[Elecraft] KPA500 - just 500 watts?

[briana]

John,

Fine in theory.  Now tell me the power level I need to crack any given 
pileup in a reasonable amount of time and I'll use it.  The fact is that 
one doesn't know.   The best way to lower the overall pileup QRM is to 
work the station quickly and QRT.

The appropriate measure of QRM is energy not power.  Energy is power 
times time.

Pointing to WSJT isn't reasonable since the power level required is mode 
and mode bandwidth dependent.  I've tried WSJT on HF and fell asleep 
during the 5+ minute exchange.  It isn't a mode for everyone and every 
situation.  Given that other modes can work the same station in 10 
seconds, multiply the WSJT power by 60 to get the same amount of energy 
put into the atmosphere for one contact.  So WSJT energy emitted 
/contact is more like a 120 watt xmitter in some other mode.

73 de Brian/K3KO


On 1/25/2011 11:21 AM, John Ragle wrote:
> 1 S-unit is about 6 dB. To get an S-unit improvement over 500 watts
> (output) would require about 2 kW of output power. In comparison, even
> the simplest directional antenna is capable of producing at least 6 dB
> "gain." It seems to me that the QRO philosophy of "Stomp 'em into the
> Dust" is a poor substitute for operating skill. Moreover, it is probably
> even illegal in the sense that it constitutes deliberate interference
> with another's signals and a disdain for the rule that says that only
> enough power is to be used to maintain effective communication.
>
> There is a connection between this attitude and the impulse to
> communicate by voice methods, even to the resurgence of interest in
> broadcast quality AM transmission. These are all wasteful of spectrum
> space and energy resources. Digital modes are surely capable of more
> effective DX'ing with much lower power levels, and attention to antenna
> design and operating conditions would seem to be much more thoughtful
> and professional than the CB-like attitude which is now found on the
> phone bands. BPSKnn is suitable for chatting, and if your bag is
> "hello-goodbye," take a look at JT65-HF and what is possible with only a
> few watts of TX power.
>
> John Ragle -- W1ZI -- with almost 65 years of licensed experience in
> amateur radio...
>
> =====
>
> On 1/25/2011 9:35 AM, Lee Buller wrote:
>    
>> Got my flame suit on....
>>      
>
>