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MDARC
  • Home
  • Membership
  • Meetings
    • General Meetings
    • Speakers
      • Speakers 2023
      • Speakers 2021-2022
      • Speakers 2019-2020
      • Speakers 2017-2018
      • Speakers 2015-2016
    • Board Meetings
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    • On-Line Resources
    • Exam.Tools
  • Public Service
  • Repeater Systems
    • ATV
    • Digital Voice
      • Comparison of DV Modes
      • D-Star
        • D-Star Linking
        • D-Star Registration
      • DMR
      • C4FM (Fusion)
      • M17
    • EchoLink & IRLP
    • Repeater Rules
    • Repeater Weather
    • Meshtastic
  • About Us
    • COVID Statement
    • Club Announcements
    • Committees
    • Communicating with You
    • Contact Us
    • History of the Club
      • Award Recipients
      • Charter Members
      • History Summary
      • Photos, Videos
      • Members-Special
      • News of the Club
      • Past Officers
      • QSL Cards
      • Rocky Ridge Group
      • Silent Keys
      • W6CX
      • W6LGW
    • Join/Renew/Update
    • Officers & Chairs
    • Official Documents
      • Articles of Incorporation
      • Bylaws
      • Equipment Selling
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    • Store
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  • Activities
    • Auction
    • Campout Party
    • Digital Systems
      • DMR
      • NBEMS
      • Winlink
    • DX & Contests
    • Emergency Communications
      • Wilderness Protocol
    • Field Day
    • Holiday Banquet
    • Leap Day Net
    • Nets on MDARC Systems
    • Nets on Other Systems
    • Pacificon Table
    • Vehicles
      • Trailer
      • Van
  • Operating Aids
    • Azimuthal Map
    • Calling Frequencies
    • CTCSS (PL)
    • Greek Alphabet
    • Latitude, Longitude, UTM
    • LSB or USB?
    • Metric System
      • Metric Units
      • Metric Prefixes
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  • Resources
    • Basics
    • Clubs in NorCal, NV
    • Donate to MDARC
    • Equipment
      • Dipole Length Calcs
      • Dipole Tuning
      • HF Equipment
      • IP Codes
    • Getting Started in Ham Radio
      • 1. License Class Description
      • 2. Getting Your First License
      • 3. Upgrading Your License
      • 4A. Getting On the Air
      • 4B. Getting On the Air-HF
      • 5. Choosing Your First Radio
      • 6. What Do Hams Do
      • 7. Where did “Ham” Come From?
    • Glossary
    • Links of Interest
    • Other Ham Groups
  • Regulations
    • Amateur Radio Bands
    • Amateur Radio Regulations
    • Emission Designators
    • FCC Monitoring Stations
    • License Copy Acquisition
    • Line A, Line C
    • Obtain an FRN
    • Secondary Status
    • Spectrum
  • Safety
    • Electric Current in the Human Body
  • Technical
    • Coax & Ladder
    • Conductor Properties
    • Constants and Formulas
    • Decibels
    • Peak Envelope Power
    • Periodic Table
    • Schematic Symbols
    • Skin-Effect
  • More
    • Home
    • Membership
    • Meetings
      • General Meetings
      • Speakers
        • Speakers 2023
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        • Speakers 2019-2020
        • Speakers 2017-2018
        • Speakers 2015-2016
      • Board Meetings
      • Technical Meetings
      • Pacificon Meetings
      • Digital Media Meetings
    • Education and Testing
      • Class Details
      • License Testing
      • Auxiliary Classes
      • On-Line Resources
      • Exam.Tools
    • Public Service
    • Repeater Systems
      • ATV
      • Digital Voice
        • Comparison of DV Modes
        • D-Star
          • D-Star Linking
          • D-Star Registration
        • DMR
        • C4FM (Fusion)
        • M17
      • EchoLink & IRLP
      • Repeater Rules
      • Repeater Weather
      • Meshtastic
    • About Us
      • COVID Statement
      • Club Announcements
      • Committees
      • Communicating with You
      • Contact Us
      • History of the Club
        • Award Recipients
        • Charter Members
        • History Summary
        • Photos, Videos
        • Members-Special
        • News of the Club
        • Past Officers
        • QSL Cards
        • Rocky Ridge Group
        • Silent Keys
        • W6CX
        • W6LGW
      • Join/Renew/Update
      • Officers & Chairs
      • Official Documents
        • Articles of Incorporation
        • Bylaws
        • Equipment Selling
        • Groups.io Guidelines
        • Policies
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        • Record Retention Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Zoom Guidelines
      • Store
      • Managing Gmail
      • Managing Groups.io
    • Carrier Newsletter
    • Activities
      • Auction
      • Campout Party
      • Digital Systems
        • DMR
        • NBEMS
        • Winlink
      • DX & Contests
      • Emergency Communications
        • Wilderness Protocol
      • Field Day
      • Holiday Banquet
      • Leap Day Net
      • Nets on MDARC Systems
      • Nets on Other Systems
      • Pacificon Table
      • Vehicles
        • Trailer
        • Van
    • Operating Aids
      • Azimuthal Map
      • Calling Frequencies
      • CTCSS (PL)
      • Greek Alphabet
      • Latitude, Longitude, UTM
      • LSB or USB?
      • Metric System
        • Metric Units
        • Metric Prefixes
        • Metric Conversions
      • Morse Code
      • Operating Procedures
      • Phonetic Alphabet
      • Q-Signals & Prosigns
      • Roman Numerals
      • RST System
      • UTC Time
      • Weather Channels
    • Resources
      • Basics
      • Clubs in NorCal, NV
      • Donate to MDARC
      • Equipment
        • Dipole Length Calcs
        • Dipole Tuning
        • HF Equipment
        • IP Codes
      • Getting Started in Ham Radio
        • 1. License Class Description
        • 2. Getting Your First License
        • 3. Upgrading Your License
        • 4A. Getting On the Air
        • 4B. Getting On the Air-HF
        • 5. Choosing Your First Radio
        • 6. What Do Hams Do
        • 7. Where did “Ham” Come From?
      • Glossary
      • Links of Interest
      • Other Ham Groups
    • Regulations
      • Amateur Radio Bands
      • Amateur Radio Regulations
      • Emission Designators
      • FCC Monitoring Stations
      • License Copy Acquisition
      • Line A, Line C
      • Obtain an FRN
      • Secondary Status
      • Spectrum
    • Safety
      • Electric Current in the Human Body
    • Technical
      • Coax & Ladder
      • Conductor Properties
      • Constants and Formulas
      • Decibels
      • Peak Envelope Power
      • Periodic Table
      • Schematic Symbols
      • Skin-Effect

