[TowerTalk] 3 element or 4 element beam

[Mark Beckwith]

Gotta chime in with the practical answer.  In practical use the lower gain 
of a 3 element antenna will be far outweighed by the ease of handling it 
over the bigger longer heavier 4 element.

Where the 4 element will have more db than the 3 element will be in 
pattern - i.e. if you want to turn it and hear the signal go away, the 
signal will go away more with the 4 element, but this still is somewhat 
related to boom length - i.e. a 3-el vs. a 4-el on a boom the same length 
won't show a lot of difference.

Short answer: Depends on your tower and your needs.  At N5OT I go with the 
smallest antennas to get the job done, but it's a big job.

Mark, N5OT

Out the door for Dayton!