Have you tried it for scanning? I took a look to see if they still sell it and they do.
good ballmount for 102 whip
- Thread starter bluestallion
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Have you tried it for scanning? I took a look to see if they still sell it and they do.
GregFromOregon
Member
I second that
I've had 2 chrome plated ones that end up rusting after a while, looking like crap. The stainless one has gone several years and still looks great.
Same goes for the spring, find a stainless one if you can.
I've had 2 chrome plated ones that end up rusting after a while, looking like crap. The stainless one has gone several years and still looks great.
Same goes for the spring, find a stainless one if you can.
Most of my experience has been with the good ol' Motorola eight ball. Heck, there are trucks out there with a 20+ year old /\/\ low band antenna and are as solid as ever. I have used Antenna Specialist also and they're OK. Never heard of Breedlove, but after taking a look they seem very beefy and should work well (for a price).
What I would like to relate is the failures of a ball mount to give you a idea of what to look for. First, is the plastic mounting plate (looks like Breedlove uses metal front and back so no issue here). Is it thick and strong, and it UV stabilized so it won't get crispy over time and break the center out when you hit that low hanging branch? Like I said Motorola mounts have decades of service.
Second, the split ball has to have the tightening bolt torqued way down to keep whip vertical. If the threads on the base side are wimpy, they will just strip out when you tighten. At that point you're screwed.
Third, if you bend the spring over you will see a connecting wire/braid from top to bottom inside. If this wire is cheaply made it will break over time. Now the RF has to flow just through the spring. OK until you get dirt and crud between the windings. Now it turns into a coil and affects your tuning as it flexes and also starts to pop and crackle as you go down the road.
I like the ones with the horseshoe backing plate as you can install them in a blind cavity without access to the back to tighten bolts (there's a trick to doing this, wonder if there's a you tube video for this).
Anyways, I guess all mentioned should work, but you get what you pay for.
Now a funny story. Many moons ago I had a nameless law enforcement agency utilizing low band. An officer took his patrol car to the car wash. As the vehicle moved through the whip got caught in the overhead revolving brush and bent it into a nice curly-Q. The spring was stretched out to about 18". Took about a half an hour to extricate the car. I chuckled softly as I replaced the antenna.
What I would like to relate is the failures of a ball mount to give you a idea of what to look for. First, is the plastic mounting plate (looks like Breedlove uses metal front and back so no issue here). Is it thick and strong, and it UV stabilized so it won't get crispy over time and break the center out when you hit that low hanging branch? Like I said Motorola mounts have decades of service.
Second, the split ball has to have the tightening bolt torqued way down to keep whip vertical. If the threads on the base side are wimpy, they will just strip out when you tighten. At that point you're screwed.
Third, if you bend the spring over you will see a connecting wire/braid from top to bottom inside. If this wire is cheaply made it will break over time. Now the RF has to flow just through the spring. OK until you get dirt and crud between the windings. Now it turns into a coil and affects your tuning as it flexes and also starts to pop and crackle as you go down the road.
I like the ones with the horseshoe backing plate as you can install them in a blind cavity without access to the back to tighten bolts (there's a trick to doing this, wonder if there's a you tube video for this).
Anyways, I guess all mentioned should work, but you get what you pay for.
Now a funny story. Many moons ago I had a nameless law enforcement agency utilizing low band. An officer took his patrol car to the car wash. As the vehicle moved through the whip got caught in the overhead revolving brush and bent it into a nice curly-Q. The spring was stretched out to about 18". Took about a half an hour to extricate the car. I chuckled softly as I replaced the antenna.
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jhooten
Member
Not totally. A longer bolt, a nut, and a flat washer and you are back in business. Not pretty but will get you by until a proper fix (read replacement) can be done.
Replace the spring reuse the antenna as a constant reminder to the officer think first next time.
bluestallion
Member
does anyone know how big the backing plates are on the radioshack ballmounts?? Breedlove has a ballmount that uses a 2inches backing plate. Was wondering if thatd be enough to hold a 102 whip? Thanks to anyone that can help
I think that would depend a great deal with what the backing plate would be holding the mount -to-, as in the strength/thickness of the sheet metal. Also upon just how much abuse you think that 102 inch whip would be subjected to. I don't think it's the mount or backing plate so much as it would be the metal it's mounted to. Since you're familiar with your vehicle and I'm not, I think you'd have to make that decision.
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
reedeb
Member
I used a ball mount from Rad Shack yrs ago on oneof my trucks. I had it on for 8 yrs and really banged it up quite a bit driving thru the woods, chasing ATV's. I never had it break, lose the antenna, or anything. When I got rid of the truck the mount was still there and the user ran HIS radio off it for several more years.
Say what you think about the RS ball but they will last [personally I think some out here are radio snobs and have money to waste]
I'll be gone for several days so feel free to flame away.
Say what you think about the RS ball but they will last [personally I think some out here are radio snobs and have money to waste]
I'll be gone for several days so feel free to flame away.
bluestallion
Member
Does anyone know if the TLN6589C Motorola ball mounts are any good? Or if the Andrew ASP-3 is a good one? I cant find any pictures of it on the internet. Anyone used either of these before?
jhooten
Member
It is on its fourth vehicle.
Ignore the rust on the spring, it is splatter from grinding not the spring itself
Ignore the rust on the spring, it is splatter from grinding not the spring itself
bluestallion
Member
Did you put bigger bolts on the mount? or do they come that way? So if i can get one, i better jump on it?
bluestallion
Member
![IMG_1205[5].jpg](/data/attachments/18/18358-6ea374d4fbd6344cd7917ad4d816f926.jpg)
![IMG_1206[2].jpg](/data/attachments/18/18359-b66058169580e09233d11a6a8d0c4e0a.jpg)
bluestallion
Member
The GE and Motorola mounts are both excellent. At that point, you can shop by price.
jhooten
Member
They are the ones that came in the kit.
They show up on ebay often. I would not hesitate to buy another.
jhooten
Member
That is the one.
Tessco currently has the Laird and Maxrad ball mounts but I always used the Antenna Specialist ASP3 mount, which has a black mounting ring and black ball (ala CHP). I also installed a couple of the stainless AS balls, but the part number escapes me at the moment.
That Motorola mount looks good though...that would cover the bill nicely as well.
That Motorola mount looks good though...that would cover the bill nicely as well.
The ASP3 is the black ball, which was a CHP staple for decades. I have two and have never had a problem with them.
Wander around the CHP group on Flickr to see examples of the ASP3:
Flickr: California Highway Patrol Photos
They stopped using the ball mount as the primary antenna 20+ years ago, but even the new vehicles have them for a CB antenna if equipped, so you shouldn't need to search the group pics too hard to find some nice photos.
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