JPC-12 Quick Deploy Portable HF Antenna With A Neat Carry Bag

Here we take a look at the JPC-12 HF to 6M portable antenna, which comes in a nice little carry bag. Perfect for portable use with upto 100 Watts on SSB.
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[@CriticalThinker-42]

A mid loaded 1/4 wave element is always more efficient than a base loaded loaded 1/4 wave element, due to current peak being at its feed point. As an example LB Cebik designed and modeled the inverted U horizontal dipole antenna where the outer half of each element dropped vertically, shortening the horizontal length by half. Signal loss was only ~1/2 (0.5) db which in real world usage is unnoticeable. The other 0.5db vertically radiated signal helped to fill in the end nulls inherent in the dipole design. When using a coil that end signal would have been lost in the coil instead of being radiated as RF. Now when you place the coil at the base of a 1/2 length antenna element the majority of your signal will be lost in the base loading coil. This JPC-12 design is an acceptable compromise keeping the loading coil at an easily accessible height while allowing the high current base (most efficient) end of the element to radiate. This is the main reason that mid loaded mobile antennas like the Hustler Radiators, Bug Catchers, Screwdriver... and similar antennas gained so much popularity, their increased efficiency, radiated signal. When the bands are hot even a base loaded antenna will do alright. BUT when the bands are bad or so-so (as in this test) the mid loaded design really shows its stuff (as we saw here)! Folks who use base loaded antennas with hot bands, and rave about them, always go quiet when the bands die and their base loaded antennas show their weakness. I've been licensed since '76 and this cycle ALWAYS repeats, new Majick antennas appear, then disappear when the bands die. This JPC-12 should stick around much longer. An inverted L would be a better option, but not as fast and easy to deploy, and probably not worth the added effort, especially when you'd need one for each band (except 40 / 15m). 73 mike N4ONL

[@BusDriverRFI]

I second that.

[@wmb2292]

I forgot to add that the reason that a centre-loaded vertical is more efficient than a base loaded vertical is simply that the magnitude of the current at the base of a vertical is much higher than in the centre, so I**2 R losses are higher when the coil is placed at the base. This is especially true when the diameter of the conductor in the loading coil is relatively small. If I remember correctly, centre-loading does require slightly more inductance than base loading, but it is more efficient. - Michael VE3WMB

[@Rag3Again]

My first antenna... I'm beginner. I'm happy with this stuff. With nanoVNA, it's a good way to learn antenna, radials, SWR ... It works well with low power transmitter 20W. A lot of spare parts. I made 20 radials, and now this antenna is perfect for budget.

[@henryg0blq184]

I’ve had one of these for about 6 months now. Takes a while to work out the tuning for bands above 20 metres. Once you have done so it is a fantastic antenna with low SWR on all bands. Great for portable working, up in 5 minutes 😀

[@Lennymc39]

These are a great antenna, bought one a while back for portable work. Worked Ferry in Indonesia on 5w from the west of Ireland 😊

[@kyhwana]

I have one of these and it works pretty well, especially if you add more radial wire! You can also get a 5.2mish whip for it and it can do 20m-6m without the coil.

[@ToumalRakesh]

I had this one for almost 2 years now. Works a treat. The one thing I changed was the connector base, I replaced it with one that's made of aluminium and some kind of delrin, since the original one started to come loose and start twisting.

[@va7dgp]

I really like mine.

[@VK2AAK]

On a recent trip I discovered that the shortest possible configuration ... putting the totally collapsed telescopic whip directly on the base ... allowed me to tune 2 metres.

[@thekitchengunsmith6435]

Have one for more than 1 year and it rocks. great antenna when you learn the tuning setup

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

I've also been very pleased. I've bought another coil and antenna to also make the dipole (jpc-7). Works great. Cheers

[@gregorykenley5997]

Bought this JPC-12 portable travel antenna for 100 Watts, after having such good success with the Gabil GRA-7350TC in Melbourne, AU doing QRP with the FX-4CR. Just set it up in Boston at the Bocce Ball Park nearby. I found that adding just 2 more 5M radials to the included ribbon cable took the SWR on 20m from 1.5:1.0 to 1.1:1.0 - a big improvement. Suggestion - add some more radials and make this really shine. AC1NY

[@ralphthebrick]

Good timing Matt, been researching this type of antenna for portable use whilst in my Campervan. Your turning out some great content recently 👍 Cheers.....Ralph

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SirSmartyPants]

I've had the PAC 12 antenna for about 5 years which shares many of the same parts as this version. I'm very happy with the performance.

[@dab30770]

On the coil there are 2 colors red and yellow, with the whip fully extended, you can quick tune to 20m or 40m, easy!

