Which would be an indication of proper operation of a SSB transmitter rated at 60 watt PEP output?

• A. In SITOR communications, the power meter can be seen fluctuating regularly from zero to the 60 watt relative output reading
• B. The meter remains steady at full scale
• C. The meter reads zero output
• D. The meter reads a constant 30 W output

Answer: (A)

SSB carries a modulated signal with no carrier, so the RF envelope follows the audio you’re speaking. The peak envelope power (PEP) is the maximum instantaneous power you reach during the strongest speech peaks, and the power output naturally rises and falls as you talk. Seeing the power meter swing from low (near zero when you’re soft or silent) up to the 60 W peak as you speak is exactly how proper SSB operation looks.

If the meter stayed steady at full scale, it would imply a constant-amplitude signal, which isn’t how SSB behaves when you’re modulating with voice. If the meter read zero, there would be no transmission. A constant mid-level reading (like 30 W) isn’t consistent with speech-driven modulation either. So the fluctuating indication correctly reflects the voice-modulated RF power of a 60 W PEP SSB transmitter.