I'm not telling you guys that what you are doing, and have been doing for years, won't work.
The reason I posted what I did is because alot of guys may think that there is no penalty, when an antenna system is modified.
(I know that I would have if I didn't already know better.)
Maybe on a pylon racer or park flyer that never gets more than a couple hundred yards away, it is fine to shorten a rx. antenna.
My point was/is that for the average "Joe", modifying the antenna is a mistake. Quite a few years ago when I was just learning to fly, I was flying a powered glider. It got so far away that by the time one of the other guys saw what was happening the plane was just a dot in the sky. He had no idea, and neither did I, which way it was going. As he was running towards me he kept yelling "left & up" over and over. We saw the dot move left & up. He grabbed the transmitter, turned the plane around and flew it back. That was at an extreme range and we still had full controal of the plane. When I say a dot,,,I mean like this--->.<. How much range can ya give up? I guess it depends on how far away you plan for your plane to get. Good flying to all.