The Double Your Power Ham Radio MYTH

Does doubling your RF power (an extra 3dB) double the range of your ham radio?
Stuff I use in the Shack ⬇️
Quansheng UV-K5 HT (Hackable) 👉 geni.us/kkbd3
RT-95 VHF/UHF Mobile 👉 geni.us/YzCT
TIDRadio TD-H3 👉 geni.us/VU4cH
Scotch Super 33+ Tape 👉 geni.us/rNdBol
Anytone AT-5555N 10 Meter Radio 👉 geni.us/At99
A better antenna for your HT 👉 geni.us/AQzQw
VHF/UHF base antenna 👉 geni.us/JN8wy
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases
📺 Watch the next video here 👉 / @hamradiodx
⬇️ Exclusive Deals ⬇️
📖 20% off Ham Radio Prep Courses - Use Coupon HAMDX hamradioprep.com/
💰 $15 OFF at Radioddity - radioddity.refr...
💵 GET 10% OFF Messi & Paoloni Coax - Use Coupon: VK7HH messi.it/
Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I may receive a small commission.
🚀 Support The Channel 🚀
💸 Patreon: / hamradiodx
📺 KZbin Memberships: / @hamradiodx
💲 PayPal Tip Jar: www.paypal.com...
🛒 Ham Radio on Amazon & eBay: geni.us/HamRad...
👕 Merch: hamradiodx.mys...
🅰️ Amazon Store: www.amazon.com...
📧 Email: [e-mail]
Join our TOADs Community 👉 / discord
#HamRadio #AmateurRadio #radiocommunication
Music:
KZbin Sound

[@RayDabkowski]

Excellent session. Great examples and clarity in your dialogue. This is why you are one of the premier ham radio KZbin presenters.

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks Ray! I appreciate it

[@temporarilyoffline]

This was a good one. I liked the on air samples!

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks TO!

[@don_n5skt]

On HF, a 3db gain can really help on the receiving side. Especially when you are trying to work stations where you are not breaking their noise floor. One reason that QRP is less effective is that a lot of stations who could hear you, can't because you can't break their noise floor. I can now hear MANY stations below s2 but when I try to go back to them, they can't hear me. I can't wait to be able to bring my 1200W back into play as 100W is just not being heard on those weak stations I hear.

[@HamRadioDX]

The same is true with working long distance DX on HF from here. Many of the times we can hear the other station, but our 400W max legal limit doesn't cut the mustard. That extra 4dB would be good.

[@WECB640]

Hayden, this is very well done. You covered a lot of material and it was clear to understand. Bravo! Keep up the good work. 73 OM

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks mate! Glad it made sense 👍

[@mikeZL3XD7029]

Wow!, That was an excellent run-down on quite a few things, Hayden! Thanks for the video.

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks Mike! Hope it made sense.

[@janetwinslow2039]

Another nice clear explanation, particularly the demonstration on FM. Folks should remember that S-units are theoretically 6dB increments, so a doubling of the power only increases the signal by half an S-point. Not significant on HF as fading could easily be up to 20dB. If your 10 watt HF signal is giving S5, then 100 watts will only increase to just over S7, a 10dB increase. Polarization loss really only applies at VHF and above. At HF ionospheric refraction varies the polarization fairly randomly so it's not as important at these frequencies - unless the two stations are close enough for just ground-wave communication.

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks! On polarization loss - 6m Sporadic E is the same - it doesn't really matter! Signals are so strong and the polarization shifts constantly.

[@raymondmartin6737]

Very good. The inverse square law 😊

[@DonzLockz]

Great info that anyone can understand. Thanks buddy. :)

[@HamRadioDX]

No problem mate 👍

[@ugsisr]

Power does not mean everything... Though it helps on certain Bands at certain Times. A good antenna and match will go a Long Way... Thank You

[@dreupen]

I bought a RT95 which came with a mobile antenna. The Antenna was decent on UHF but total crap on VHF. Bought a Browning BR-180 antenna and doubled by transmission distance.

[@user-ut7hh3zb2f]

The antenna is the big thing. Directivity. You get better EIRP and better capture area. In VHF/UHF, you can get a huge improvement even with a home made quad or Yagi.

[@jaym1301]

Your range is whatever it is. All adding more power does is increase your signal strength within that range. If you're on HF a power boost may make you strong enough to be heard over a DX station's local noise floor. If you're on VHF/UHF it can make you easier to hear and clearer within the line-of-site limits of those frequencies, and let you hit repeaters that are near your range limitations. Antennas with more gain also increase your apparent power by concentrating more of it in the direction in which you want it to go: on VHF/UHF this would be more toward the horizon rather than up into the sky where that power's wasted. There are special-case exceptions: on HF you may want your power to go almost straight up so it comes back to earth nearby, allowing more local or regional communications vs. DX. On VHF/UHF you want your power to go skyward if you're trying to use a satellite.

