On 16 Jun 2005 11:44:19 -0700, "
wrote:

The short ones appear to be between 4-6 inches in
length. There is some variation in their lengths.

Hi Mike,

You can expect some "minor" variations. Tuning these up will NOT
change a poor situation.

I'm not very confident that
the local supplier pre-cut the antennas, although they may well have. A
phone call will answer that.

The call to the supplier will draw a blank here. They provide goods,
not services. The antennas are "factory tuned." Installation is not
a matter of making things fit like a cabinet maker.

An installer would make sure of sufficient sheet metal to offer the
antenna a counterpoise - this is an implied presumption that a garage
mechanic would be wholly unaware of. In this regard, your antennas
WOULD be seriously detuned. Trimming them will do absolutely nothing
to improve this. As has been pointed out, you need real metal
footings.

Researching this last point may take some effort to match to your
situation of neglect and tight purse strings.

As an aside, this particular company appears to make little if any
investment in their people.

You run in serious chance of upsetting the apple cart in an attempt to
shine - not the response you would care for. A friend once pointed
out to me in a similar situation:
If it was important to them, it wouldn't be a problem.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC