Dear John,

Compared to what you, your father-in-law, and your family are going
through, questions about the Wellbrook antenna seem insignficant. I
hope you and yours find the strength to pull through this. (The
"dedicated" health-care "professionals" in ALL countries offer poor
care nowadays. It seems to me [in the USA] that the only "dedication"
many [most?] of these people seem to have is to themselves.)

So I'll just make one quick comment; you will be able to observe this
for yourself (and, actually, you already have). Many antennas will
cause the S-meter to show a stronger signal than the Wellbrook, yet,
especially in the summer, you will be able to hear the signal far
better via the Wellbrook than most other antennas. This is because the
other antennas boost the noise along with the signal. The Wellbrook
attenuates electrical and atmospheric noise. Its gain is not as great
as many other antennas, but its signal-to-noise ratio (which is all in
which you are interested) is far better than any other antenna I have
personally tried or experienced. In short, it just doesn't matter what
the S-meter reads. The bottom line is: "can you hear the signal with
good intelligibility?"

I (and I know all the rest of the members of this group) sincerely wish
your father-in-law a speedy and complete recovery and for you and your
family to get through this most terrible time.

Best,

Joe