Owen Duffy writes:

Various antennas include a resistance somewhere, and although it means
loss, it limits the feedline VSWR excursions with frequency and the loss in
the resistor may be more than offset by the reduction of feedline loss at
some frequencies.

Not so useful for most amateur applications, but very useful for what
remains of professional HF radio. Frequency agility is often required,
particularly by the military, and operators either don't have time, or
skill, to fiddle with antenna tuners. Unless you are manpack portable,
the loss of signal can be made up by increasing power.

Automatic antenna tuners are getting ever better, though. May be these
designs are getting less popular.

LA4RT Jon