Any advice appreciated, thanks. G.
Any advice?
Sure. Don't do it.
You can't take a 19" long whip and cram it into a 3 inch tall plastic can. You can try, but they don't radiate worth poop. They are very narrow banded. They won't handle much power.
Every one I know who has tried one of the "low profile" VHF antennas has regretted it. I think the most any one has lasted was about a week. It was removed and replaced with a 19" whip.
The only good application for the 'soup can' VHF antennas is short range, narrow bandwidth, and in case you missed it, short range.
Cheaper to just buy a dummy load, and works about as well. At least the dummy load has more bandwidth.
On UHF, they work OK. Not great, but not as bad as on VHF.
The only dual band VHF/UHF low profile antennas I've seen are from Cheap Chinese Antenna manufacturers.
Reputable companies that make low profile VHF antennas, like Sti-Co don't make these. They know they don't work. They make them that hide in the AM/FM antenna, behind a license plate, inside the bumper, etc.
Really, don't waste your money.
If low profile is what you want, use a 19" whip. It'll work well on VHF as a 1/4 wave, and will work on UHF as a 3/4 wave. They are thin, and blend in well.
Here's what a UHF model looks like. Now imagine trying to jam 19" of radiator in there...