[@ronprince1478]

Thanks for your help in my learning process.

[@HamRadioDX]

Happy to help

[@MikeN2MAK]

Thanks for the great explanation.

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks Mike! I hope it made sense.

[@chrisjayne7027]

Great presentation !

[@HamRadioDX]

Thank you!

[@VK7DBX]

Thanks, Hayden a very good and clear explanation 👍

[@HamRadioDX]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrZerohour1967]

+3db ie 50W to 100W will increase your range by 50%. eg 100km becomes 150km. +6dB ie 50 to 200W will double your range. This is assuming the flat Earthers are correct and that both the transmitting and receiving antennas are elevated high enough to have their LoS within the Fresnel zone. Works for satellites even if the flat Earthers are wrong :)

[@WarrenAkerman]

Well presented and explained well done OM 73

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks!

[@ricdonato4328]

4:55, "...Doubling your distance from the wall the light is four times as dim...", oops that cannot be calculated, and goes against the Inverse Square law. Example take a light meter read the light hitting the wall, then times it by four, the math will produce a larger number not lower. Then double your light distance from the wall, take another reading the number will be lower never higher. The Inverse Square law is based on division when moving away, moving closer use multiplication. Thus, in your example when correctly stated it would be one-fourth as bright (or one-fourth less powerful), which can be properly calculated. Recall, X times something always make it larger and more powerful, division makes it smaller and less powerful. Hope this helps you.

[@mrtechie6810]

90 watts works okay. 😂 Actually, I have it turned down to 5 watts.

[@michaelcarey]

Excellent video Hayden!

[@HamRadioDX]

Thanks Michael 👍!

[@K2DXK]

Great video as always!

[@HamRadioDX]

Thank you!

[@davepickering997]

Square the power and you "might" double the distance.

[@AlanC.-ne4te]

NOW, I get it..nice work ??

[@TheArtofEngineering]

ha ha ha..."the 10W radio" .....I bought that 10W radio it is zero watts now...💀. When it did work it was 7 watts on several bands (all at once). Thanks for this practical demonstration, wish I had that test gear! Incidentally ham folklore has it that CW is 10 times better than SSB (10W CW = 100W SSB). I don't know if this is 100% true but CW certainly adds to performance (most likely due to narrow bandwidth, single tone etc). 73 de VK2AOE

[@HamRadioDX]

CW can be copied well below the noise floor - with a good ear. SSB requires it to be above the noise - usually substantially so I suppose there is some truth in that. 10 times the power is only 10dB too.

[@victorcharlie7491]

Great info, tnx Man!

[@4S7JL]

Full house

[@christurner68]

Hayden, I have question in regards to this topic. How does it apply to doubling your db gain of an antenna?

[@HamRadioDX]

The same principle applies Chris - if the antenna is like for like. Obviously it will be different if you change from say a 6dB vertical to a 9dB yagi. You get more system performance from the yagi as it's directional. Plus your noise will probably be better too.

[@christurner68]

@@HamRadioDX make sense to me Hayden thank you👍

[@slappomatthew]

no it wont double your range. but more is more and more is always better.

[@1shARyn3]

The inverse square law really only applies to beam signals. Non-beam radiation works via the inverse cube law.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

Are you sure about that? I'm no expert, but I believe that inverse square laws apply to any radiator, regardless of the pattern.

[@BusDriverRFI]

Does this law only apply when we want it to? Are we sovereign radio operators who choose which laws we want to follow?

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@BusDriverRFI They only apply when radio waves are engaged in commerce. Otherwise, radio waves don't propagate, they travel and no license is required... for any of them. And there is no ionospheric refraction because the Earth is flat. HF signals propagate further than VHF or UHF signals because they're bigger waves that have a similar quarter wavelength to large waves on the ocean, which is kept in by a big perimeter of ICE. You can read about it all in my new book: "Faraday and Your Brain... the history of the tin foil hat and what it means to you." Compelling stuff, if I do say so myself.

[@stefanpaul9443]

No that is not true - think of the light beam example - doubling the distance will always quadruple the area to be illuminated. That is simple mathematics / geometry and valid for any kind of radiator.

[@bitemykrank1970]

A lot of Americans will be rather pissed off by this video. Having bought their Stryker Splatterboxes and 5Kw amp for Channel 19 AM use. They all want their bullshit to be heard as far away as is humanly possible, who cares about interference and harmonics....where's my 10Kw amp, I ain't bein' heard at 30dB/S9 500 miles away, I need more power.....

[@vk2sky]

I often wonder why anyone needs to get signal reports of "S9 plus (some number) dB". A plain old S9 is not good enough? Back in the old days, we were told to use the minimum power required to establish reliable communications. Is that no longer the advice?

[@bitemykrank1970]

@@vk2sky Bigger signal means better radio than your neighbour, perpetuated by the "MUST BE MULTIPLES OF 18 FEET" coax crowd...old wives tales are hard to beat....