W4EO’s advantage over KD2EIB lies in reach, not volume: the stations W4EO uniquely heard cluster heavily westward and at nearly four times the median distance, with significant Oceania and European representation, suggesting a lower take-off angle that favors multi-hop skywave propagation. In contrast, KD2EIB’s unique receivers bunch tightly within a few hundred miles and skew domestic, pointing to a higher-angle, NVIS-friendly pattern that floods the near field but sacrifices the distant fringe. Both stations achieved identical continental and directional coverage overall, but W4EO’s superior miles-per-watt and noticeably longer ninetieth-percentile distance confirm better low-angle efficiency—likely from additional antenna height or improved ground conductivity.

Among the remaining GCARC stations, KC2GYU posted the second-best DX ratio and matched W4EO’s best-DX record despite slightly higher power, hinting at a reasonably effective radiator with consistent availability. K2ZA showed the strongest European fraction and respectable DX ratio, yet poor miles-per-watt reveals significant system loss—possibly feed-line attenuation or a compromised ground plane—despite running full legal limit. W2MMD’s severely compressed ninetieth-percentile distance and minimal DX ratio indicate a high-angle, regional-coverage antenna that rarely coupled energy into long-haul modes, and the station’s intermittent availability further limited its statistical reach.

The GCARC group should prioritize raising antenna current maximums at least a quarter-wavelength above ground and investing in radial fields or buried counterpoises, since the wide spread in miles-per-watt at comparable power levels points directly to efficiency and elevation-pattern differences that taller, better-grounded verticals or higher dipoles would address.

K2ZA and W4EO both reached Australia, but their paths differed sharply. K2ZA uniquely heard 156 receivers that W4EO missed, heavily concentrated eastward into Europe—119 of them—at a median distance well beyond 3,700 miles, suggesting a higher takeoff angle or stronger eastward lobe that penetrates deep into the European interior. W4EO’s 38 unique receivers were overwhelmingly North American and much closer, indicating either a stronger high-angle component favoring regional NRVIS skip or a pattern null that weakens the long-haul eastbound signal compared to K2ZA’s setup.

Among the other GCARC stations, KC2GYU posted the second-highest unique receiver count and a strong DX ratio despite running lower power, pointing to an efficient antenna with good long-path capability. WB2MNF achieved the best miles-per-watt figure in the group while maintaining solid European percentage and full-month operation, evidence of a well-optimized low-power radiator. KE2DRJ’s performance was tightly regional with minimal DX reach, consistent with a compromise or lower-height antenna that favors high-angle mid-range contacts. W2MMD operated only intermittently and showed limited European penetration, though the station did log one respectable Austrian contact. KE2DST ran every day but reached almost no European or DX targets, suggesting either a pronounced westward pattern null or a very low radiation angle that overshoots nearby high-angle paths while failing to couple into transatlantic modes. The group should consider experimenting with phased arrays or tilt-adjustable dipoles to control elevation lobes, since the wide spread in European fraction and DX ratio across similar power levels points to takeoff angle as the dominant variable on this band.

W4EO’s advantage over KC2GYU is clearly visible in the receiver set-difference: W4EO uniquely reached over four hundred receivers scattered widely across all continents, with strong representation in both western and eastern quadrants and a median distance well beyond three thousand kilometers, whereas KC2GYU’s exclusive receivers were overwhelmingly short-haul North American stations clustered under a thousand miles. This pattern strongly suggests W4EO is running a higher antenna with a lower takeoff angle that efficiently couples into skip paths for mid- and long-distance DX, while KC2GYU’s setup—likely lower or with a higher launch angle—fills in the regional NVIS and near-skip zones that W4EO’s pattern overshoots. The fact that KC2GYU heard almost nothing W4EO missed, and what it did hear was nearby, confirms it is not exploiting a complementary far-field lobe but simply capturing groundwave and single-hop contacts that W4EO’s geometry misses.

