There is plenty of reason to allow AM operation at 1000 watts carrier
output. Carrier serves to strongly reduce or eliminate background noise
and
provide a comfortable communications environment. AM was severely
short-changed by the 1500 watt PEP regulation. AM stations are now
restricted to only 350 watts carrier.
The biggest problem I see is that the FCC would have to admit that they were
in error with the original p.e.p. ruling. Government agencies don't like to
do that. And it doesn't matter which party is in power. I watched the FCC
through the Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I and Clinton administrations.
Didn't see one iota of difference in FCC behaviour during the entire period.
One factor in our favor would be that Johnny Johnston whose scent seemed to
pervade the anti-AM FCC proposals throughout the 70's and 80's has now
retired.
The FCC claimed they would be put to a severe hardship to write the power
output rules in such a way as to maintain the original AM power limit. But
they did exactly that with the CB rules.
Originally, CB power was limited to 5 watts DC input. Then they changed it
to 4 watts carrier output power for AM and 12 watts p.e.p. output for SSB.
They could have made a similar ruling with amateur radio power. 750 watts
carrier output for AM, CW, FM, RTTY and other carrier modes. 1500 watts
p.e.p. for SSB and other carrierless modes.
One problem now would be that to go to that power limit definition, would
cause CW, RTTY and FM to lose privileges. Under the one-size-fits-all
approach railroaded through under Johnston, they doubled the historic power
level for those modes, even though CW probably needed a power increase least
of all.
Don,
k4kyv
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