The Class C transistor amplifiers I design and use most certainly
saturate. I believe that's standard practice for solid state amplifiers.
I don't think tube type class C amplifiers are or were typically driven
to saturation, but I honestly don't know for sure.

The classic definition of class C involves only the fraction of the
cycle during which it conducts ( 180 degrees). There's no restriction
on how hard it conducts.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

wrote:
I'm reading David Rutledge's excellent "The Electronics of Radio."

In Chapter 10 -- Power Amplifiers, he discusses Class C amps and says,
"In addition, if we drive the transistor clear to saturation, using the
transistor as a switch, the dissipated power can be greatly reduced,
because the saturation voltage is low. This is Class C
amplification..."

I'd always throught that in Class C, while you'd operate the device so
that it was cutoff during most of the cycle, but not saturated.

Is this just a different definition of Class C?

I checked back with SSDRA and EMRFD, and didn't see anything about
driving Class C amps into saturation?

What says the group? Do we saturate in Class C or not?

73 from London
Bill M0HBR N2CQR CU2JL
http://www.gadgeteer.us