Glad to see all the thoughtful discussion here.
I would like to say a few things about transmission lines. If you have an infinitely long transmission line (feed line) any energy you put into it will propagate down the line never to return, zero reflected. That is because the line just ahead of the wave has the same impedance as the impedance where the wave is. It is 'matched'. It has Z0 impedance, typically 50 ohms.
Another solution that mimics the infinitely long line is to terminate the line with a Z0 impedance (50 ohms). That termination can consist of a resistor or more useful a resonant antenna. Notice that a transmission line with a Z0 termination results in no reflected power irrespective of the line length!
As it turns out there are three cases that describe transmission line behavior without messy complex math. A shorted termination, an open, and the Z0 termination just described. The short and open are useless for moving power as it yields 100% reflection. No power exits the far end. The main goal here is to move the power from one end of the cable to the other end with minimal loss and that results with a Z0 load.
Transmission lines with non Z0 terminations will result in a range of impedances at the input simply by changing its length! This is an advanced topic. When the line is terminated with Z0 the impedance at the input is, once again, is Z0 independent of the length! That is good news indeed and simplifies our lives.
If you want long range put your antenna as high as you can, ideally in the open. There is loss in the cable and the longer it is the more loss. This is usually offset by the signal gain due to height. Just look at cellular towers.