About two years ago I was contacted by an Italian ham, who wanted my
advice about how to wind a three phase high voltage power transformer
for his amp. He reported that he was running 45kW, and that lacking an
actual 3-phase connection, he was using one phase out of each of two
neighboring homes (good neighbors!), and his own phase. And that his
existing combination of three single-phase pole pigs ran too hot and was
the limiting factor.
I asked him about the legality of such operation in Italy, and he just
told me that many hams are doing the same he does.
And a ham in Germany told me about taking down antennas the fast way, in
a military club station, by loading up a big amp on CW and making the
insulators break from arcing. He didn't want to tell me the actual power
level used, but it also seems to have been comfortably above the legal
limit.
Makes me wonder what the shortwave broadcasters in some gulf states have
done with their transmitters. About ten years ago, there were many
signals on the air from those countries, running 500kW to 1MW each. I
think there were even a few 2MW and 3MW stations. They have mostly
disappeared, since broadcasting went the satellite route. Maybe some
(obviously very law-abiding) ham would like to rescue those transmitters...
I wouldn't like to have to pay THAT power bill, though! My personal
opinion is that the existing legal limit in most countries is pretty
reasonable, to avoid a senseless and very expensive competition in brute
force. Of course, others might think differently. I can also understand
the thrill in putting such a power on the air.
Manfred
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