Airband-specific antennas for a casual scanner user: worth it?

[Ubbe]

The off center performs almost as good.

If you look at a SDS scanners dBm signal level and note when the signal change 2-3dB, that's more or less the difference between the antennas and are sometimes hard to detect by ear. The folded dipole should work over a wider frequency range without loosing signal strenght compared to a standard dipole. The offset dipole have less signal strenght right at the bat but are covering a wider frequency range if one lenght of the dipole matches more to the lower range and the other end are matched more towards the higher end of the frequency band.

/Ubbe

 

[fasteddy64]

I found the Smiley Triband 144/220/440 antenna outperforms the RH-77CA on the airband and most if not all of VHF by a few dB. About 5 dB better on my local ATIS freq.

But isnt that a telescopic type antenna?
Not sure how good it is for true portable/walking around use.