The smallest difference a human ear will notice is about 2..3 dB.
However if you start "compromising" for example 1dB less in gain...a half db in cable another halve in lowpass construction/amplifiers etc... well you know where i am going at.
Besides that moleculo is spot on regarding the beamwidth (this is where gain comes from the smaller the more gain you have).
So if you have the possibility to produce a single dB more.. please do.. we all work to get the maximum form your station.
And dont forget heigth..and ground conductivity. It migth be wiser to put up a smaller beam higher
For example a small 3el yagi at 60 feet (boomlength 7feet) would produce the same signal as a large 4el yagi at 40 feet(boomlength 14 feet) for communication about 5000-10000km.
So 20 feet higher equals in THIS situation half a boomlength.
Ofcourse this is al dependable on your ground situation etc...
PS...from wich antenna are you expectiing 17dBI ?...that equals a boomlength of at least 150 feet...unless you stack two 100 feet boomlength beams...(for 11 meters).
If you are going for any manufacturer wich is saying they have that many gain from a shorter boomlength beam, i wouldnt go for it at all...i dont like those who cheat.
73 Henry
19SD348
(all writing mistakes can be changed with: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890.,?!@#$%^& )
(sorry, not my native language)