[@johnemery7962]

I have the JPC- 12 and JPC-7. With the extra coil and other bits you can mix it up with vertical or horizontal / v dipole. Horizontal dipole is very good on 40 mtrs inter G. I keep the coil inline for all bands but will try without one day. You obviously need a tripod for the dipole configuration.

[@SirSmartyPants]

I have the same configuration. If you configure the system as a vertical and put both coils on the base you can juuust get it resonant on 80 metres!

[@SirSmartyPants]

You can. The central hub supports a variety of angles for the elements.

[@2E0YEH]

I've had one for about a year or so now pared with my g90 for QRP work absolutely love it for the simplesity of use and very well built aswell

[@ilantsameret3927]

Same setup, works great for me

[@onceways]

They also do a nice looking portable shortwave antenna.

[@R1CBU]

This is a really good antenna. I've been using it for two years. 73!

[@adam-g7crq]

I've had one of these for over a year and it's ok, do use a shorter feeder and a in line isolator at the base of the antenna, when operating above 20 meters either short the loading coil out push the tuning stub right to the top or remove the loading coil and adjust telescopic whip to the band of use, I've now also have the chelegance mc-750 portable antenna much easier to use and tune in no need for an antenna analyser.

[@darylnd]

Copper plating the ground spike would add cost for something that would wear quickly when driven into the, um, ground. Stainless steel provides ample conductivity.

[@IrishHamRadio]

Nice review.. 😊 I’ve got one coming ironically too.. had borrowed one and used it on SOTA as well as cable tied to the roof of the van for static mobile and it worked lovely.. Looking forward to getting mine and experimenting.

[@tomcruiser2407]

Long live my good old analog analyzer hi tnx for the video, I love my Antenna.

[@tom23rd]

I have the jpc-7. Only two problems I have with it: sometimes the coils' selector slider gets turned - easy enough to fix, undo the screws, set it straight and tighten; second, I live in a neighborhood with two story houses that are all compactly spaced so I have to put it super high up, I've been mounting it to an telescoping 30ft pool-strainer handle bungie corded to the second story balcony rail of my house to get it up over the common roof line. I like that you can mount the arms of the dipole in many different orientations and can easily string a wire across and have a delta as well. Can even use it as a ground plane but it does not include the ground spike or counter poise wires. I'd really enjoy if you'd do a review of it too, because I'm something of a neophyte and would love a more experienced opinion of it.

[@ronjr1157]

Purchased one and used it last week, tuned right up with very low SWR, no tuner needed,

[@BobBroeking]

I had one and fiddled with it before giving up and returning it and buying a WRC Antenna tha I use all the time now.

[@ryankc9oza118]

I've had one for awhile now. It's a good antenna for the money

[@LB0FI]

It’s an easy antenna to tune on 20 and 40, but other bands is definitely a hassle. I made a video series on this antenna earlier this year, and it takes time to learn how to tune it optimally. It’s easier to use than the Buddistick, but way more complicated than the Slidewinder DX.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

Cool design jwitg the slider and those poles are exactly the same as the ones supplied with the Chinese vinyl cutters for hanging the sticker rolls. Usualy they would have a ball-bearing on the ends

[@PebbleWeb]

Nice one Matt looks very well made

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Cheers mate!

[@gtretroworld]

Very interesting indeed…tempted to give one a go myself for SOTA…Thanks

[@martinfischer5766]

Perfect video, thank you!

[@MrBiryantin]

Treads are M10. I am using adapters for 3/8"24 I also included an 5.6 meter telescopic antenna. Strongly recommended

[@samgrieg2542]

can you reply with the link where you got the adapters? Many thanks.

[@MrToymod]

Did you still use the coil.

[@Trent28888]

If ya move 1 alum tube up and out the whip on top of that u will get a better match on 40 but if ya add a 34uh to 40uh coil at the base ya can get 80M on it but if u use thicker wire it works better and especially a choke at the feedpoint,btw on 80M atleast 4 x 5M lengths are needed

[@jessishandsome]

The middle-tuning antenna has a batter performance than the bottom-tuning one. I built both of it and tested them.

[@jessishandsome]

@@charlieoscar09 Sorry for that😆

[@BFOlivier]

I bought one more coil, so I have one for 20 and one for 40. Also I changed the radial wires with a bigger size. Anyway if you look the size and the fact it is up in 5 minutes, this is a great solution for portable

[@macster11]

Can you explain how thw two coils would work? And where did you get the extra coil? Can you run both coils at once ?

