
Danny - If I can get a day off in the next month or so, I'll pop over and see what I can help with if you're willing to accommodate an extra pair of hands?
You'll hopefully have the tank-whip up by then and that may have improved matters slightly.
I can always bring my Antron along anyway and plug that in too if we can, to see if a 17ft aerial makes any difference to your reception.
It may be that like where I'm situated, it's quite difficult for you to hear anything other than SSB bouncing in or FM stuff in the back of your set on a 9ft aerial. If the most "local" breakers are 30+ miles away, then it may just be that your system will be all but useless for normal point-to-point groundwave useage. Many a new operator has fired up a CB radio to bring back the memories or relive their childhood, only to find total silence apart from white noise and that the channels aren't chockablock like they were in the late 70' and early 80's.
Don't lose hope just yet though.