Yes I ran the antenna wire through the ball base and yes I drilled the hole all the way through the aluminum adapter. Not very difficult to remove the 90deg connector from the wire, but you need a soldering iron with a very small tip to fit inside. Take the screw out of the back of the 90deg fitting and the connection will be exposed, test if your soldering tip will fit inside. The brass is crimped as the wire goes into the 90deg fitting, this can not be removed without breaking. Just go ahead and let it break, and just re solder it when you are done.