Ham Radio General Class Practice Test

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What is the output PEP of an unmodulated carrier if an average reading wattmeter connected to the transmitter output indicates 1060 watts?

530 watts
1060 watts
1500 watts
2120 watts

The correct answer is: 1060 watts

In the context of radio transmission, the Peak Envelope Power (PEP) refers to the maximum power output of a transmitter during a modulation cycle. When dealing with an unmodulated carrier signal, the average power reading measured by a wattmeter is represented by the continuous power level of the signal. In this case, if the wattmeter displays an average reading of 1060 watts, this is indicative of the actual power being transmitted by the transmitter as it operates with a continuous wave (CW). In an unmodulated scenario, the average power measurement is equal to the Peak Envelope Power because there are no additional variations in power due to modulation—meaning the peak and average power values coincide. Thus, the answer indicating 1060 watts as the output PEP accurately reflects the relationship between average power and peak power in the case of an unmodulated carrier.