How much does the positioning of the phone in the car affect it's antenna effectiveness and directionality. I'm astounded that you can "bury" the phone in a pit beside the gear shift with a pile of metal on top (the dashboard) and it still works.

The engineering me needs to place antennas optimally! Even though burying the phone in a pit and it still works it still irks me and I want to see it in an optimal placement where it is minimally shielded. Why don't car manufacturers have a place for the phone in the roof or something so that it gets optimal antenna placement? Yes it would be unseemly but wouldn't we get much better reception?