Is the J-Pole the ULTIMATE 10 meter band vertical antenna?

Рет қаралды 21,040

Күн бұрын

I was looking for a powerhouse antenna for the ARRL 10 meter contest. Will the J-Pole vertical antenna pull in the DX? Build one along with me and find out.
My favorite amateur radio gear: amzn.to/3QXrYgz
VHF/UHF J-Pole Antennas: www.jpole-antenna.com
KB9VBR Wire 10 Meter J-Pole Antenna Plans: bit.ly/41h0ypB
Parts list
17' - 14 gauge stranded wire
7' 10" - 450 Ohm Windows Line
SO-239 Chassis Connector or
Scrap piece of coax with PL-259 installed
Want to build this for the CB or 11 meter band? Add 3 inches to the window line length (8' 1") and 6 inches (17' 6") to stranded wire. Follow the same construction steps and keep the feed point at 6 inches from the base. This will drop the frequency down to 27 MHz.
As a bonus, patrons can view unedited content from the ARRL 10 meter contest. Visit my page on Patreon for details: / kb9vbrantennas
************
Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay.
*************
Like what you see? You can leave me a tip:
www.paypal.me/kb9vbr
Support Ham Radio Q&A by shopping at Amazon: amzn.to/2kO6LH7
Timestamp
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Why I don't sell 10 meter antennas
02:20 What is a J-Pole antenna
03:22 10 meter J-Pole antenna dimensions
04:00 Building a 10 meter J-Pole Antenna
06:10 Deploying the antenna
09:44 Testing the J-Pole during the ARRL 10 meter contest
13:48 Contest results and my thoughts on the 10 Meter J-Pole
My Parks on the Air setup:
Transceiver: amzn.to/3lmHoei
Battery: amzn.to/3xBGgbv
Tuner: amzn.to/2ZCNM9l
Folding Table: amzn.to/3xFIp5Z
Throw Weight: amzn.to/32QW2nB
Video Production Equipment:
Camera amzn.to/32UaXNX
Lens amzn.to/31mmDrX
Wireless Microphone: amzn.to/3xFVBb4
Microphone: amzn.to/3daoAdq
GoPro: amzn.to/3pkmP30
Music by license:
www.soundstripe.com
Contact Information:
Questions, comments, or business inquiries may be directed to kb9vbr@jpole-antenna.com. If you wish for your product to be featured on my channel, please contact me.
#Hamradio #AmateurRadio #POTA #ParksOnTheAir #PortableHamRadio
#10meterband #11meterband #JPoleAntenna #JPOLE #10meterantenna
#CBantenna #hamradiohowto

Пікірлер: 115

@Gabaab Ай бұрын

in my experience, Having tall trees one can access and use seems to be the biggest factor in how much fun HF can be

@JamesHindsW5ATJ 6 ай бұрын

Great video Michael. Thanks for posting.

@shellmaker10 6 ай бұрын

Very cool video!

@wildbill1 6 ай бұрын

Nice I’m going to have to build one now

@Dennis-sb7gp 6 ай бұрын

good job

@rossbassette7518 5 ай бұрын

A very smart, easy to deploy antenna. I "ll try this design

@dougdaniels 6 ай бұрын

Great tutorial, I'm planning on building one for 10m and 6m.

@madmoe1 3 ай бұрын

Dang! I made this per your specs, rings like a bell right out of the gate and I didn’t have to putz with it at all. Excellent tutorial. Thank you.

@KB9VBRAntennas 3 ай бұрын

That's awesome. It's great to hear the antenna is working well for you.

@BradSnyder1 6 ай бұрын

Pretty neat build Michael. I might have to give it a try sometime. Thanks for sharing it! 73

@45auto 6 ай бұрын

Nice description of how the j-pole works, the dimensions, and photos of the build itself. U-rah-rah

@TheREALJosephTurner 6 ай бұрын

I've been watching your videos for a while now, never realizing we've had multiple POTA contacts! Your 6-meter monster is on my wish list!

