Well,
I own a very good transceiver (IMHO at least; an Icom IC-781) permanently
connected to a vintage but outstanding Collins 30L-1 Linear Amplifier.
I have to say that i work only in CW. There i will have about 100W barefoot,
and about 400W if i switch on the 30L-1.
What i use for everyday's QSO activity is my Elecraft K2, the barefoot
version with about 10W output.
Now, we must keep in mind that every time we double the TX power, on the
receiving side there will be an increade of HALF an S-point. So, if my
Icom-781 with the 30L-1 amplifier on (400 W) will arrive somewhere at S9, it
will arrive at S8 if i switch off the amplifier (dividing the power by two
TWICE, so one full S-unit is gone).
Now, if i repeat the process, i will find that with a power output of 25W I
will be received at S7, and my nice Elecraft K2 will be received between S6
and S7.
Now it all depends on the receiving station. If he has a decent antenna, and
lives in a place where the background noise is acceptable (let say S2 to S3)
my K2 signal will pop-up about 4 S-points above the noise; and any decent OM
will be able to copy it without any problem...
So, what is the reason for owning a 400W transmitter? Well, IF the receiving
station is located downtown on a major city or in the middle of a railway
yard, THEN his background noise will be around S8, and now you see the ONLY
reason for switching on my BIG transceiver...
And now, the Coup-de-Grace. I own a KX-1 as well; on a 12V power supply it
pumps out about 3 Watts, and the receiver quality it's really outstanding.
If i hear somebody calling CQ from an Eastern Europe country, where there is
a good chance that the background electrical noise will be not so bad (most
of the times, on my request it was reported at S1) i can bet on my KX-1
being heard at first attempt; I still will arrive there with a S5 signal, or
maybe S4, but well above the noise level.
And i can tell you that NOTHING compares with the satisfaction of a making a
QSO with a station located at thousands of kilometers away, made with a
station smaller than my Vibroplex, all including.
Believe me, power is nothing. The quality and the taste of a pudding does
not relate to the weight of the ingredients.
Cheers,
IK4YNG Paolo
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