Antenna base assembly

Claim 1

An antenna base assembly for mounting an antenna mast on a vehicle body panel comprising: a base plate with a top surface and a bottom surface, said base plate having means for rigidly affixing said base plate to the exterior side of said vehicle body panel, and having an aperture therethrough from said top surface through said bottom surface, the diameter of said aperture at said bottom surface being less than the diameter of said aperture at said top surface to form a ball seat; an enlongated generally cylindrical mast holder, said holder having means at its top end for attaching the lower end of said antenna mast, means at its lower end for attaching a radio cable, and a generally spherical enlarged portion between its top end and its bottom end having a diameter less than the diameter of said aperture at the top surface of said base plate and greater than the diameter of said aperture at the bottom surface of said base plate, the upper surface of said enlarged portion of said mast holder being a plastic material and said mast holder being received through said base plate aperture so that said enlarged portion is pivotably seated in said base plate aperture ball seat and said top end of said holder extends above the top surface of said base plate; and retaining means for locking said holder in a fixed position with respect to said base plate, said retaining means comprising a thin retaining plate with a generally central aperture sized so that said retaining plate fits over the top end of said mast holder and abuts said upper surface of said enlarged portion of said mast holder and means independent of said base plate affixing means for rigidly attaching said retaining plate to said base plate whereby said retaining plate frictionally engages said enlarged portion of said mast holder as said retaining plate is rigidly attached to said base plate to lock said holder in a fixed position with respect to said base plate.