Gain on an antenna is a relative thing. If i compared a 12" piece of wire to a wet noodle as an antenna, the wire would have high gain. If i compared that same wire to a well designed 1/4 wave "ground plane" antenna, it would have less gain. As you can see, it is all relative and one has to know the point of reference to know whether the antenna really has "gain" or not.
As such, most antennas are rated dBi or dBd. DBi means "deciBels over an isotropic reference" and dBd means "deciBels over a dipole". An isotropic reference is a theoretical antenna that works like garbage. As such, most any "reasonable" antenna will work better and show "gain" when using a dBi point of reference. On the other hand, a dipole is quite capable of very reasonable performance and makes for a very usable point of reference. However, since it works better than an isotropic, gain ratings based on dBd's will produce a lower, less impressive number than if one used a dBi rating instead. You can bet that dBi is what the marketing department wants to use to make their gain rating look more impressive. As such, it is possible to buy an antenna that looks to be of a high gain rating ( using a dBi point of reference ) and end up with an antenna that is equal to or lesser than one using a dBd reference. Obviously, you have to know what the antenna was referenced to in terms of how they arrived at the specific gain rating.
Having said all of that, I am 100% certain that the APS antennas would work better than any Rat Shack antenna that they have in stock. The APS antennas are tuned specifically for the FM broadcast band and are a very specialized design. While Rat Shack does make strictly FM antennas along with FM / TV antennas, they do not have the physical size / element count / gain that the APS models do.
With all of that in mind, the APS models would be the way to go IF you want the ultimate in FM reception using a mass produced antenna. Going to even this Radio Shack FM antenna and mounting it on a rotor with proper aiming would produce FAR greater signal strength than any omnidirectional antenna. We are talking about three to four times the amount of range and signal strength.
As such, you might want to try the Rat Shack design and see if it will work for you. RS has a very liberal return policy and they can be found locally in most cases. I would caution that the results that one gets in the attic will not be as good as one achieves up on the roof out in the open, so keep that in mind. You might also want to remember that "height is might" when it comes to antennas and receiving signals, so do your best to get it up high and out in the open. If the RS antenna won't do what you want it to do, you will probably have to shell out the cash for one of the APS designs. Sean
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As such, most antennas are rated dBi or dBd. DBi means "deciBels over an isotropic reference" and dBd means "deciBels over a dipole". An isotropic reference is a theoretical antenna that works like garbage. As such, most any "reasonable" antenna will work better and show "gain" when using a dBi point of reference. On the other hand, a dipole is quite capable of very reasonable performance and makes for a very usable point of reference. However, since it works better than an isotropic, gain ratings based on dBd's will produce a lower, less impressive number than if one used a dBi rating instead. You can bet that dBi is what the marketing department wants to use to make their gain rating look more impressive. As such, it is possible to buy an antenna that looks to be of a high gain rating ( using a dBi point of reference ) and end up with an antenna that is equal to or lesser than one using a dBd reference. Obviously, you have to know what the antenna was referenced to in terms of how they arrived at the specific gain rating.
Having said all of that, I am 100% certain that the APS antennas would work better than any Rat Shack antenna that they have in stock. The APS antennas are tuned specifically for the FM broadcast band and are a very specialized design. While Rat Shack does make strictly FM antennas along with FM / TV antennas, they do not have the physical size / element count / gain that the APS models do.
With all of that in mind, the APS models would be the way to go IF you want the ultimate in FM reception using a mass produced antenna. Going to even this Radio Shack FM antenna and mounting it on a rotor with proper aiming would produce FAR greater signal strength than any omnidirectional antenna. We are talking about three to four times the amount of range and signal strength.
As such, you might want to try the Rat Shack design and see if it will work for you. RS has a very liberal return policy and they can be found locally in most cases. I would caution that the results that one gets in the attic will not be as good as one achieves up on the roof out in the open, so keep that in mind. You might also want to remember that "height is might" when it comes to antennas and receiving signals, so do your best to get it up high and out in the open. If the RS antenna won't do what you want it to do, you will probably have to shell out the cash for one of the APS designs. Sean
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