On 8/16/2014 7:45 PM, Mark Connelly via Topband wrote:
Some long-time observations from about 55 years of AM broadcast band DXing MAY have some relevance to this discussion.
It is tricky to use receiving tests to gauge the effectiveness of proposed transmitting antennas for two reasons. You are probably listening on receiving type antennas rather than transmitting antennas. In that case, you have only shown that receiving antennas work better over salt water. Actually, beverages are worse over salt water. Second, are these comparisons based on S meter readings or signal to noise ratio? If the latter, then it could just as well be that it is very quiet on the shore because nothing is out there. Especially if you use directional antennas to listen. OTOH, if you listen from a single location to various 50 kW FCC stations, you can assume that the stations are all very similar (like WRTC) except for salt water or not. Of course you have to handicap them for any directional pattern. And the winner is the station that pushes the S meter the most, NOT necessarily the station that is most readable. Rick N6RK _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband