Hmm, may have to place a cover over it and test the range again. I have seen people place a thin plastic cover on them and still use them, although it would probably not be very noticeable, I could defiantly see how it could cause a reduction in signal. The great part about it, I am not really going for a super long range system. So even a slight reduction in range shouldn't make much of a difference in how I would like to fly. I am using a clover leaf, cp biquad combo. Next I hope to try a skew planner. Just need to build it. I want to hit 1 mile, just once to know I can. Then most of my flights will stay within that range. Not sure a biquad is what I needed to build, but I enjoy experimenting, and building these antennas. It is very rewarding when they are finished, and performing the way they were intended to.