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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[@virtual812]

Ignore the material that comes with it for tuning. Use your ham knowledge instead. 1) Extend the whip 100% every band you use 20m and lower. 2) Then adjust the coil for lowest SWR at operating frequency, favouring being a little low in the band if you can't get it just right. 3) If SWR minimum is at say 14.050 then shorten the lowest adjustable piece of the telescopic antenna without needing to disassemble anything, will only require minor adjustment to get the dip perfectly centred. This way you've tuned it for YOUR operating situation without reducing the size of the radiator excessively. This will give you an SWR dip right where you need it and a marginally better signal. Alternatively get the 5 meter version of that whip and do without the coil at all for even better results.

[@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

[@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 😊

[@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.

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

Would be better if top loaded? What about capacity hats? Thanks

[@CriticalThinker-42]

@DavidLopez-bz4rj Yes, Top Loaded would be a slight bit better, BUT considering LB Cebik's (W4RNL SK) Inverted U design's minimal signal loss probably not worth the effort or extra coil wire. As your loading goes further towards the end of the element more Inductance is needed. Therefore more wire to create it. Also we need to tune our antenna’s to resonance and having a length of element past the coil makes that much easier, instead of tuning an end coil. Also consider that IF tuning an end coil was better, Don Johnson, W6AAQ, wouldn’t have went with a mid loaded design back in ‘91 when he designed his remotely tunable Screwdriver Antenna, and those manufacturers that came after using his basic design would have modified that part of his design for end loading. They Didn't. I’ve never bothered with Capacity Hats as they tend to be used on lower bands on antennas that are way too short for any reasonable efficiency. As I see it only considered when you really want to get on, say, 75 meters but have extremely limited space (or a HOA to deal with, or mobile) and Any Antenna Is Better Than No Antenna. Of course manufacturers of whatever design will claim theirs is the best because they have a vested interest in selling their product. Especially those Majik antennas. ALSO remember that there are a Lot of Myths being regurgitated as common knowledge that are down right wrong. Get a copy of the ARRL Antenna Handbook for more fact based info on antennas. You can find older copies at online bookstores or E-prey and save a few $$. Check out “ Mark the Ham Florida Man ” Utube channel for some Debunking, especially on SWR (he cites knowledgeable resources). Remember, Majik antennas work best when you can talk to New Zealand using a coathanger, screen door, grocery cart… as an antenna... Because Any Antenna Is Better Than No Antenna! And that a Dummy Load doesn't need tuning, has great bandwidth, and has great SWR, but isn't a good radiator... so those claims are almost worthless. 73 mike

[@DavidLopez-bz4rj]

@@CriticalThinker-42 Thank you very much, I have read a lot of articles and books from Cebik, and I enjoy modelling and building antennas for any kind of purpose. It is a pleasure to meet people who like this hobby from a scientific perspective instead of believing in myths. I live in the country and I have plenty of space and trees if you know what I mean, an endless game with antennas and radio. Lots of magic contacts with low power and wire antennas. Actually building a horizontal array of dipoles for NVIS. Hope to meet you on the bands and thank you for the information. I once loaded a tree on 40 metres and it worked pretty good, with some ground losses, want to try some radials to improve it, although I think it defeats the real purpose of usong a tree. Anyway, it worked better than expected. Also built an kitchen aluminum foil magnetic loop over a plastic pipe (6 ft diameter) and a fixed capacitor made wonderful contacts. Thanks again!

[@CriticalThinker-42]

​ @DavidLopez-bz4rj Glad to be of a little help. BTW there is one place where a Capacity Hat type implementation can work for you on a full size antenna, like a dipole, on 40 / 15 meters dual banding a 40m antenna (single band element). Make a CH type structure with 12-18" wires and place it around the 15m end point (~11') to decouple the rest of the antenna IF your resonance / SWR on 15m is rather high. From what i've read the 3rd harmonic falls at ~3.12 not 3x due to end effect, so 3/4 wave resonance on 15 actually a bit above the top of 15m. Of course this isn't exact as everything within your antenna's close field will affect your antenna. And of course an antenna doesn't have to be resonant to work well as long as you properly match the antenna system to your rigs feedpoint with balun, unun, tuner... 73 mike

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@thekitchengunsmith6435]

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

[@donalfinn4205]

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

[@MrBiryantin]

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

[@samgrieg]

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

[@MrToymod]

Did you still use the coil.

[@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).

[@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!

[@williamwatkins1849]

A well done review of the antenna. I have bought a couple for my rap radios as I am only able to transmit about 10 watts pep due to my foundation amateur radio license in Australia. 73s VK5SJB

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@gtretroworld]

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

[@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

[@thehunter3386]

All these "NEW" antennae owe their life to the TEXAS BUG CATCHER! Still number one of it's ilk, in my book! But, wadda I know...only been a HAM since '78. 73 y'all....😂

[@KD2YAN]

Holy crap this is a Buddi stick clone

[@hansblommers6088]

Nice antenna of good materials, although I have my doubts about the ground radials, they are very thin/fragile and mechanically sensitive. But what does this antenna do in wet and bad weather, with the non-weather protected tunable coil and the blank, non-rust resistant extendable whip? What impact does the shorted/unused piece of coil have on the antenna performance, because in my opinion you can consider this part of the coil as a parallel lc network in series with the used part of the tunable coil?

[@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.

[@히어로-n3f]

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.

[@히어로-n3f]

Thank you.

[@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😆

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@JohnR_ytbe]

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

[@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

[@Scownerz]

@@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 😂😂😂👍

[@m7trsradio]

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

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Thanks 👍

[@wb5plj]

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

[@hockeyham]

The instructions are NOT "clearly written" as the voiceover would like you to believe. This is Chinese attempting to use Google translate to talk in English. I've had to use several YT videos to figure out the intricacies of this antenna. It's great for special event and POTA, but man do they need to hire someone who speaks English as a first language to figure this manual out.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

“Several KZbin videos”? And my name is Matt, I’m not just a voiceover. You’re welcome for the FREE to watch video though…

[@hockeyham]

@@TechMindsOfficial Not sure why you're so butthurt but I'm criticizing the instructions that came with the antenna. They could not even separate the JPC-12 and JPC-7, they put them together, which is not helping. And I had to watch SEVERAL KZbin VIDEOS in order to properly use this antenna...because the instructions...were not...clear...and I needed help. Thanks for the video, MATT, as it was helpful. But I'll keep the volume down so as not to offend you unintentionally in the future.

[@ronjr1157]

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

[@explorandovestigios01]

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

[@Richardincancale]

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

[@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.

[@samgrieg]

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

[@tomcruiser2407]

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

[@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 ?

[@ilantsameret3927]

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

[@johnferrier5955]

can this be used on the 11 mtr cb band?

[@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.

[@ryankc9oza118]

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

[@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.

[@martinfischer5766]

Perfect video, thank you!

[@KarlWitsman]

Good review.

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@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!

[@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)

[@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)

[@yipvrc6876]

Piracy buddipole antenna 😑

[@M0SZT]

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

[@TechMindsOfficial]

You're welcome :-)

[@jigneshdoshi156]

Nice and light weight 😊

[@vonzigle]

Thanks!

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Thank you very much!!!

[@Davidm-M0TPT]

Nice one Matt looks very well made

[@TechMindsOfficial]

Cheers mate!

[@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)

[@cooperlonely]

Hey, i have it’s antenna 😌🥲👌

[@jesuskahroba1394]

How much is ?