[@jigneshdoshi156]

Nice and light weight 😊

[@m7trsradio]

Great video Matt. Looks cool. Yes always better to get the coil in the centre 73

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Thanks 👍

[@KarlWitsman]

Good review.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@afutechtalk]

Use this antenna since 2 1/2 years, other name was PAC12. Use longer telescope 5.6m and you don't need the coil at 20m anymore. At the connector base I sanded off the varnish (top and bottom), a few OM said, they had have sometime contact problems there. In addition, it should be said that each individual part of this antenna can be purchased separately. At 40m/30m this antenna is a kind of compromise, at higher bands starts with 20m the performance is good.

[@samgrieg2542]

did you add guy lines to make that longer whip stay upright in the wind?

[@M0SZT]

I'd be interested in trying this out portable, thanks for the video!

[@TechMindsOfficial]

You're welcome :-)

[@vonzigle]

Thanks!

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Thank you very much!!!

[@ilantsameret3927]

I have one and it works fine, i made a car version of it mounted to a magnet.

[@johnr6218]

The voiceover says 4 tubes apx.30 something cm. I only see 3 though? Plus the short one with the so-239

[@ralph9987]

Good video. I was a Bit surprised at the very wide messy Tx side of your signal on the scope. 😮

[@TechMindsOfficial]

That was just overloading, actual transmission very clean.

[@fotografm]

Nice video. I like the look of that antenna. What radio were you using ? Separate RX and TX ?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

I was using an Icom 7300 with the PTRX board fitted so I can send the rx to my RSPdx SDR receiver, that’s what you could see on the screen :)

[@fotografm]

AHA ! That's a great combination ! @@TechMindsOfficial

[@borayurt66]

Most soil is slightly acidic, and copper does not play well with acids. Although a pure copper (read expensive) ground rod will work perfectly for many years, a copper plated one (usually they are plated in microns thick) will oxidize and strip off fairly quickly. I would prefer a ground rod made of any metal with above average acid resistance to a copper plated one, even in the expense of a little less electrical conductivity.

[@cbnation1]

Best to separate all the ribbon cables. 4 radials is ok if they are elevated, but on the ground you need more. So pull them all apart. Going up to 30 is beneficial, above that the added value is decreasing and not worth the effort. What's the length of the radials? For 40 meters it would be best to have to have a few longer ones going up to 1/4 wave, so 10 meters.

[@afutechtalk]

Radials are 5m. If you use grounded radials, the length of radials is not so important. If you use elevated radials, they have to be tuned, depend on frequency you use.

[@natalepaglionico7654]

Hi, can I kindly ask you how did you calculate the slats starting from top to bottom, what frequency does it belong to? Thanks if you can Marco in3ufw

[@googlegok9637]

Center coil is better , look at the many good quality screwdriver antennas. Nice kit for the HAM who has everything , The price! How long are the radials? It would be nice with a base clamp , so you can install the antenna on a balcony , or for better efficiency elevate the antenna.

[@de_w8tam]

Raising the coil off the ground does reduce ground losses. Could you tell us what the thread size is on the connections? Curious to know how difficult it would be to replace the expanding whip when it eventually fails.

[@donalfinn4205]

I’m away from home when I saw this, but I know that it’s not 3/8-24.😟

[@alexandermonnerjahn29]

Hi, the thread size is 10mm in Diameter (M10).

[@LordHog]

I have always wanted to go colored this hobby. I just recently bought the RTL-SDR v4. Can this antenna be used with such SDRs? What does the term 5x9 mean?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Absolutely can use the RTL-SDR V4, although you are better off with an antenna which is already tuned to multiple bands for when using an SDR. 5/9 means audio quality 5 ( from 1 to 5, 5 being the best) and the 9 means an S9, from a range of 0 to +60dm. 5/9 normally means a great clear transmission.

[@Nick_G7IZR]

Is it a 3/8ths thread at the bottom to go on another mount if required?

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Others have said it's M10, but I have not personally measured it. Thanks for watching!

[@TheElectronicDilettante]

Do you see anyway to attach a drive motor to the variable inductor? It would be pretty slick to have an automatic tuner adapted to manipulate that inductor. Use an an air motor so not adding emi. Very cool antenna. Side note: Would you consider doing tutorials on SDR Console and SDR Uno? If you’ve done this already, apologies. I found some tutorials but were found lacking…

[@TechMindsOfficial]

That would be a cool idea, would need something like the X Axis mechanism from a 3d printer i guess

[@TheElectronicDilettante]

@@TechMindsOfficial I’ve seen some of the items you’ve 3D printed and you definitely have skill and equipment. I guess now it’s a matter of sitting down with a CAD program. I hope you get into it.

