To truly understand antennas, you have to get down with decibels. There are about eleventythousand tutorials on the 'net.

Antenna gain is a two way street. If the gain benefits the transmitter, it benefits the receiver.

Power amplifiers are a one way street. Boosts the transmitter on the end that has one, but the receiver on that end can't hear any better. Power amps are for very long links where both ends are working together. Both ends get the same power amp; both ends hear each other better.

Antennas improve the radio they are on. Either end gets a better antenna, you get a better signal.

I was using a 15 db Yagi on a 25 foot pole to point at 3 local hotspots 250 yards away. All running out-of-the-box home wifi routers. Marginal reception.

I put up a 24 dBi parabolic. Nothing, nada, zilch. I wuz robbed, man. I'm going to play with some antennas this weekend, just for laughs.

It would help if you provided a distance.

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