How Much Power Does A Ham Radio Use?
The power consumption rate of the ham radios, in general, is slightly tough. There are many factors, depending on this topic. Also, it is crucial to understand “How much power does a ham radio use?” The terminology makes ham radios distinction from commercial broadcasts, or professional two-way radio services such as aviation, taxis, maritime, etc. or public safety radio services like police or fire brigade. So, depending on the type of your network that you are connected with, the power counts. The shape and size of the ham radio matter a lot. For example, desktop size ham radios need much more power than those of hand-held ham radios. Again, depending on the transmission, there are variations in power usage.
Power:
This question has no straight answer as ham radios come in several sizes and shapes and are used for different purposes. Some ham radios are small, and you can carry them on your shirt pocket. Others are maybe substantially larger and more powerful. Also, depending on what sort of (and how many) antennae you may use, the ham radio’s size and power usage would vary. The highest power output, so far we have counted is 1500 watts.
While most popular handheld ham radios use rechargeable batteries and require 5 to 8 watts of power, there are much smaller models requiring only a few milliwatts and much bigger models that need more power – as much as 1500 watts.
Power is one of the two major factors that determine the range of your ham radio. The type of antenna you use sets a maximum limit to the range of communication (assuming you are using HF for long-distance transmission).
Regardless of the amount of power you apply in the transmission, the signal cannot go beyond this range because the antenna cannot “see” beyond that range. However, to reach the antenna’s maximum potential, you would need a powerful enough signal to propagate through obstacles in the atmosphere.
So, depending on radio type, usage, frequency, the power rate varies. As we are not sure about the power rate, let’s learn the basic of how do they really work.
Different Types of Ham Radio:
If you want to explore wireless communication’s interesting aspects, ham radio is the perfect gadget for you. Commercial, professional, or public radio are tools designed to meet specific needs, so they are not suited for experimenting. Besides, you are not likely to get your hands to such equipment (at least legally) unless you are a professional yourself. On the other hand, ham radio can be used for personal recreation.
Now that we have established what ham radio or amateur radio is, and understand that it can still be a sophisticated device, let us proceed to different types of ham radios. The most typical ham radio you can buy usually is just a radio transmitter and a receiver sold as one unit.
Newer models, though, have got semi-complicated controls and comes with menu systems for advanced functions. You might have to study the user manual to get the hang of those.
Older transceivers have got more straightforward controls for a beginner to learn and understand the ham radio. Most ham radio comes as a handheld or desktop device depending on the preference and requirements of the user.
Frequency and its Various Aspects:
People often make the common mistake of thinking that higher frequency means better communication, which is entirely off the mark.
In radio communication, different purposes demand the use of different frequencies.
By FCC regulations, ham radio can be operated in the range of frequencies starting from 1.6 MHz and ending at 1240 MHz, which means it can work with any type of radio waves, including very high frequency, and ultra-high frequency.
The HF is suited for long-distance communication, while the VHF and the UHF are ideal for local communications. Ham radios for long-distance communication should have a multi band HF antenna to ensure better performance.
As a matter of fact, the UHF frequencies are great short-distance communications within a one-kilometer radius, especially for indoor applications. Hence, while connecting the remote regions with the others or far distance, the HF range does it perfectly.
What to Use Your Ham Radio for?
Ham radios are also known as amateur radio, people often diss them and think they are not supposed to be powerful gadgets. In reality, in radio communication, the term amateur refers to particularly the usage of the radio frequency spectrum for non-commercial message exchange purposes and wireless experimentation, radios port, and other private activities. Meaning, the amateur tag is specifically assigned to identify someone interested in the radio-electric practice, but with an entirely personal aim and does not have any commercial interest in this field. Meaning, the amateur radio, though not commercially or professionally used, might still be pretty powerful. Thus, as long as you don’t try any illegal activities and don’t go beyond the legal range of frequencies set by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), you can perform any experiment with ham radios.
You need to, obviously, get your own research done. The handheld transceivers have got their own antennas. At the same time, the desktop ones connect with the subsidiary antennae. So if you are an experienced user or just an interested newbie willing to do some tinkering with wireless technology, you can experiment and explore with ham radios.
Of course, for a newbie, it is recommended that you gather a solid introductory idea to fundamental electronic theories and radio communication before actually building or configuring your ham radio. While properly equipped, you can get connected with the rest of the world, and continue the communications.
Final Verdict:
In plain terms, within the maximum range determined by the antenna, the more power you use, the further your signal would go (and it will be stronger).
Of course, there are guides and calculation charts with actual information about these relations of power and range. And, you should check them when you choose to buy your equipment.
Keep in mind; more power means heavier, more expensive equipment.
Unless you are using your ham radio for some specific purpose of very long-distance communications, you should probably better stick to the regular models.
Many modern hams come from the Citizen Band (CB) radio, and they have a power limitation of 5 watts. Only for specific power-intensive purposes, go with something more sophisticated.