[@user-ul3iy6yw4g]

If you were to choose one of three products: jpc-12, dp-200 and pt-gp1, which product would you choose??

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Personally, I would choose the JPC-12. However, I have never compared all three antennas at the same time and my choice would be based on how easy it is to tune the antenna compared to the others.

[@user-ul3iy6yw4g]

Thank you.

[@SumNumber]

Interesting. You could use the coil as a center piece and two parts of the telescoping antenna and attach them to either end of the cool . After some work with the coil , you can mount the antenna on a horizontal plane , yagi style , and receive and transmit on the flat side . I have built one from scratch at a fixed frequency but with the adjustable coil that would be interesting . This way it becomes highly directional and the noise factor drops off significantly . If you did not mount it on a rotating base , you can do it by hand in the field . It becomes a dipole . :O)

[@DaveHojo]

A recent KZbin video (Tim G5TM: HAM RADIO: HF MOBILE ANTENNA - LOADING COILS) demonstrated the data that suggests that, in general, center loading has slight efficiency gains.

[@thephantomharanguer]

top loading even better

[@DaveHojo]

According to G5TM's information, coils going above half the antenna drop in efficiency. Data referenced is around 16 minutes in.@@thephantomharanguer

[@thephantomharanguer]

Thanks, I'll go have a look.

[@donalfinn4205]

The only snag for me is that the threads on this are not 3/8-24. Bummer. Other than that, well made.

[@Richardincancale]

0:55 Translation… what are “Shrapnel contacts…”. Is it a military antenna!!

[@KD2YAN]

Holy crap this is a Buddi stick clone

[@da7omi911]

there is flying object at 8:23 i hope it's not ufo 😂

[@TechMindsOfficial]

It's my pet :-)

[@laszlokovacs8827]

Boris The Spider

[@markusm.lambers8893]

Now I know, why "Peter Parker" (The Australian QRP-Guru on you-tube! VE3... didn't know the exactly call by now) is so loud in the United Kingdom theese days, ...!. He is 'directly' beside your antenna, 'whispering' into the loading-coil, ... - spiderman - hah! 😂 73/72 de Markus - db9pz (JN39fq - 3 miles/5 km east of LX)

[@BarefootBeekeeper]

It feels well made and experiments so far show good results on receive, at least. But why the heck don't these Chinese manufacturers employ someone who can actually read English to avoid the hopeless - and sometimes hilarious - language in their manuals? Surely it would be worthwhile if only to avoid uncomplimentary remarks on KZbin?

[@WilliamLee-eh6hy]

So why did they use 3/8 x 20 threads instead of the fairly standard 3/8 x 24 threads on all their stuff. Now it is incompatible with all my other coils and whips. Very stupid ... cant even use it on my mag mounts ... sending it back for refund as all my mounts are 3/8 x 24 thread.

[@flipster7285]

My gripe with antennas like these....imagine climbing a 2000m mountain to go activate that sota, get up there and realise there is no soil, just bare rock....you ain't getting that spike in the ground.......

[@Captcasper7]

Tripod

[@adam-g7crq]

​@@Captcasper7as long as it's not to windy

[@stevecownley747]

@@adam-g7crq I got a flatish one which can be weighted down as its not a tripod as such but a 3 legged mount but its not for every outdoor session.

[@INOV8TN]

A 'Magic Carpet' might be the answer for rocky deployments.

[@adam-g7crq]

@@INOV8TN 😂😂😂👍

[@explorandovestigios01]

I made one out of wood, I don't have the money to buy one of those

[@ScatManAust]

Not sure what the tubes are made from, there seems to be a little indecision from you. Is it aluminum or aloooominum ? 🤔😆😆😆

[@ScatManAust]

Mate, I was taking the "preverbal Piss"@@melissasmess2773

[@TechMindsOfficial]

@ScatManAust Depends on what side of the pond you are on. You have to specify when ordering :-) lol...

[@markusm.lambers8893]

​​@@TechMindsOfficial I have heard rumours about, they will manufacture a 'special edition' for North-American citizens, with a 'imperial sized screws und nuts' and made of 'aluminum' ! (Sorry, ... but I couldn't resist, ... ! Hi Hi ! ! ! 😊 ) 73/72 de Markus - db9pz (JN39fq ; 5km [ and not 3 miles! ] east of LX)

[@wb5plj]

okay so this is a direct ripoff of a budipole product with just maybe minor changes.

[@yipvrc6876]

Piracy buddipole antenna 😑

[@jesuskahroba1394]

How much is ?

[@cooperlonely]

Hey, i have it’s antenna 😌🥲👌