[bars] Is Cape Cod the HF Heaven?

[Christopher Lennon]

Just back from a weekend at the Cape.  I did a PoTA activation at the
National Seashore Marconi area.  If you know it, I was set up by the park
headquarters on the road up to the Marconi site.  There is a nice flat
grassy area with trees so I could set up my equipment in the shade and the
quarter wave whip for 20m out in the field.

I was operating CW at 20W with my (nothing to write home about sensitivity
wise) Xiegu G90. My usual equipment set up.  About 4:00 in the afternoon.
Band conditions good.





I usually do fine with this set up.  At home noise is S2-S3.  In the field
S1 is typical.  On that afternoon the noise was almost dead silent.  No
indication on the S meter when not sending or receiving a signal.  Dead
Silent.

I spotted myself and boom Italy. Boom Great Britain.  Boom France.  I gave
out a lot of 5 readability reports at low 2, 3 signal strength levels.
Somewhere in there Puerto Rico.  Then a location code I didn't understand,
A2X.  I had the call sign so I would look it up later.

A2X: Botswana!!  Amazing.

Contact map:




Is this the usual for Cape Cod?

I wondered if it being a Cape the local noise would be very quiet. I mean
they put that first Marconi station there for a reason.

Was I just lucky and having a good afternoon or is Wellfleet the HF capital
of the world?

Chris
W2BPL

Sent from my phone.
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