At risk of stating the obvious, you should range check any new installation. For years I've installed the antenna for my 72MHz receivers inside the fuselage on both sailplanes and pattern. Sailplanes are typically flown at greater distance than a pattern plane. That is until my latest project, a sailplane. On the ground it would not get the recommended range with the antenna either in or taped to the fuse. When I attached the antenna end to the vertical stab tip, the ground range was 60% greater than the recommendation. I don't know if the reduced range was due to the fuse finish or the C/F pushrods.

Allan