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

It's a pleasure to get you in the log. Thanks for all the contacts.

@TheGmr140 6 ай бұрын

Very good antenna for 6 meters 😊😊

@M0JSX 6 ай бұрын

Excellent stuff Michael. I built a 10m flowerpot antenna for the CQWW SSB contest a couple of months ago. I was amazed by the performance. I would guess a J pole and flowerpot would have similar characteristics given they are both essentially end fed dipoles, just matched a little differently.

@KE8ODY-WV-Ares-Ham-Dad-3O4 3 ай бұрын

Gosh I need one for my apartment 😊

@redeyegooner 6 ай бұрын

I just found my spirit animal ✨😁

@KK6USYHamRadioAdventures 6 ай бұрын

Well Michael you know me I have to make one lol! When Carlos jumped from the plane with a 20m J-pole I think that was the strongest signal I ever heard from him, the J-poles work thanks for sharing!

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

That's a lot of wire to trail behind him. Many, many years ago I foolishly built a 20 meter J-Pole. It was so long that I had to mount it as a sloper antenna.

@chrissewell1608 6 ай бұрын

Looks easier to build than an Ed Fong dual band antenna! I still haven't worked the bugs out of mine, yet! So, as a Tech who wants to finally get on 10 meters, while the band is open. This interests me tremendously! Thank you!

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I wish I built one of these antennas when I was a Tech just getting on 10 meters. It seems to work better than the first dipole antenna I hung up many, many years ago. The Ed Fong J-Pole uses a piece of coax in the middle of his antenna to provide a better radiation angle for dual band use. This antenna forgoes that because it is designed for single band operation.

@M7XCB 6 ай бұрын

My favourite homemade Jpole antenna i made same as this but in 600 Ohm ladder line works very well. I did 4m to in 450 Ohm ladder line works well to.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

One advantage of using 600 Ohm ladder line is that you can make the ladder portion yourself with wire and either 3D printed spreaders or the housing of cheap ballpoint pens.

@ICEDoTDK 6 ай бұрын

once again a Great video about our hobby, I also have an idea to have made someone with window Line 73

@MM0OPXFieldRadio 6 ай бұрын

Very good video and tutorial Michael, just one comment, I dont strictly agree regarding the coax length for tuning. I think the coax is being seen by the analyser as part the antenna and affecting the match with real SWR actually higher. 2 ways to prove this. Take an exact electrical 1/2 wavelength piece of coax to check or calibrate your analyser at the far end of your coax thus "nulling" it out. If you tune with either of these first, using any length of coax after should show the same. I'm not saying you dont have common mode but ideally it needs to be ruled out. I aleays enjoy seeing antennas being built, keep it up.

@gailpeterson4012 6 ай бұрын

I made a 160 J pole for the 1992 DX contest and hung it from a 300ft commercial tower. Was wire with pvc spacers. worked great. N7BXX look up our score

@Only_Hams 6 ай бұрын

I made one of these a year or so ago, talked to a guy in New Zealand the first time I used it. Works better than a ground plane quarter wave.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I would tend to agree. I will do a 1/4 wave vertical for ten meters when I'm out doing POTA, but this antenna seemed to deliver more, and stronger, signals. I may need to some WSPR testing between the two.

@Only_Hams 6 ай бұрын

@@KB9VBRAntennas well I have mine slung up in a tall tree (I think I briefly show it in one of my videos) and I'm in a urban area so I imagine just the fact that the take off is going over a lot more houses etc gives it an advantage over a ground mounted antenna. I would guess (and it is a guess) a 1/4 wave ground mounted with a lot of radials would outperform this is it was in a very open terrain. I would be very interested to see the results of a A/B comparison in a real world situation. I think this would be a lot easier to deploy as well and as we all know if we are talking POTA most times convenience trumps performance when you have a busy life! I tend to use a car mounted telescopic whip at this time of year and an end fed random wire in the summer which aren't the best. If I had all the time I suppose I would just set a full hexbeam. Anyway enough waffling, thanks for making an interesting video 73s

@pvdk 4 ай бұрын

I bumped into this video and it caught my attention. I will build my own 10m j-pole to test it against a inverted-L end fed have wave (80-10). Great instructions, nice signals (real dx). 73 Phil ON4VP

@KB9VBRAntennas 4 ай бұрын

Let me know how it works for you. I've received very favorable reports from others using the antenna.

