I'm pretty sure the hood is the problem. As steve mentioned, our hoods are non-magnetic aluminum. So even though we're grounded to the frame, the we're lacking sufficient "ground plane" which is created by the nearby metal plate to reflect the wave.

Who should use an NGP system? Here are some probabilities. Those with ...

* Fiberglass or plastic vehicles
* Hot air balloons
* Wilderness back pack frames
* Fiberglass pick-up bed caps
* Aluminum and/or fiberglass boats and canoes
* Aluminum and/or fiberglass cab-over campers (antenna on camper)
* Aluminum and/or fiberglass travel trailers