Several months ago I had a temporary U/VHF base antenna.
It was a MFJ-1729 dual band mag mount stuck to a radial
plate on a 30' mast. I was feeding it with about 36' of RG58
that was made up of 3 sections, joined with SO-239 barrels.

I thought it was working great because I could hear a friend
on the input to a repeater some 50 miles away (he lives very
close to the repeater).

I improved the antenna with a mono band vertical, better
coax & more mast. My math says I gained 10' in altitude
and 2.7 db overall (factoring in new coax & better antenna).

All of a sudden my new, better & higher antenna could NOT
hear my friend! WTF? I figured it was a band opening and
forgot about it.....

Last week the ice storms caused a branch to fall, ruining my
antenna. Due to $$$ shortage (replacing my HF rig), I opted
to go back to the temporary setup. The tip of the antenna is
10' lower and overall gain is 2.7db less.

I can hear my friend again!

I don't get it - the premium antenna worked better except for
hearing my friend, where it worked worse. Anyone care to offer
an explanation?

Ken KG0WX