Quoting K2VCO: >Let's say you have a 1.5KW amplifier. Overall efficiency might be 50%, so it >>draws 3KW key down. What does it draw key-up? >Now let's say you operate 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. During that time, you >>QSO 50% of the time. During a QSO, you transmit 50% of the time and listen >>50% of the time. You use CW, so your duty cycle is 50%. This will cost you >>3KW * 10h * 0.5 * 0.5 * 0.5 = 3.75KWH, or, at the specified rate, about 48 >>cents a week, or $25 a year if you always use the amplifier and don't take a >>vacation. Actually a bit more. If the amplifier draws, say, 250 W key up (to keep the heaters hot, fans turning, and B+ caps charged) then you have an additional 8.75 hours x .25 = about 2.2 kWH. So the weekly total is really more like 70 cents a week. Of course in most cases merely leaving a few lights on a few hours each day will use more kWH in the course of a year. >SSB will be cheaper. How do you figure? The duty cycles are about the same. SSB may even have a higher duty cycle if you turn the processor on. btw, the duty cycle of CW is about 44%: Consider the standard word "PARIS". With all the spaces, it's 50 time units long. But the key is down only 22 of those times. 73 de Jim, N2EY _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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