🔍 Key Concepts

• SSB (Single Sideband) operation and how power is distributed in single sideband vs full AM (amplitude modulation) • Difference between PEP (Peak Envelope Power) and average power readings on a wattmeter • What a steady output reading (instead of varying with voice) suggests about the transmitter mode or signal type

💭 Think About

• Is an SSB transmitter supposed to show a constant power output when you key the mic without speaking, or should it rise and fall with your voice? • If the rated output is 150 watts PEP, what fraction of that might a meter show as average power when you apply a steady, single-tone modulation? • Does a steady 75-watt reading suggest a fault such as a missing sideband, or does it indicate that the rig is simply producing a certain kind of modulated signal as designed?

✅ Before You Answer

• Check how SSB power is specified (PEP vs average) and how most simple wattmeters respond. • Verify what happens to the carrier in SSB mode – is there a carrier present, and what would a carrier look like on a wattmeter? • Confirm whether a missing sideband would halve the power reading in the way the question suggests, or if that is a misconception.