In a recent email from the ARRL concerning ARES topics, a writer compares the coaxial vertical dipole antenna with a J-Pole for VHF work. He says…
“With no real models for comparison, it is difficult to compare patterns for each antenna. I would suspect that the J-Pole would not have an omni-directional pattern and would therefore produce a lobe or lobes giving gain in some directions”
Really?
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J-pole antennas are an interesting solution to the goal of more gain with a simple antenna. I won’t go into the specifics of what a J-pole is as there are plenty of sites on the Internet with good plans to help you build your own.
However, there seems to be much hype about j-poles that make some folks think they have some kind of magical antenna properties. Indeed many folks report staggering improvements over their previous antennas. Is all the hype warranted?
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When I built a copper plumbing pipe j-pole antenna for 2 meters from plans on the internet, I really did not know quite where to put it. I built it at my previous QTH as more of an exercise to teach my son how to solder with a torch.
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