@craigschley9191 6 ай бұрын

Michael, good job! I use my old pvc pipe plumbers delight moxon. Works great. Used it vertical for a few years before rigging it normally horizontal. I did about the same as you is number of qso's. Thanks! Ka0fsp

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

For next year I may build a Moxon. I have a couple of ideas brewing in my head.

@rondillon4136 6 ай бұрын

Hi Michael ..I think your videos are great fun ..I love the relaxed style and great information …hope to work you sometime soon…. Ron. GI8KZU Northern Ireland 73.

@Siskiyous6 6 ай бұрын

I think the Bruce array is the best vertical, but the J pole is a great antenna.

@2E0UDX 6 ай бұрын

Great job 👏 I see you worked my mate in Northern Ireland Rich GI4T 👍

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I was a bit surprised at how strong Europe was coming in on Sunday morning. It was fun getting all those DX stations.

@happyhome41 6 ай бұрын

Simple enough - perhaps you would add it to your product list ? Nicely done. Thank you.

@fubarsnafu4994 6 ай бұрын

I have an 88' eflw and never tried 10m on that antenna. Surprisingly not so bad with a tuner. Was going to invest in an Antron but after seeing this video I may have to dig around and see what I have in the junk pile. Cool video Thanks!

@radiotests 6 ай бұрын

Good idea, tuners make the match but at the cost of lost power. Resonance means better dB out the radiator!

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I didn't show it in the video, but I did some A/B signal testing between the J-Pole and my 71' end fed random wire. The J-Pole was a bit quieter and delivered signals 1-2 S units higher. Transformer efficiency, or the lack thereof, may be the cause of that.

@fubarsnafu4994 6 ай бұрын

I just acquired an alpha delta c and was in the process of putting up an ocef across from the eflw. The experiments never end.. Best wishes and great videos 73@@KB9VBRAntennas

@fubarsnafu4994 6 ай бұрын

I'm in the usual catch 22 with antennas, neighbors and regulations. Been using MFJ's since I was a kid. They work as advertised but you are correct. There is a loss. Only have an acre and contemplated a Butternut or equivalent. I'd love one or two antennas to cover all bands. Working on an ocef with an alpha delta c. I've seen the charts and SWRs are good all the way through 6m. More wire more experiments 73 @@radiotests

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

An acre is luxury. I have a 60x120 residential lot, so hanging antennas poses a significant challenge. But that makes us all the more resourceful and I do quite well with what I'm able to work with. Alpha Delta and Butternut are both excellent antennas and you'll do well with either. I knew a guy living in town that shoehorned his butternut vertical onto the roof of his cracker-box house. The guy could work the world with it.

@tblabey 5 ай бұрын

I built this and have been making contacts in Europe and South America. Thank you for the plan and the video! KQ4FBF

@KB9VBRAntennas 5 ай бұрын

That’s amazing! Verticals make great DX antennas and elevating this one a bit does wonders for that.

@James_Bowie 6 ай бұрын

Tip: to make the 50 ohm feed point connection cut easy, measure down 6 inches from inside a "window" to what will be the shorted end. Then measure the rest of the antenna from that 'zero inches' point (i.e. the shorted end).

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Not a bad idea. Thanks for sharing

@mattiasabom 6 ай бұрын

A great antenna! Need to build one! 73 SM6YEC

@joe-kb9rcr 6 ай бұрын

Michael, another great video and antenna project. I wish I had a scrap barrel as well-stocked as yours seems to be. 😆 Just wondering how you came up with the 6-inch dimension for the feedpoint. Is there a formula or is that from experience?

