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:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Gary K9GS Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2020 3:11 PM To: [email protected] 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 _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
