But you have to remember that a 5/8 lamda whip is really trying to be a
1.25-lambda dipole with half of the dipole kind of provided by the perfect
conductor infinite ground plane.

Just like a 1/4-lambda whip (vert) is similarly "equivalent" to a vertical
1/2-wave antenna.

A 1.25-lambda doublet (I won't call it a dipole for obvious reasons) has a nice
broadside gain over a 1/2-wave dipole.

Hey, if you orient it vertical, you have an omnidirectional "beam".

"Load your downspout!"

Jack, K9CUN