Among the other GCARC stations, K2ZA shows respectable European and DX percentages but suffers in efficiency, likely due to its much higher transmit power overwhelming the benefit of whatever gain the antenna provides. N2LQH operated only sporadically yet managed strong European penetration and a respectable DX ratio, hinting at favorable propagation windows or an antenna with good high-angle suppression during its limited on-air time. W2MMD’s tight regional footprint and weak DX performance point to a low or compromised antenna that favors high-angle radiation and struggles to launch energy into the skip zone. W2LJR, despite the lowest power in the group, posted the best miles-per-watt figure and a leading DX ratio, indicating an efficient radiator—perhaps a well-placed vertical or elevated horizontal—that deserves closer study as a club benchmark. The group should consider a coordinated experiment raising antennas to at least a half-wavelength and comparing results with identical power levels to isolate the height and takeoff-angle effects seen so clearly in the W4EO versus KC2GYU comparison.

KD3ANN’s receiver set-difference profile tells a clear story: the station uniquely reached more than twice the number of European receivers compared to KC2GYU, with the majority of its exclusive receivers clustered eastward at mid-to-long ranges, suggesting a favorable low-angle radiation pattern toward Europe and the ability to sustain multi-hop propagation. The eastward dominance in both count and distance indicates KD3ANN likely benefits from either greater antenna height or a more efficient horizontal radiator compared to KC2GYU, whose unique receivers skew heavily toward shorter-distance North American contacts. KC2GYU’s advantage lies in its remarkable efficiency at low power, reaching nearly as many continents and directions as the higher-power comparator, though its footprint is noticeably compressed toward the western and nearby domestic quadrants—consistent with either a modest-height vertical or a compromised low-angle pattern that still couples well into nearby ground-wave and single-hop paths. Among the other GCARC stations, N2LQH posted the highest European and DX percentages in the group despite limited operating days, hinting at well-timed propagation windows and an effective antenna for transatlantic work. W2MMD achieved the highest spot rate and second-best miles-per-watt, pointing to either a very reliable antenna or favorable local noise environment that keeps the station heard even when conditions are marginal. K2ZA operated the most consistently throughout the month but showed the tightest regional focus and lowest DX percentage, suggesting either a higher-angle lobe or a receive environment that limits weak-signal copy from distant paths. For the group as a whole, experimenting with antenna height adjustments or testing lower elevated radials on vertical systems could help flatten takeoff angles and boost the long-path DX percentages that currently trail the European coverage across most stations.

DG2GG’s advantage is starkly visible in the receiver set-difference: the German station uniquely reached more than three hundred receivers that KC2GYU missed, overwhelmingly clustered eastward into Europe and across Oceania and Asia at distances well beyond four thousand miles. This points to a combination of favorable antenna height yielding low takeoff angles for trans-oceanic skip, efficient launch toward the east and south, and consistent operation during peak 10m openings that favor long-haul propagation. By contrast, KC2GYU’s unique receivers—seventy-seven of them—are almost entirely North American, concentrated westward and northward at short to medium distances, suggesting either a higher-angle radiation pattern that favors ground-wave and single-hop NVIS-like contacts, a less favorable eastern azimuth null, or operating hours that miss the prime European window when 10m opens across the Atlantic. The dramatic gap in miles-per-watt and the near-absence of European spots for KC2GYU despite running only moderately higher power reinforces the conclusion that takeoff angle and pattern shape, not transmit power, dominate performance on this band.

Among the other GCARC stations, N2LQH achieved the best P90 distance and a respectable DX ratio despite limited days on air, hinting at favorable antenna characteristics and well-timed operation during peak conditions. W2MMD’s extremely tight regional footprint and negligible European reach are consistent with a low-efficiency or high-angle antenna such as a compromised vertical or low inverted-V. K2ZA, despite the most consistent month-long operation, posted the poorest miles-per-watt and minimal DX percentage, suggesting either a modest antenna system or an inland RF environment with elevated local noise limiting weak-signal decodes at distant receivers. The GCARC group would benefit from experimenting with increased antenna height or switching to horizontal polarization at a half-wavelength or more above ground, which on 10m can dramatically lower takeoff angles and unlock the long-haul DX that separates exceptional stations from regional ones.