Hi Ed,

If it's rated for 50 watts, your 55-watt transmitter will work just
fine. You will lose 3dB in your cable and connectors, and only deliver
30-40 watts to the antenna.

Generally speaking, for any antenna from a reputable antenna provider,
the more metal in the sky, the better. But an inch or two won't make
enough difference to be discernable.

In fact, 10 dB is how much it takes for a mobile listener, listening to
NBFM, to notice the difference.

TEN DB! That means you have to change from 1 watt to 10 watts for me to
hear the difference.

As always, I say: work on the antenna first, receiver second,
transmitter third. You are doing the right thing.

All the best,
Dave

Ed wrote:

Hello,
I recently bought a Comet B-10 mobile antenna. However, I
noticed it's only rated for 50 watts, and my Icom IC-208H puts out 55
watts. I traded the B-10 in for a Comet-Maldol EX-104B which is only a
couple inches longer than the B-10; the bases look almost identical.
The EX-104B is rated for 100 watts. Anyone have any idea why these
two antennas are rated so differently for power handling?
--Ed G--