Hey everyone,
I decided to try my hand in making my own whips and figured I'd share my experience with you in case you're interested in making a set as well.
To do this, I ordered
almost everything from Amazon with Prime shipping and ended up with right at $100 in them excluding the tools I already own (heat gun, wire cutters/strippers, ring terminals, heat shrink butt-connectors, and some wire loom I had from a previous project). So what I ended up with is
a pair of 3 foot color-changing whips that are controlled by a single receiver so the whips are always in sync. The only issue I had was with the strip of LED lights; a small section of about 3 LEDs weren't working so I had to cut the strip and re-solder the wiring back onto it so I didn't have missing lights. You shouldn't have to solder anything since the strip comes with wiring on both ends and you just cut the strip on the indicators and you'll have a connector pre-wired for you on each end.
I've included a brief video to give you an overview of everything
watch it in HD:
I think they turned out well and they're not difficult at all to make so here's the shopping list of items with a link to each one of them:
- 3 foot CB antenna (this can be changed according to what size and color you'd like):
Amazon.com : TRAM 3-W-HC Fiberglass CB Antenna (White, 3 feet) : Two Way Radio Antennas : Car Electronics- 16.4 foot strip of SUPERNIGHT 5050 Waterproof LED lights (includes receiver and RF controller, but I ordered another receiver that's smaller and more "inline" with the wiring):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2F3KDQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00- LEDMO Mini IR Remote Controller ("Inline Controller" and includes spare remote):
Amazon.com: LEDMO Mini IR Remote Controller 44 Keys, DC12V, MAX 6A, for RGB LED Light Strip, RGB LED Tape: Home Improvement- 2-Pack of 4-pin Splitter Cables (this is what puts both whips into a single controller for color-syncing):
TronicsPros 2 Packs 4 Pin Splitter Cable for One to Two LED RGB Color Changing Strips with 6 Male 4 Pin Plugs (1 to 2 Splitter Cable/ 2 Pack) - - Amazon.com- 4-Pack of 4-pin 2 meter Extension Cables (you'll need one of these so you can span the gap in between your whips):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DPC3XHC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00- 10-Pack of 2.1x5.5mm DC Power Pigtails MALE (to power your whip controller and this will need to be spliced into some 16-gauge wire):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XTY8WUY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00- Clear Heat Shrink Tubing (I recommend getting a slightly larger diameter than what I got. It was a bit of a pain to get the LED-wrapped whips to slide through the heat-shrink because the LED strips have a gel coating that grabs the heat shrink):
Clear White Polyolefin Heat Shrinkable Tube 5.5M 18Ft: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific- LED Whip Lighted Switch with Relay (optional, but recommended):
Amazon.com: mictuning led Light Bar Wiring Harness 40Amp Relay ON-OFF Laser Lighted whip Rocker Switch Blue(2 Lead 12ft): Automotive- Light Bar Tube Clamps for 1.75" Tubing (I had to drill out the holes to accommodate for the antenna stud size):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01327Y03U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00- CB Antenna Stud (You screw the whip into these and these actually mount to the light bar mounts): $5 apiece at my local Pilot truck stop.
- 16-Gauge Wire from Home Depot (one roll of black and one of red to make the wiring harness): $5 apiece
Red -
Cerrowire 24 ft. 16-Gauge Primary Wire - Red-207-1203R24 - The Home DepotBlack -
Cerrowire 24 ft. 16 AWG Primary Wire - Black-207-1201R24 - The Home Depot- You'll also need an assortment of ring terminals, butt-connectors (or whatever you want to use to connect wires), and some wire loom (plastic ribbed sleeve for wiring).
And here are several pictures of my materials and you can see where the LEDs weren't working:
This is an example of where you cut the LED strips
Where I had to re-solder for the burnt out LEDs
I ran my homemade wiring harness through the roll cage so it's hidden
The red heat shrink is where I covered up my solder work
Let me know if you have any questions.