Topband: 8 vs 4 direction 4-SQ?

[John Kaufmann]

For signals that arrive from directions that are in between the main lobe headings of a 4-square, you will lose up to a few dB of S/N compared to having 8 directions.  Whether that matters to you is purely a personal performance vs. complexity/cost decision.  If 90% of what you work is covered by 4 directions, then 4 directions may be good enough.  If you don't want to give up any performance in any direction, then go for 8 directions.  There is no right or wrong answer.

73, John W1FV

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces+john.kaufmann=verizon.net at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gary K9GS
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2020 3:11 PM
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: 8 vs 4 direction 4-SQ?

A couple of companies, LBS and RemoteQTH, have started selling 8 direction 4- SQ controllers.I'm trying to understand if this would be worthwhile. My reasoning is that the main lobe is so broad you have the in-between 45 degree directions covered anyway. Thoughts?73,Gary K9GS
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