Why Comparing Antennas Is Like Comparing Apples and Oranges

Antenna comparisons are everywhere—forums, YouTube videos, field days. And yet, most of these comparisons are as flawed as they are passionate. Saying “A GAP Titan is 2 S-points stronger than my end-fed” may feel like a data point, but without the full picture, it’s often meaningless.

Context Is Everything

Antennas are not standalone devices. They interact with:

  • The earth (literally and electrically)
  • Their height
  • The surrounding objects
  • The coax and how it’s routed

Without knowing these, you’re not comparing antennas—you’re comparing installations.

Polarisation and Take-Off Angle Matter

A GAP Titan is effectively a kind of vertical dipole, offering:

  • Low-angle radiation (great for DX)
  • Vertical polarisation (more sensitive to horizontally polarized noise, but better for long paths)

Now compare that with your average 26-meter end-fed wire with loading coil, often sloping or bent in whatever shape the garden allows:

  • The current distribution is awkward and inconsistent, resulting in a mishmash of horizontal and vertical radiation
  • The angle of radiation is usually too high, especially on lower bands, reducing DX effectiveness
  • Performance is highly installation-dependent and suffers from lossy grounds, common-mode problems, and interaction with nearby structures
  • The coil is lossy, and above its resonant frequency, all higher bands suffer from reduced efficiency due to the coil's insertion loss and detuned impedance transformation

In short: it may resonate, but it rarely excels. It's a compromise antenna that works "just enough" to be dangerous. On some paths, it’s stronger, on others much weaker—and always unpredictable.

So when someone says: “My end-fed is weaker than the Titan by 2 S-points” — we have to ask: Where? On what band? In what direction? At what height? With what polarisation?

Signal Strength Is Path Dependent

If the station you’re receiving is 1,500 km away and the ionosphere reflects your signal at a 12° elevation, a vertical with a good low-angle lobe will shine. But if your antenna radiates mainly at 45°, your signal might overshoot the ionospheric bounce zone.

Likewise, your receive pattern can reject or boost certain angles. An antenna with poor high-angle gain may hear fewer signals in the near field—even if it's quieter.

S-Points Are Meaningless Anyway

Let’s be clear:
S-points are not a scientific measurement—they’re a vague, analog-era legacy.

  • One S-point is supposed to be 6 dB, but most modern receivers don’t follow this standard consistently
  • S-meters vary wildly between radios, modes, AGC settings, and firmware versions
  • In software-defined radios, the S-meter is often just a scaled visual ornament

In the 21st century, what actually matters:

  • SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) — how well you can extract signal from noise
  • SINAD (Signal to Noise And Distortion) — especially in narrowband FM or digital modes

These values are quantitative, repeatable, and meaningful. S-meters? Not so much.

Apples to Apples, Please

To make a valid antenna comparison, you need to:

  • Use identical height references above ground
  • Know the ground quality beneath each antenna
  • Match feedline length, choking, and common-mode control
  • Compare on the same band, same time, same direction
  • Preferably, model or measure actual radiation patterns

Anything else is an anecdote, not evidence.

Takeaway

Antennas aren’t just wires and tubes. They’re systems. And unless you know the:

  • Polarisation
  • Elevation angle of radiation
  • Interaction with surroundings
  • Current distribution

you’re comparing apples to oranges. Or worse—apples to bowling balls.

Bonus Tip

If you want to know how your antenna really performs, measure it across a known baseline:
Use WSPR, a reverse beacon, or a synchronized A/B switch between antennas on the same receiver. And even then, know what you're really measuring.


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Written by Joeri Van Dooren, ON6URE – RF, electronics and software engineer, complex platform and antenna designer. Founder of RF.Guru. An expert in active and passive antennas, high-power RF transformers, and custom RF solutions, he has also engineered telecom and broadcast hardware, including set-top boxes, transcoders, and E1/T1 switchboards. His expertise spans high-power RF, embedded systems, digital signal processing, and complex software platforms, driving innovation in both amateur and professional communications industries.