The weather joke in central New York is that five minutes is enough. Sun, then rain, then snow, and some days all three. Hot, then cold. That is the climate he wants a suction cup to survive, because the studio antenna cannot depend on a roof visit.
He wrote to makers. A lot of what comes up is a flag holder, not an antenna mount. A lot of them never answered. Some answered and said they did not want a review. He treats that as a question about the product. Two mounts made the cut. One he bought. One a ham built on purpose for an antenna.
What Amazon Showed Him
The search is suction cup antenna mount, and Starlink fills it, because a dish is an antenna. The RecPro is the one he ordered. RV mount. The listing shows PVC and hose clamps, stuck to the side of a camper. The company sells RV gear. He cannot find a weight rating, or what happens in the wind if you drive. His test is a window that does not move. The way they present it is a flag, or a light TV antenna, and he thinks the intent is that you take it off before you roll. Reviews disagree. People leave them up. A thick piece of PVC on an RV that does not reach the ground. A metal pole at a house for Wi-Fi or a cell booster, and it is holding. Glass, used as a flag. A wider photo of an antenna he calls hefty. The box on the site is black. His is white.
Further down the page, Look North Designs. A travel antenna mount, and the listing says CB, ham, truck, auto, RV, home, and travel. The price is the pause. The connectors are already there. No bracket he has to invent. A ground option. He was not sold. He wrote them. They wanted the mount in the test. That is the customer service he trusts, because they are willing to watch it fail in public. They sent the mount and a ground strap. The NMO plate was out of stock. That plate is for the Winlink gateway antenna. He ordered one and paid for it. Reviews are thin. What exists is positive, windows and RV sides, which fits a product that already has antenna hardware.
The rest of the scroll is the same imported flag mount. He does not want those under the Nagoya, and he does not want them under an ATAS-120. Look North had already said yes. The bag and the cable were on the way. He stopped shopping.
The clip that finished it is Scott’s. Scott founded Look North and he is a ham. Kevin will not run the whole video. A traditional three-magnet triangle, a hamstick, a luggage scale. A couple of pounds and the mag mount lifts off the vehicle. The suction cup, same pull, still seated at about 15 or 16 pounds. Scott stopped because he did not want to break the hamstick. Kevin’s reaction is to put one in his hands. Nagoya weight, ATAS weight. If the week goes the way he thinks, he buys another.
Prices, and a Note From Lauren
RecPro’s site says aluminum alloy, rust-free, no tools, on and off in seconds. Their own reviews are two. One says poor. He does not have high faith from that page. Buying direct costs more than Amazon. The Amazon listing is $39.95. He bought it a couple of weeks ago and thinks he paid closer to $20. He would have to check the receipt.
Look North on Amazon is $110. The website, while he is recording, shows $88 and no order button. The button sends you to Amazon at the full price. He is going to ask Scott and his daughter for a code so viewers can actually pay $88.
He cuts in from the edit. Lauren at Look North wrote back. The $88 figure was Cyber Week. It ended, which is why Amazon never showed it. They will give the same 20 percent off on Amazon. The code he reads is HR PLAYGROUND, all capitals. He thanks Lauren and Scott. He already sounds like he knows which mount wins, and he says he will probably order a second.
If the antenna needs a ground plane, the strap is another $24. A no-ground-plane antenna does not need it. If you do not want the 3/8-24 stud, the plate swaps for NMO, or you adapt it toward an SO-239.
On the Bench
The RecPro has already been out of the box. White carton, a plastic bag, a few hose clamps, the cup. The bottom says it is a glass plate. Lighter than it looks, and tougher than the plastic cups he has handled. Twenty dollars seems fair. In the mail video he said ten, and he thinks ten would be better. The test is whether it holds. It grips the table. He will clean the cup and the window. Both mounts go up for a week with nothing on them. Then weight. PVC, or whatever pipe, in the clamps, then the antenna.
Look North ships in a bag, with instructions and links to their videos, the parts, and how the ground attaches. The strap is optional. They included one so the ATAS has a ground path. Fifteen feet of coax. He hunts for a print on the jacket and lands on RG-58, PL-259s on the ends. A sticker for the fridge, going up the same day. A dust cover on the cup. The button pulls air until it will not move. The red line disappears. It holds the tabletop, not the mat under it, and then he has to release it. The plate is a 3/8-24 stud. A hamstick fits. So does the light Gable antenna that just arrived. An NMO plate opens the rest of the antennas. Same plan: clean, a week, no weight.
The Window
Cold, and snow. The glass has to be clean or the dirt becomes the reason a cup lets go. He does not know the last time these windows were washed. Window cleaner and paper towels, and he will speed the boring part. He keeps the mounts about level, not up high. The lip over the frame is the thing both heads have to clear. He thinks both stand off far enough. He has to adjust one while he is talking.
