de John/K4WJ


73..de John/K4WJ
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   John/K4WJ in Pembroke Pines, FL
    QTH  26 00 51 N
         80 16 16 W

K8PXG from 18 Jun 59 to 11 Feb 97
K8WJ  from 12 Feb 97 to 07 Apr 97
ZF2HZ from 17 May 84 to 31 Dec 84
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