"
Schottky diodes have lower forward voltage drop than silicon, though I
can't remember if it's lower than germanium. "

I think they go lower in forward drop, but I am not sure how they are with RF. They were used quite a bit in SMPSes but that doesn't mean you can just hook them up to an antenna and pick up WKRP in Cincinnati. But it does seem logical they could. I think the capacitance is an issue, an SMPS can punch though that no problem, a long wire antenna not so much.

Germanium has alot of problems, and one of them is temperature. They can only go to 100C whereas silicon can go to 200C. That is a whole different derating factor there, only half. So some silicon diodes are much better despite the voltage drop.

All this **** is only useful in very low level stuff. Nobody with half a brain would use a germanium diode or transistor in a modern design unless there was good reason. The last time I heard about it was Phase Linear, Bob Carver used germanium transistors in the current limiting circuit. I know because I had to deal with it a few years ago.

Also, there is a guy on here that wants to fix a bench power supply that uses germanium a transistor for current regulator. I would like to help but I am not quite sure what to do. There is a diode in the circuit which would have to be replaced, and then the circuit must be redesigned for the silicon transistor. I only saw a partial print of it, ad really though I can get the current limiting and whatever working, it would not be calibrated. Germanium is funny stuff. I is much different to what I am used to these days.