[Elecraft] KXPA100- How impactful to making contacts?

[Mike Dodd]

On 6/21/2016 1:08 PM, Road Runner wrote:
> Have had my KX3 for a couple of weeks and love it. Biggest issue I
> have is even at 15 watts, unless conditions are right, I am having
> issues making DX contacts.

CW or SSB? The mode makes a huge difference.

> So my question is for those of you that have gone the upgrade
> path to KXPA100... Did you get enough punch or are you wishing you
> had gone with more power? I am not really too crazy about going all
> the way to the KPA500...

With a KX3, and now a K3s, both feeding a Carolina Windom, I have good 
results working DX with only 5W CW on all bands. I just looked at the 
contests page on my website, and see that I averaged 23 QSOs per hour 
over two years operating the ARRL DX Contest at 5W.

100W does make a big difference on CW. In the year between those two 
ARRL DX contests, I ran 100W CW and averaged 33 Qs/hour -- a 43% better 
rate.

Now, I am not an uber contester, and I have only the Carolina Windom 
antenna up about 45'. No beams and no 100'-high antennas.

I found 10W SSB to be difficult and frustrating, both in contests and 
normal QSOs. OTOH, I _did_ work New Zealand with 10W SSB, and we tested 
to see how low I could go. He was able to copy me down to 1W.

I experienced difficulties with 10W SSB on a 75M morning net. People 
just couldn't pull me out of the noise.

Once I bought the KXPA100, SSB operating was much more enjoyable. I 
often can get a DX station to answer me in a pileup after three to six 
calls (good timing helps a lot).

So, my bottom line: 100W yields noticeable benefits on CW and SSB, but 
_especially_ on SSB.

I was never sorry I bought the KXPA100.

-- 
73, Mike N4CF
Louisa County, VA USA
Elecraft K3s/100
Carolina Windom up 45'
http://n4cf.mdodd.com