Bazooka type antenna do work, but they also have a few draw backs. Probably the biggest draw back is their weight, it's more than a simple dipole's weight because of the coax used. That has to be considered but it isn't a major factor, sort of.
The one characteristic that does make a difference is how a bazooka type antenna achieves it's 'broadbandedness'. It does have an apparently 'wide' usable bandwidth, but that 'benefit' is at the expense of efficiency. Meaning that while the SWR will appear low over a wide range of frequencies, the increase in reactance as you move away from it's 'design' frequency means that there will be less power radiated by the antenna. They can certainly make an SWR meter 'happy' over a wider range than a simple dipole, but the resulting radiation isn't any more than from that 'simple' dipole at the same 'distance' from the design frequency. Why? Cuz' an SWR meter isn't the most discriminating or best way of measuring radiation properties.
{This isn't a 'new' discovery by any means, it's been documented. The last place I remember seeing it was in one of the ARRL's Antenna Compendium book series something like 20 years ago. It wasn't tested by 'theory', but by empirically cutting and putting the thing in the air.}
None of this means that a bazooka antenna isn't worth trying/using! It does mean that it has draw backs that doesn't make it a 'miracle antenna'. If it suits your needs, then by all means do it!
Then you get into the affects of polarization, and that get's really "iffy". At HF it's all about propagation. The best example of seeing examples of that is by using both a vertical and horizontal antenna on the same frequency. Switch between the two while listening to a station that seems to be fading in and out. As it goes 'out' on one of those antennas it will tend to be getting 'stronger' on the other. That isn't an always true 'truism', but it certainly is most of the time, sort of.
Have fun.
- 'Doc
