I do not have an optimal mounting location for an antenna. I live in a 5th floor apartment with a juliete balcony. I mounted the Proton on my balcony railing. The antenna is only one foot from the building's exterior wall. Only the top section of the antenna clears the roofline. I painted the antenna to match the exterior of the building. I am impressed with the performance. My swr reading on a Diawa meter is 1.3 across the 11 meter band. Considering where it is mounting I think that is impressive! I get great signal reports from every contact I make. I have 18 feet of coax and my rig is an RCI 2970N3 with a 50 amp power supply.To sum it up, I couldn't be happier with the antenna!