-
You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
110v to 220v do you get a wattage increase on amplifier
- Thread starter Jimbo165
- Start date
I would not run anything less than 10ga THHN for any KW amp...
I was planing aheadI ran #8 THHN (20ft)(in conduit)
All the Best
Gary
Gary, there is what is fine to do and then there is what you and I would do.....go the next step up. For a single Kw amp a normal 15 amp 120 v circuit is adequate with 14 ga. wire. I hate that idea but that is just me. I have 12 ga going to a dedicated 240 volt cct (nominal 220 v) in my shack.The power entrance is almost directly below it in the basement so my run is only about 15 feet to the breaker. Since I have finally decided what to build for an amp whenever I get the time I think I may upgrade that to 10 or even 8 ga depending what I have here. The filaments alone will require 360 watts of power.
I won't be able to drive the amp to it's full capability however I like having a stiff AC line anyway. Since I can run 2250 watts pep up here or 750 watts of carrier with peaks to 3 Kw in AM service I need a hefty AC line feed.
What I am thinking was @20amp min breaker for a 240v dedicated line and from it @12ga possibly 10ga run through non matalic conduit
CK: Yes your right, but I try to do all my work that way. (a Step Up)
Forgive this old wire twister for a moment while I run the numbers for the benefit of those who don't know why I (we) do work a certain way.
1000 watt output (KW) amp X 1.50 (efficiency quotient) = approx 1500 Total power watts
Nominal house circuit of 15 amps @ 120 volt = 1800 watts total power
Yep sounds adequate, correct ?
Then one must consider the little NEC clause that states in today's code, that no branch circuit shall be used in continuous service at more than 75% of the rated breaker size.
Hmmm....So a 15 amp circuit should now not be loaded more than 11.25 amps (call it 12 amps)...
Recalculating 120v @ 12 amps = 1440 watts....But! But my amp needs 1500 watts to work at full output....BINGO BABY! Houston we have a problem
OK OK! Yes a KW (ssb/cw) amp is not considered a continuous service device.
Then Ladies and Gents are we running our 100 watt rig on the same circuit?
Let's not forget the 75 watt desk lamp and the small fan to keep the shack comfortable.
Yes Houston we are experiencing some issue....It's called voltage drop....
OK OK! Enough Soapbox material from the OLD wire twister...
The point in all of this is...If your budget is forgiving enough for you to have all this nice gear, don't cheat on the service that your using to operate it with.
This goes for any device in your home/office etc....give yourself a little headroom...don't push the edge...
Sometimes an edge can cut you in ways you may not like!
All the Best
Gary
Forgive this old wire twister for a moment while I run the numbers for the benefit of those who don't know why I (we) do work a certain way.
1000 watt output (KW) amp X 1.50 (efficiency quotient) = approx 1500 Total power watts
Nominal house circuit of 15 amps @ 120 volt = 1800 watts total power
Yep sounds adequate, correct ?
Then one must consider the little NEC clause that states in today's code, that no branch circuit shall be used in continuous service at more than 75% of the rated breaker size.
Hmmm....So a 15 amp circuit should now not be loaded more than 11.25 amps (call it 12 amps)...
Recalculating
120v @ 12 amps = 1440 watts....But! But my amp needs 1500 watts to work at full output....BINGO BABY! Houston we have a problemOK OK! Yes a KW (ssb/cw) amp is not considered a continuous service device.
Then Ladies and Gents are we running our 100 watt rig on the same circuit?
Let's not forget the 75 watt desk lamp and the small fan to keep the shack comfortable.
Yes Houston we are experiencing some issue....It's called voltage drop....
OK OK! Enough Soapbox material from the OLD wire twister...
The point in all of this is...If your budget is forgiving enough for you to have all this nice gear, don't cheat on the service that your using to operate it with.
This goes for any device in your home/office etc....give yourself a little headroom...don't push the edge...
Sometimes an edge can cut you in ways you may not like!
All the Best
Gary
Last edited:
I don't disagree with any thing you said Gary. Sometimes I tend to forget that not everybody has dedicated circuits in the shack that feed the radio gear and ONLY the radio gear. LOL I have two dedicated 120 volt circuits that feed ONLY my radio desk as well as a dedicated 220 volt circuit that does the same. The other plugs and lights etc in the shack are all on separate circuits. If, and I say IF, I was to run a Kw amp on a 120 volt circuit I would run it alone on one and the exciter etc on the other dedicated circuit. But in reality I would not run it on 120 volts when there is a 220 volt line begging to be used. I prefer 220 volts whenever possible. My well pump is dual voltage but I run it on 220 volts simply because it can.
20 amps at 240 volts will allow you to run about 2400 - 2500 watts OUTPUT before approaching the limits of your breaker. Just how much power do you plan to run anyway? If you are talking about an amateur ticket you are limited to 1500 watts legally and exceeding legal limit at that level is pointless except to stroke ones ego.
Just for limit just want some breathing space, not looking to run 5kw or 10kw yet some of my baluns are rated that high, but again hell of a leway.
Both the Ameritron AL-1200 and AL-1500 both can do 2500 with no problems yet at 240v the fuse is only 10amp.
Both the Ameritron AL-1200 and AL-1500 both can do 2500 with no problems yet at 240v the fuse is only 10amp.
Look again. The AL1200 is rated at 13 amps draw at full output and has 15 amp fuses. The AL-1500 is rated at 15 amps draw at full output and has 15 amp fuses. Those fuses protect the equipment. The line fuse/breaker protects the house wiring NOT the gear. The fuses will blow before the breaker trips as the breakers take longer to react to overloads.
As for both amps doing 2500 watts "with no problems" well that is only in CB land where everything works differently. Think about it. 240 volts times 10 amps is only 2400 watts INPUT. Taking efficiency into account that means about 1200-1500 watts OUTPUT. 2500 watts is really pushing those amps to their flat out maximum especially the AL-1200.I guess it depends on hard you want to drive it and and how little you care about generating crap on the bands to say nothing about the life expectancy of the tube and power supply components.
So basically the fuse will take care of it so does not.matter if you have 15amp or 30amp breaker.
What do you think will trip first? A 15 amp fuse or a 30 amp breaker?
One last time I will repeat.....the fuse inside the equipment protects the equipment. The fuse/breaker in the electrical panel protects the wiring and by association the house from burning down. the breaker is sized according to the size of the wire coming from it.
What do you think will trip first? A 15 amp fuse or a 30 amp breaker?
.
Is that Min or Max?