Just a thought John

Is it a directivity issue or that rotating it places the device in a
null? The way to check is to move the entire antenna some distance in
the horizontal plane, then try the rotation test again. We are talking a
small distance here, no more than a halfwave at the operating frequency
- say 6-12 inches/150-300mm maximum. Leaning on the mast would be good
enough for testing..

Yes chopping the end off the antenna will make it less directive and
lower gain. Will it be enough though? One has to ask how many degrees
"slightly" is. (Decreasing gain means an increase in the half power
beam-width) Simplest answer is to not theorize but try it! If the angle
between stations is too great a second antenna may be the only easy
solution.

Cheers Bob VK2YQA

John wrote:
will that make the antenna less directional?. Or if not, is it able to be
done?