[flybouy]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Right. That's another classic difference between science and engineering ("industry"). Science considers an "omnidirectional" antenna to be a point source radiating in all directions (isotropic). Industry realizes that an antenna with that radiation pattern has next to zero practical use, so they use the same term to mean that it merely radiates in all compass directions. It's the reduction (redirection) of the power otherwise wasted in vertical signal that produces the antenna's gain.

I was taught that engineering is a science. Can you tell me your source for the 7 dB gain for the omni directional antenna that you cited earlier? I was referencing the antenna itself, being non amplified and not an antenna/amplifier package.