Total posts : 45366
Ermi and Rich,
Thank you both for refining my rough estimate of range increase seen by increasing the power by a factor of 10 for AM. My factor, 3.16, is simply the square root of the power ratio which gives the field strength ratio. Assuming no ground losses and a linear decrease with distance for field strength connects this number to distance.
So, it appears we have two numbers which probably give the boundaries of what to expect: range increase from 1.78 to 3.16.
Another way to look at this is in terms of potential listening units (residences or people). Assuming a homogeneous distribution of listening units per unit area, then the ratio of listening units would be proportional to the square of the distances. Normalizing the math, if 100 mW. gives 1 listening unit then 1 Watt would give from 3.16 to 10 listening units by covering 3.16 to 10 times the area.
I don’t know if this is how the pros figure potential listeners but it seems reasonable as a rough estimate.
Neil