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Not throwing things away may be my downfall. But at least I have bits and pieces that I can repurpose for other projects. As for the feed point, when protoyping the antenna, I first used the formula's recommended feedpoint location of about 9 inches. That got me in the band, but I couldn't get the SWR down from 2:1. I then tried moving the feedpoint lower. I got a good match, but the resonant point was almost 30 MHz. So I ended up keeping the 6 inch feedpoint spot and adding a bit of wire until I was in band where I wanted to be. I think, in using the window line for the matching stub, the formulas aren't ideal as they are expecting the two elements to spaced further apart. You have to do a bit of tweaking to find that sweet spot.

@robertmeyer4744 6 ай бұрын

That a great antenna build, been thinking about j-pole for 12/11/10 meters. does get long. I want to get the GMRS one but have a problem hear. and not antenna eater. it's copper. it would be gone as sun sets . I am in Boston NY . same trouble getting back to you with the bands are now. I get UK easy. summer if shifts south a lot for me. I ger RIO and Sal Polo easy. I may try that 10/12 meter J-pole for POTA next summer. strap it to my DX commander pole and get it up. I get that common mode RF current . 9:1 is bad for that. longer coax with chokes or a 1:1 inline helps with that. also counterpoise wire when portable I found helps with noise floor as well but each place different. I got the J-pole in PCV pipe and that works good. I know your copper one will do better. but have copper bandits around hear. 73's

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

J-Pole style antennas do work well, but like I said, they don't scale well for the lower frequencies. One option you may have in discouraging other people's interest in the antenna is to paint it. This could help it blend into the surroundings.

@1crazynordlander 6 ай бұрын

Maybe you should offer this on your website? I would be interested! Thanks for including Measurements for CB radio.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

A few people have been asking for this, I'll see what I can do.

@1crazynordlander 6 ай бұрын

@@KB9VBRAntennas I have 10 meters covered but I will order an 11 meter version if you offer it. Thanks Kevin

@raymondmartin6737 6 ай бұрын

Very good. It should be good for 10 meter repeaters, such I have been on 29.65 repeater from central Switzerland on HB3HD to there and even Lebanon. 😊

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I built this antenna for 28.4 MHz, and it appears that the SWR will be close to 2:1 at 29.6 Mhz. You can use a tuner to extend the bandwidth, otherwise if you plan to use it exclusively on 10 meter repeaters, shorten the wire section about 6 inches and the ladder section about 3 inches.

@raymondmartin6737 6 ай бұрын

@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks 😊 Yes, I agree, I too figured the different lengths for 29.60. 73 de W2CH Ray New Hampshire.

@Yankee_Doodle_Stacker 5 ай бұрын

What a great video. Make a few of those and put them up for sale?

@che59v 6 ай бұрын

Great video , yet when done tests against a non resonating vertical (multi band) 40-6m band ( 8 meter long ) the difference between the two antennas on 10 Meter band was way too small ( if any) to notice, the multi band vertical needed an antenna tuner and gave great fixability while the mono bander J-pole worked very well on one band ( yet narrow ) and didn't need an external antenna tuner. It all comes to what one needs as well as personal preference, its all great fun. 73.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Yes, that is true. Any other day of the year I'd use a multiband antenna. But since this contest is limited to the 10 meter band, using a monoband antenna is a no-brainer. Plus there is a bit of satisfaction hauling in those contacts with nothing more than a few pieces of scrap wire.

@che59v 6 ай бұрын

@@KB9VBRAntennas Yep, the multiband vertical I carry with me is made out of scrap wires as well, just doesn't need the matching at the base as the antenna tuner takes care of it, anyways, as long as it works well it's all good.

@aerodicus 6 ай бұрын

Perfect for my 10 meter radio.

@enriqueacevedo7651 6 ай бұрын

Question: In the part of the video (5:49) where you solder the SO 239, why don't you instead install a 1 to 1 balun in that section?