Then a can. Miracle Worker. Amazon, Walmart, or an auto-parts store. Spray, wipe. The glass is still dirty after the first pass. A dry towel. Still grimy. One more time.
RecPro first, because it has no dust cap and it has been through warehouses. Clean the face, release the handle, onto the glass, fold the handle down. Solid. It pulls the sash, the whole window in the frame, not the pane.
Look North goes higher and to the left. Same wipe. He calls the cleaner Windex the way people call every tissue a Kleenex. Push the button until the red line is inside and the button stops. It takes almost no effort. It is a little crooked. He leaves it. The week is about holding, not about pretty. Nothing hangs on either one.
Both are up. Part two is in a week. The giveaway he attaches to the subscribe button is several radios at 500, and he expects to do it again around 750 and at 1,000. You have to be subscribed, and you have to be on the live. The playground outside is covered in snow.
Transcript
Central New York changes by the minute. Sun, rain, snow, sometimes all three. He looked for a suction cup that could hold an antenna through that. Most products are flag mounts. A lot of makers never answered. Some refused a review, which makes him doubt the product. He bought one. A ham built the other for antennas.
Amazon’s search is full of Starlink mounts. The RecPro is an RV mount, PVC and clamps. Little detail on weight or wind while driving. His test is a fixed window. The listing reads as a flag or a light TV antenna, taken down before you drive. Reviews show people leaving them up: thick PVC on an RV, a metal pole for Wi-Fi or a cell booster, glass as a flag, and a photo of a heavier antenna. His box is white. Theirs is black.
Look North Designs calls it a travel antenna mount for CB, ham, truck, auto, RV, home, and travel. The price is high. The connectors and a ground option are already there. He wrote them. They sent a mount and a ground strap. NMO plates were out of stock. He ordered one, paid, for the Winlink antenna. Reviews are few and positive. The imported flag mounts stay in the search. The Nagoya is heavy. An ATAS-120 is the later antenna. He stopped looking once Look North said yes.
He will not play Scott’s whole video. Three magnets, a hamstick, a luggage scale. A couple of pounds and the mag mount lifts. The suction cup is still down at about 15 or 16 pounds. Scott stops so he will not break the stick. That is the sale. Kevin expects to buy a second if the week goes well.
RecPro’s site: aluminum alloy, no tools, and one of two reviews says poor. Direct costs more than Amazon. Amazon is $39.95. He thinks he paid about $20 a couple of weeks ago. Look North is $110 on Amazon. The site shows $88 with no order button. Lauren writes during the edit. Cyber Week is over. The same 20 percent is the code HR PLAYGROUND, all capitals, on Amazon. A ground strap is another $24 if the antenna needs it. The 3/8-24 plate can become NMO, or an adapter toward an SO-239.
RecPro: hose clamps, a glass suction plate, no dust cap. He said $10 in the mail video. Twenty seems fair. Ten would be better. A week with no weight, then add some. Look North: a bag, instructions, the optional strap they included for the ATAS, 15 feet of RG-58 with PL-259s, a fridge sticker, a dust cover, a button that pulls air until the red line is gone. A 3/8-24 stud fits a hamstick or the light Gable antenna.
Outside, he cleans glass that has not been cleaned in a long time. Window cleaner, then Miracle Worker from a can, then a dry towel, and it is still grimy. The lip over the window is the clearance problem. RecPro on the right. The handle locks and tugs the sash. Look North higher and left, a little crooked, button pressed until it stops. No antennas. Check back in a week. Giveaways at 500 subscribers, and he expects more around 750 and at 1,000. Be on the live, and be subscribed. It is snowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why these two and not the flag mounts?
The imports he scrolled were flag poles. The Nagoya behind him is heavy, and an ATAS-120 is the antenna he eventually wants on glass. Look North answered, sent the mount, and the hardware is already an antenna plate. Makers who refused a review made him doubt the product. The RecPro listing is an RV flag or a light TV antenna, not something you drive with. Reviews showed a fat PVC on an RV, a metal pole for Wi-Fi or a cell booster, and one photo of a larger antenna. His own test does not move. It is a window.
What did Scott's scale show?
A triangle of three magnets, a hamstick, and a luggage scale. A couple of pounds and the mag mount came off the vehicle. The suction cup did not move at about 15 or 16 pounds. He stopped there so he would not break the hamstick. That is the clip that made Kevin ask for one. If this week goes the way he expects, he will buy a second.
What is the first test, exactly?
Clean the glass and the cups. Dirt is how a cup lets go early. Window cleaner, then a canned cleaner, then a dry towel, and the glass was still grimy. RecPro on the right, handle folded, solid enough to tug the sash. Look North higher and to the left, button pressed until it stops. No antennas for seven days. Part two is whether they are still there. The lip over the window is the later problem, for whichever mount stands off far enough.