Two days into the suction-cup showdown, one of them quit. He wishes the news were better. Both were on the glass when he got in. Another cold night. He shot a short, to be cut into this video, of the walk-up: both mounts, a hand on each, a small tug. One came off in his hand.
From across the lot he cannot see a failure. Nothing on the ground. The weather app says 11 degrees and feels like 5. They look fine. Then one is not. Two days, and a touch was enough. That is not a mount he will trust with an antenna.
The RecPro
It is the RecPro. Almost no effort. A hand, a slight pull, and it was off the glass. The product page had it on the side of an RV and on a building with real weight. He does not know the weather in those photos. Central New York is the test he cares about. Somewhere else, maybe. Here, no. There was no antenna on it. No load. Its own weight. He will not put an antenna up there, and he will not put a pricey one anywhere near it. An ATAS, he says, runs about $330 or $350. The Nagoya behind him, only the tip in frame, is a couple hundred dollars and it has weight.
The reason it had looked useful was the standoff. PVC and clamps would have pushed an antenna past the lip he showed in the first video of the pair. He is not sure the Look North head gives him that same depth.
What He Already Hung
He did not wait out the seven days. The antenna went on the Look North mount, not on the one that failed. It was the Gable antenna, about 3 ounces, so the test was almost no weight. The wire curved around the top of the window. He may drop the Look North mount lower and get the clearance that way. The ATAS on that head is still an open question. He thinks the mount is solid. Solid enough that, after the last video, he bought a second one. He needs more than one antenna on the building. He did not buy a second RecPro. He is glad. Whether he returns this one is the part he has not decided. He wanted both to work. The series is thinner with one of them on the ground.
The seven-day clock is still running for the mount that stayed. The failure was not even two full days. Afternoon install, a morning check that counted as half a day, then this morning, about a day and a half, and it let go. He compares it to a hot knife.
Look North has a short discount, 20 percent off. The mount is not cheap. At that discount he thinks it is still about twice the RecPro. Without the discount, almost three times. He thinks it is worth it. He does not want the RecPro on camera anymore. He will not recommend it. Someone else should test their own. The only job he can picture is a PVC mast that already touches the ground, with this cup just keeping a light antenna from wandering. Nothing with weight, and nothing tall enough for the wind to take. If a hand pops it, the wind will. He almost grabs it again while he is saying so.
He understands why some makers would not send a mount. They may already have known an empty cup would come off, and a loaded one is another question. He wants comments.
The faith he still has is in Look North, because of Scott. Scott designed it and founded the company. Kevin watched him test it on his own vehicle against a mag mount, then on that vehicle as a daily driver, and talk about highway speed with the antenna on. The RecPro does not get that confidence. Return it, or find a job for it. He asks which.
He puts the share of viewers who are not subscribed at about 92 percent, and the stats say many of them come back. Half of that 92 percent, he says, and the radio giveaways would already be running. A couple of radios at 500 subscribers. More at 1,000. Better radios at each milestone after that. Comments if the gift should be something else. A thumbs-down needs a reason.
Transcript
Two days in, one suction cup quit. Both were on the window in the morning. A cold night. The short he will edit in is the walk-up, a tug on each, and one in his hand. From a distance nothing is on the ground. Eleven degrees, feels like five. Then the RecPro is off. Two days. A slight pull. It will not hold an antenna.
The product photos showed it on an RV and on a building with weight. He does not know those climates. Central New York failed it. It might work somewhere else. This mount had no antenna and no load, only itself. He will not hang an antenna there. An ATAS is about $330 or $350. The Nagoya behind him, tip in frame, is a couple hundred and has weight. The depth, plus PVC and clamps, would have cleared the window lip. He is not sure the Look North mount stands off far enough.
He did not wait seven days. The antenna he tried was on the Look North mount. The Gable antenna, about 3 ounces. It curved over the top. He may lower that mount. The ATAS is undecided. He bought a second Look North after the last video, for more than one antenna, and he did not buy another RecPro. He may return this one. He wanted both.
The seven days still apply to the mount that held. This one was up from late afternoon, so the first morning was half a day and this morning about a day and a half. At 20 percent off, Look North is still about twice the RecPro in his estimate, and almost three times at full price. He thinks it is worth it. He will not recommend the RecPro. Test your own. Maybe as a steady for a light antenna on PVC that already reaches the ground. Not weight, and not height the wind can grab. A hand popped it. Some makers would not send a sample. He thinks they knew. Comments.
He still trusts Look North because Scott, the designer and founder, showed it against a mag mount on his own truck and talked about daily driving at speed. Return the RecPro or keep it. About 92 percent of viewers are not subscribed, many of them repeat viewers. Half of those and the giveaways would be underway. A couple of radios at 500 subscribers, more at 1,000, better radios after that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which mount failed?
The RecPro. He had seen it on the maker's site on the side of an RV and on a building, holding weight. He does not know those climates. Central New York, after a cold night, a hand and a slight pull took it off. It may work somewhere else. It did not work for him with nothing on it.
What was already on the Look North mount?
The light Gable antenna, about 3 ounces, from the day he got impatient. It bent a little around the top of the window. He is not sure the Look North head sits far enough off the glass to clear the lip with a bigger antenna, and he is not sure about the ATAS yet. He calls that mount solid enough that he ordered another instead of a second RecPro.
What does he want people to tell him?
Whether they would return the RecPro or find a use, and what they think of this kind of mount. Some makers would not send a sample. He thinks they already knew an unloaded cup might pop, and a loaded one is a separate question. Subscriber milestones he names: a couple of radios at 500, more at 1,000, better radios as the counts climb. He puts the unsubscribed share of viewers around 92 percent, including people who come back.