My GainMaster was junk, crap, trash, poop - until I elevated it well up & away from any other antennas, trees, wires, yellow jacket nests, etc, then it woke the F#c% up!
Now it bests the metal 5/8 by the exact 2dB claimed.
Center fed verticals like the Gainmaster are like that. They don't like to be close to an earth. That first wavelength or so in height above an earth makes a night and day difference.
The DB