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

That would be an option, although it adds complexity to a simple antenna project. An easier solution, and what's traditionally found on J-Pole antennas is to use a coax choke of integrated ferrites or 5 turns of coax in a 4-5 inch diameter circle.

@donaldsmith3048 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for ihe information. I have 10M on my EFHW. and I have 2M and 70CM covered. I need a 6M antenna. Can you do a 6M role up, and how far would it need to be offset from my tower?

@dannyboydkj7bpn 6 ай бұрын

I was going to make a 10m wire antenna to see if it would do better than my ocf. Your design looks pretty easy and might have to give it a try. I ended with 62 contacts. On the west coast, I didn’t hear much of the East coast either. Had a good path to SA for abit. 73 KJ7BPN

@kd5you1 6 ай бұрын

I used a 10 meter inverted V at 34' configured as a vertical with one counterpoise wire running North to South during the 10 meter contest, and I made two contacts to Argentina, and one to the Canary Islands. Most of the remaining contacts were to states on the east, west and North U.S. Oddly I didn't make any local contacts or to any in neighboring states. 73 KD5YOU

@radiotests 6 ай бұрын

@kd5you1 angle of take off. Simple geometry dictates how the signal reflects of the ionized layers and the return path. It's why we play with heights and takeoff angles to either get regional or DX.

@neillewis181 6 ай бұрын

I am going to try and build one now. Maybe you could add built ones or kits to build them to your product line. Hint, Hint 😊

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Not a bad idea.

@jerryKB2GCG 2 ай бұрын

Can you e dc plain what kind of ladder line you used and a source? Great video, Thank you!

@KB9VBRAntennas 2 ай бұрын

I used 450 ohm window line. It was a leftover piece from my stash, but I believe I purchased it from The Wireman: thewireman.com/product-category/feed-lines/ladder-line/

@donnakano3697 6 ай бұрын

Have been enjoying your videos for years, so thank you. Did a lot of experimenting with antennas about 50 years ago when I was just getting started, but life has gotten in the way, so I pretty much use commercially available antennas now. Two questions about J-poles, first some people connect the coax shield to the long element and others the center. Does it make a difference? Second, will the radiation angle for the third harmonic also be low, or will it behave like a 3/4 wave ground plane and have a high angle of radiation? Thanks and 73, de KH6HOU

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

In building and using J-Pole antennas for many years, I've found that it doesn't make a difference of on which 1/4 wave section you connect the center of the coax. They are still electrically connected to the 1/2 wave sections even though the phase difference of the 1/4 wave sections cancel each other out. You can use the J-pole antenna as a dual band antenna for VHF/UHF due to the 2rd harmonic radiation that you mentioned, but the RF radiation angle does become quite high. It's good for repeater and local contacts, but don't expect Dx or long distance communications.

@DaninVirginia 3 ай бұрын

Hey Michael, great antenna. I was wondering if you had any ideas about making that feed point tap connection stiffer or more strain resistant? I use heat shrink for support often, but probably kind of difficult with the window line? any thoughts welcome, thanks and 73 KD0MMF

@KB9VBRAntennas 3 ай бұрын

I've got a couple of ideas rolling around in my head. I have some requests by others to sell this antenna, but improving the feed point is my main concern. I'm thinking that maybe a set of binding posts with a BNC connector may be the solution, but I'm not sure. I'm also toying around with 3D printing something. The problem is the stiffness of the window line doesn't lend itself to too many good options.

@johndextersantos9541 24 күн бұрын

hello, love your video. I have a question, can't we just put a 64:1 transformer at the end of a straight copper tube?

@KB9VBRAntennas 23 күн бұрын

You could do that. An end fed half wave for the 10 meter band would be approximately 16 feet long with a transformer at the end. It could be deployed vertically, or horizontally if you choose. The J-Pole eliminates the need for a transformer, so you gain a bit of efficiency over what an EFHW could do.

@avrumo 6 ай бұрын

Even though the contest has passed , your Video Michael has inspired me to build this very soon ! Got the XL's approval , no radials ! LOL 73, AJ W5heh

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

There's still lots of 10 meter opportunity as we are near the top of the solar cycle. I hope to catch you on the air.

