California kilowatt

English

Noun

California kilowatt (plural California kilowatts)

1. (CB radio, slang) An amateur radio broadcast strength exceeding the legal limit of one kilowatt, or (by extension) a transmitter broadcasting in this manner.
   • 1967, CQ; the Radio Amateur's Journal, volume 23, numbers 1-6, page 51:

     A few nights ago conditions on 20 were at their usual level, the California kilowatts were in full charge, the 50 watt diehards were busy calling endless CQ's, and the DX stations were reaping the harvest.

   • 1974, CQ: The Radio Amateurs' Journal, volume 30, number 1, page 36:

     And one California kilowatt equals 3 East Coast KWs. And—as everybody knows that—we, on the East Coast, are the only legal ones.

   • 2014, Dave Bell, W6AQ, World's Best Hobby (page 16)

     Several people commented about those damn California kilowatts as they stood there in front of those huge tubes in Jack's transmitter.