"it's just equivalent to what 1000 watts would be at the same distance if it were omni directional"
Yes, you said the magic word!
Equivalent!
Equivalent = Effective. Interchangeable words.
This is a hard concept, I agree. Yes, it was 10 watts when it left the transmitter, but after it left the antenna it was
equivalent to 1,000 watts (as the beam was narrowed and the energy 'combined' and multiplied.
1,000 watts ERP (effective radiated power by pure DC) has the same heating value as 10 watts x 100 antenna gain.
When anyone has to fill out an FCC form for a station license (broadcast) the questions are: Final output power= // antenna gain=// effective radiated power= // Even though it started with 10 watts the antenna gain acts as an amplifier and creates an equivalent power and it is the same as real power.
I can't tell you how difficult this was for many to grasp in college, and I was one of them!
On the frequency vs. power question, that's a deep one. It depends of which facet of the game your referring to. One can't simply say when the frequency goes up 10% the power drops 1% as it's all related to efficiency and application. Each volume of the book applies differently.
Anyway, Lynx, I think your doing a great job and as long as you realize there is an effective power correlated with antenna gain, it doesn't matter if it's 10 watts of apples or 1000 watts of oranges, yes?
Best regards, my friend.
