This radio boasts 80% efficiency, thanks to its use of polar modulation and high-efficiency transmitter architecture. Legacy linear amps often run around 40-60%, so this design cuts waste heat by 70-80%.
What does 80% efficiency mean in practical terms?
It means that out of every 100 watts of supply power drawn from the wall, about 80 watts go to your actual RF signal, and only 20 watts are lost as heat. That’s a major improvement over typical HF rigs and amps.
Introduction to Polar Modulation:
Polar modulation is a highly efficient signal transmission technique that separates a radio frequency (RF) signal into two fundamental components: amplitude (envelope) and phase (angle) components, allowing each to be amplified independently and more efficiently.
Unlike legacy linear amplification methods, which require power-hungry and heat-intensive amplifiers to preserve signal integrity, polar modulation enables the use of switching-mode amplifiers (such as Class D, E, or F) that operate with significantly higher efficiency.
Originally proposed in the 1950s by Leonard Kahn through his Envelope Elimination and Restoration (EER) technique, polar modulation has seen renewed interest with modern digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities.
It offers a compelling path forward for amateur radio, enabling cleaner, smaller, and more energy-efficient transmitters that challenge the long-standing dominance of legacy linear amplifier designs.