VE3BMV WROTE <<We know that on VHF the hill is the answer...>>
Is this an assumption? I would take issue with it. It certainly
contradicts my experience of 38 years. I have been a VHF and HF contester
and DXer for over 35 years. VHF has always come first, and I have been
top 10 many times and first in NA on one occasion in an ARRL Vhf contest.
I have operated from hilltops and mountaintops many, many times. As
W2CRS, I operated from my house on the the highest hill in Schenectady
County, NY, for several years.
I presently operate from a hill top at 9000' elevation in Teller County
Colorado.
My best ever VHF location was from 10' above high tide in Biddeford Pool
Maine where I operated VHF from 1957 until 1974.
Yes, hilltops and mountaintops are a little better under "flat"
conditions than oceanside, but on VHF, the oceanside location gets far
more and stronger tropo and ducting than inland hilltops and mountains.
>From my experience, an island or peninsula with no obstructions to the
horizon is best on HF and VHF.
Doug W0AH ex-W2CRS
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