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2m/70cm Dual Band J-Pole

by KK4ICE
If you have any questions about this project, contact KK4ICE.
(Step-by-step instructions with photos can be seen below, following the project description and safety disclaimer.)

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This is an excellent performing J-Pole type antenna, constructed from readily available materials.
Approximate cost: $35 (not including coax or tools.)
Perhaps the most difficult item to locate for this project is the 3/8"-24 threaded rod. No endorsement
is intended here, but the only business in our location that had it was Fastenal.
This project probably deserves a "medium" difficulty rating, primarily because of the tools that make
the job easier, such as a drill press and bandsaw. A hacksaw or reciprocating saw with a metal
cutting blade, as well as an electric hand drill and vise can be substituted if needed. And please:
always wear safety glasses and other appropriate safety equipment for the job and exercise proper
caution when using power tools.

Materials List:
(10') 1/2" EMT conduit
(3') 3/8"-24 threaded rod
(1) 5" Stanley L-bracket
(3) #12 hose clamps
(3) 3/8"-24 self-locking nuts
(1) antenna mount with internal threads to accept
3/8"-24 antenna element

I used a Radio Shack CB antenna mirror/luggage

rack mount because it was the only antenna
mount available locally. Here you see the actual
antenna mount disassembled and removed from
the mirror/luggage rack bracket. The white plastic
insulator/bushing with this mount requires a 1/2"
hole for mounting on the J-pole assembly.

Using the factory drilled holes in the Stanley Lbracket, drill the outer hole out to 1/2".

Drill the middle hole on the same part of the

bracket out to 3/8" to accept the short element,
which will be cut from the 3/8" threaded rod.

Assemble the antenna mount using the 1/2" hole

drilled in the L-bracket.

Cut the long and short elements from opposite

ends of the 3/8"-24 threaded rod by clamping the
middle portion (which will not be used, so any
possible damage to the threads is not a concern)
in a vise and cutting with a reciprocating saw, or
use a band saw or hacksaw. To calculate the
lengths for the elements, I used the calculator at
http://www.hamuniverse.com/jpole.html.
Depending on the 2 meter and 70cm frequencies
you choose for tuning your antenna, you might
have to compromise a little. I got lucky, because I
was using 147.060 MHz and 442.100 MHz,
which just happened to both yield a length of
19.08 inches for the longer of the two 3/8" rod
elements. It's a good idea to cut the elements a bit
longer than the calculation -- you can trim a bit off
to improve the tuning in a little while, but you sure
can't stretch them if they start out too short!

3/8" rod elements cut and attached to the bracket

using two self-locking nuts on the short element,
and one on the long element to tighten it down
after threading it into the antenna mount.

The antenna calculator (link showin in a previous

step) indicated that the bases of the elements
needed to be 57-1/2" down from the top of the
1/2" EMT conduit piece on my antenna. Cut your
1/2" conduit 6"-7" longer so that you can use the
#12 hose clamps to attach the L-bracket
physically (and electrically) to it. You might also
need to slide the bracket with the two elements up
or down to fine tune, so leave yourself some room
for adjusting.

Antenna assembled and coax attached. By pure

luck, my antenna just happened to be the right
length to wedge between the top of my
workbench and the celining of the garage. It
needs to be standing upright for initial tuning.

Remove the short element and tune for resonance,

proper SWR and impedance on the 2 meter
frequency first.

Using an antenna analyzer, I was able to tune my

antenna to 1.1:1 SWR and an impedance of 45
ohms at a frequency of 147.02 MHz. I was
shooting for 147.06 MHz, but the setting knob on
most analyzers can be really touchy, so this was
close enough for me. I did have to trim a little off
the longer 3/8" rod to optimize the tuning, but
that's why you start a bit long and trim down to
tune. You might also need to slide the bracket
with the two elements up or down a bit for
optimum tuning and performance.
Next, reattach the short element and tune/trim it
for best SWR and impedance at the chosen 70cm
band. I did not have access to an analyzer for
70cm, so what I did was calculate what
percentage of the "calculated" length the longer of
the two 3/8" rod elements turned out to be when
best tuned, which was 95%, and used the selflocking nuts to have the shorter 3/8" element
sticking up above the L-bracket to 95% of its
originally calculated length. Include the locking nut
that's above the bracket in the measurement.
Optimally, you should adjust it with an antenna
analyzer.

I mounted my antenna in my attic by using a

conduit clamp and two screws to suspend it from
a truss. Then I used the analyzer to re-check the
tuning, because nearby objects can affect the
tuning. It turned out that I still had 1.1:1 SWR and
46 ohms of resistance at the other end of my
coax.
Then, the big test: how well does it actually work?

Answer: incredibly well. I am getting into 70 cm

repeaters I could not hit before, and it's working
equally well on 2 meter repeaters. In fact, I am
hitting 2 meter repeaters at least 60 miles away
with only 5 Watts of power, and 70 cm repeaters
30 miles or more away with the same amount of
power. In terms of 2 meter performance, it
appears to be working better than my Ringo
Ranger II, which is mounted outdoors with the tip
about 35-40' up in the air (FYI, the Ranger II has
an estimated gain of 7+ db.) To make a long story
short, this thing works even better than I had
hoped for. Not too bad for an antenna that cost
roughly $35 to make and took about an hour to
actually build and tune.