DB, it is very possible I confused you with someone else. If so, then I apologize. I should have looked back to check who it was...and I didn't do that, sorry.
I posted a thread of my own to help me remember who it was that promised to follow up, but I thought I knew who it was. I didn't look back.
I read your reference above, but my book on Reflections does not have page numbers. The items are list as Chapters and Sections.
I do find the topic noted in my book as Sec 5.5 "Vertical Radiator Over Earth," and it is basically the same as Maxwell's, "Another Look......"
IMO, the reference you provided is referring to Broadcast antennas that are very large and produce gains at or near unity. Thus the ground effects, the control, and elimination of ground losses in such cases...becomes vitally important, and at 27 mhz with fewer radials...this factor would not seem to be nearly as important.
This is truly a matter of efficiency as you note, but if those differences are not detectable, then what does efficiency matter in this case? I see it as comparing apples to oranges.
