FM antennae question

The higher that you get the antenna and the more "in the clear" that it is, the better the performance you will obtain. If you have nearby conduit in the wall or aluminum siding, this WILL "detune" the antenna. That type of a situation is known as a "nearfield reflection" and alters the antenna's feedpoint impedance, bandwidth, radiation / capture angle, etc...

Antenna's of this design ( base loaded ) REALLY need to be out in the open and above everything else to obtain OPTIMUM performance. If you are pulling in all of the stations that you want to at full quieting, i would not worry about it. Otherwise, there is room for improvement ( as slight as it may be ) depending on your specific situation. Sean
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I also use a "whip" dipole, the one made by Magnum Dynalab, up on the roof of my house. When we tested various antennae, this one sounded much better and had much better reception than the bigger array-type antenna that we also tried and that I assumed would be the best. Anyway, when the whip antenna was actually mounted, there was terrible reception! It turned out that it was mounted too close to the metal gutter and the gutter badly interfered, just like Sean said. So we curved the whip out from the house, away from the gutter and other trim, and reception was great. The antenna now does not point straight up to reach its highest point, but instead points sort of diagonally up and out from the house. So yes, the fascia etc. can be a big problem. But if you are listening and you don't hear static and noise, then you seem to be okay.

Thanks for the replies. The reason my brother bolted it lower was because of the drip-edge and shingles that hang over, maybe 3/4 to and inch. Bolting it lower allowed for the antenna to clear the drip-edge easier; in lieu of Sc53's message maybe it is best where it is at. The other thing I could do is make a bracket that will hold the base out from the house further and then move it up. (I am sure my brother would love this request!)

Brian- Your solution makes sense but the real question is do you hear any noise on the stations you like to listen to?