tx power not at full potential?

[framet]

Setup:
2 x (RPI + AWUS036ACH)
Radiocard is powered with an external controllable power supply.

I only measured the complete power consumption of the card. This is not the power at the antenna port!

Test szenario
Send packets from A to B (Payload 1000 Bytes at 100 Hz)
Channel 161

Test 1:

1. Using default access point created with Networkmanager. Card is not in monitor mode.
2. If signal strength gets weaker the radio card adjust its power (probalby due to auto decreasing MCS index)
3. Max power comumption for the card goes up to 2.8 Watts (5V)

Test 2:

1. Using card in monitor mode
2. MCS index set to 0
3. 8812au driver loaded with rtw_tx_pwr_index_override 63 (max power index)
4. Power consumption goes not over 2 Watts

Same is for 2.4 Ghz.

Also, when using without MCS index (noht) with 1000 Byte payload and 100 Hz) with 6 Mpbs Rate (should use BPSK 1/2) and power index 63.
In 5 Ghz spectrum it uses 1.5 Watts and in 2.4 Ghz it uses 4 Watts.

I've also tried multiple power index but 63 gave the most power.

Edit: Testet also with aircrack-ng/rtl8812au -b 5.6.4.2 but could not test mcs index in monitor mode because for some reason they removed the code for parsing the radiotap header in the xmit.c file.