Yes you are quite right I do tend to veer into the 'glass half empty camp'.
If anyone else is reading this, just for information, I have a bog standard aerial, replaced about fifteen years ago when the other one fell off its mast and was hanging by the cable, still got a good picture though. The picture I'm getting is good, no break ups, just the odd stutter in sound, well two occassions of about half a second duration. Although the aerial is pointed at Emley Moor, which is near Huddersfield I think, certainly in the West Riding the back of it points to Bilsdale which is heading out towards Newcastle and the scanner has picked that up to.
So if your dithering (I'm a great ditherer) but are getting good analogue signal now, go for it. There's plenty of help out there.