Topband: Beverages 2 basic questions

[Eduardo Araujo]

Dear Topbanders, I am planning my next move with the beverages and I would like to hear your opinions about 2 areas.

Looking at the pattern response for beverages in for example ON4UN book, I found that If I install 4 x 600 feet or 5 x 900 feet beverages, I should cover 360 degress with deeps of no more than 3 or 4 db respect the main lobe.

Taking into account that most people will not work extra without any benefit my first question is: 
1 - Why many DXers and contester install 10 or 12 direction beverages ?? What am I seriously missing with my simple analysis?

2 - Is there a meaninfull or simple way to determine if at my location is worth to go from 600 to 900 feet?

I did some measurements a) I injected a signal  into the beverage and using a current probe, I meassure signal strength in an Smeter.(I replaced the mA with the input of a transceive) 

Variation was about 10db from begining to end of 900 feet. Curiously the 600 feet one gave aprox same result but I recognize S meter granularity was not good.

b) I disconnected termination resistance and the signal stregth with or without it was 8db.  900 feet Bev gives about 20db F/B in broacast band 

Many thanks in advance to all