Technical: Coax & Ladder | Conductor Properties | Constants and Formulas | Decibels | Peak Envelope Power | Periodic Table | Schematic Symbols | Skin-Effect



Peak Envelope Power

The FCC defines Peak Envelope Power for radio amateurs as, "The average power supplied to the antenna transmission line by a transmitter during one RF cycle at the crest of the modulation envelope taken under normal operating conditions." [47CFR97.3(b)(9)]


The International Telecommunications Union defines it in the same way. [RR1.157]


That definition is confusing, at best. Hopefully, this page will clarify its meaning.


RF signals such as AM and SSB have a constantly changing amplitude during transmission, like the image at the top of the page. For these signals, there will be points where the amplitude is at its greatest (see Figure 1). This is the "one RF cycle at the crest of the modulation envelope" in the definition. Other signals, such as FM, PM (phase modulation) and CW, have a constant amplitude, so every RF cycle is its "peak" cycle.

Figure 1. Peak Envelope Voltage

Once that cycle is identified, we calculate the average power over its complete duration. That's the red area in Figure 2.

Note that we calculate the power in both the positive voltage half-cycle and the negative voltage half-cycle. They don't cancel out because, as shown below, the PEV is squared, making both of them positive.

Figure 2. Peak Envelope Power Sine Wave

Start by measuring the amplitude of the peak, usually in volts. That is PEV in Figure 1.


Then apply the following formula:

Where:

* PEP is Peak Envelope Power, in watts

* PEV is Peak Envelope Voltage, in volts

* R is resistance, in ohms


In most amateur radio systems, R is approximately 50 ohms.


The part of the formula in the parentheses (PEV x 0.707) converts the PEV to voltsRMS.


This reduces the formula to the familiar Ohms Law for power:

An example:


If the PEV = 100 volts with a 50 ohm load, then:

(Image sources: ARRL and de.wikipedia.org)

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