I agree, SWR is not a measure of antenna performance. If a driven
element is the wrong length, and you can match it with a tuner, you can
still get great performance out of a yagi.
However:
SWR bandwidth is of great importance if you have to retune an amplifier
when you QSY, especially on 40 meters, where EU stations often work
split and your transmit frequency can go from 7128 to 7300.
With the 40-2CD, I would be nicely tuned up with 1500W out at 7130, only
to see it go to a lousy SWR and the amp struggling to make maybe 800W
out at 7283 without retuning.
So TECHNICALLY, SWR dosn't matter. But unless you have an auto-tune amp,
PRACTICALLY, in a contest situation, it matters a lot!
-Tony, K1KP
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