An Intermediate power amplifier (IPA) is one stage of the
amplification process in a
radio transmitter which usually occurs prior to the final high power amplification. The IPA provides lower power
RF energy necessary to drive the final. In very high power transmitters, such as 10
kilowatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s and above, multiple IPAs are combined to provide enough drive for the final.
An
exciter, an even lower power transmitter, provides a similar service to the IPA by driving it; although an exciter usually encompasses other important functions, such as choosing the frequency of the RF.
References
Electronic amplifiers
Broadcast engineering
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