separate ant + RB VS LHG

just curious, is the separate setup still “a thing” in AC systems?
are there any losses or signal degradations when using ac modulation with “external” antennas?

to ask in detail, will a jirous 24dBi antenna + rb922 (922UAGS-5HPacD or similar ac rb) work as good as a normal LHG 5 ac?

It depends on the antennas specification - angle beam width, dBi, polarization etc…