@richardmarks7755 4 ай бұрын

What is allowable wattage of this antenna? I love your videos and I bought a 2 meter J-Pole from you a gew years ago. I use it everyday! Thanks! Richard in SC. N4RSM

@KB9VBRAntennas 4 ай бұрын

I used 100 watts for the contest, but I don't see any reason why this antenna couldn't handle 500 watts or more.

@N0RMJ 6 ай бұрын

Do you recall what gauge the ladder line was? Also looks solid or is it stranded?

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I used 16 gauge solid line

@dockrebs 6 ай бұрын

Great stuff! When will this be available on your product menu. I'm a buyer, not a builder.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Possibly, more than a few people have asked about it.

@bsv2806 5 ай бұрын

What is that program on your PC? I've only had a ham license for about a month now. Thank you.

@KB9VBRAntennas 5 ай бұрын

I'm using the N3FJP contest log: www.n3fjp.com/

@bsv2806 5 ай бұрын

@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks. I'll check it out.

@jerryKB2GCG 6 ай бұрын

How much power can that antenna handle ?

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

I had no problem using it at 100 watts. It should handle more as the wire would be capable of that.

@reidtillery2856 5 ай бұрын

How far can you transmit locally ( no slip) on 10 meters?

@KB9VBRAntennas 5 ай бұрын

Depending on terrain and power, ground wave for 10 meters is usually about 10-20 miles.

@VicGreenBitcoin Ай бұрын

Never understood the J Pole design why people love it so much, its provides marginal gain over a quarter-wave ground-plane antenna and in real world test the J-Pole even has a loss over a quarter-wave ground-plane antenna. (also they are not real omni-directional as on paper) What are your thoughts on this?

@Old-Painless 6 ай бұрын

Ok, I'm relative new. What does the Whiskey India mean when you end your contact? BTW, I dipped my toe into the 10meter contest not as a contestant but responding to contesters and talked to FL, western US, Alberta, and Cuba. My first 10 meter contacts! BTW, I'm going to whittle down an old 102" whip add some radials and tune it for 10 meters. Then I might try your Jpole. I use your VHF/UHF Jpole for talking locale.

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Whiskey India are the phonetics for Wisconsin. The exchange for the contest is signal report and state/province or a serial number if you are a DX station. Contesters are typically punching in the abbreviation into their logging system, so giving the phonetics gives quicker recognition. A 1/4 vertical makes a great 10 meter antenna, that's what I typically use on that band when out doing a POTA activation.

@tommcmichael8679 6 ай бұрын

How many watts did you run?

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

100 wtts

@CC-hk6vy 6 ай бұрын

You need a mine boom and VOX hihi

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

Normally I would, but since I was only doing 'hunt and pounce' I didn't take the effort to set up my headset.

@bikerush1 4 ай бұрын

Are you making these for sale if so how much...

@terryshackelford712 Ай бұрын

I will second this question.

@u2fanforever1 6 ай бұрын

Well, I'm a new ham, made contact with you a few days back - and now it appears I'm going to build an antenna. I imagine this has to be thrown 25-30 ft into a tree correct? And the coax, at least 6 feet long - but is there a maximum? And last - does it matter the gauge of the ladder line? 18 or 16? 73 VE3DZO

@avrumo 6 ай бұрын

Depends how much Power you plan to run , for me, (permanent ), would do the 16ga. , if you mostly do QRP and want the lighter weight like for POTA , SOTA or Portable , look at the weight difference . Happy Build, 73, AJ W5heh

@KB9VBRAntennas 6 ай бұрын

The antenna is about 26 feet long. I threw a line up into the tree that was a good thirty feet off the ground. There's no maximum length to the coax, but line losses will occur if your feedline is excessively long. I used a little over 50 feet of coax to get the signal from the antenna into the shack. 18 ga window line will work fine, it will easily handle 100 watt or more of power.