[CQ-Contest] Fwd: Radio Laws of Propagation

[Cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

I have no horse in this race, but I looked up KP4KE on QRZ and then  tried 
to locate his QTH from QRZ.  I then tried to locate the station on  Google 
earth.   The area he is in does not have the best resolution on  Google Earth.
 
Best I can tell, he sits around 180 feet 600 feet from the ocean  going NW, 
800 feet from the ocean going N and 1100 feet from the ocean going  NE.  
Slow drop to the cliffs which are about 300 feet away and then a very  steep 
drop.
 
This would appear to be a very superior location especially to the  NW and 
N.  Enough to account for the big signal?  I don't know.   I had the 
opportunity from 2006 to 2010 to have one as good if not better out at  KH6.  I was 
accused several times of using illegal power in my contest  operations.
 
I sat at 820 feet,  with the ocean anywhere from 3500 feet to  6500 feet 
away and a 450 foot drop less than 300 feet from the tower to the  N.  It is 
amazing what terrain can do.  For example, on 40 mtrs going  to EU at 3 
degrees angle of arrival (20% of the time signals come at that angle  from EU) 
over a flat terrain the average gain was 5 dbi.  My terrain  yielded almost 19 
dbi, a net gain over flat terrain of 14dbi.  Terrain can  be a wonderful 
thing.  
 
Perhaps someone could run some HFTA on the station to see what kind  of 
advantage he has...it would be interesting.
 
Bill K4XS/KH7XS