Hi John, it may be the case that the standard twig was picking up everything that was available, I must admit I've been very surprised by its excellent performance - it may well be that the Watson Radar Extender doesn't significantly improve my reception when I get it up, other than the fact it will be clear of the very limiting roof ridge to the East, and it's build for external use, which the standard twig isn't. It could be that your physical location is the limiting factor - sorry if that may disappoint, but it may well be the case. The 3 radials form the ground plane, the same as the CD size disc with the standard twig. About 20 years ago, I built a discone out of thin stainless steel sheet, to the same dimensions as a Royal discone, the performance was hugely better, but couldn't be erected outside - interesting exercise though!