It's pretty much like the old style mast antennas, but it's amplified so it should improve the quality of the broadcast radio signal, means that it should help on long road trips. to a lesser degree it's claimed that they are more aerodynamic than the old masts. I wanted it since I knew it would fit under my roof rack and not be an eyesore, and finding a good replacement power antenna for my wagon is getting difficult since I broke the last power antenna that was on the wagon....