The Best J-Pole Antenna? Ed Fong, N9TAX, Nelson, Radiowavz

[@ToolFan68]

Crazy timing for me. I just got into HAM, just got my Tech license, and was searching for an antenna when I stumbled across Ed Fong's J-Pole. I called to order and was surprised when Ed himself picked up. For the next 25 minutes we talked about all kinds of radio stuff and even current events and his teaching position that he still has after 40 years. Great guy! Oh, and my order went out the next day! I should have it tomorrow.

[@Veslanjejezivot]

Lucky guy! Congratz. Can it be delivered to Croatia, does anyone know?

[@sk1pp3r65]

I actually use Ed's antenna exclusively. Partly because when i asked a question way back when i first started in amateur radio he called me and shared great wisdom with me unprompted. I tend.to gravitate to those that like me, "leave no one behind". So even though there are likely some great antennas out there - for the ranges it supports - Ed's antenna will forever be my antenna for his passion in sharing his talents and secondly it works perfectly all the time. Thank you for sharing your results.

[@Aimsport-video]

A Dr. Ed Fong livestream is a must watch. Thanks for the all the work you put in to videos like this.

[@plemieux84]

I have the N9TAX version. Love it. I made a 600 mile FT8 contact on 2m using 10w and my Icom 705. Nuts!!

[@plemieux84]

@@SteveBerwick Sea level!! 🤯 Definitely some tropospheric ducting.

[@N9TAX]

Saw the last video. I do like the methodology that Ed suggested for testing better. I am not sure what to make of the differences in tune with height. In my own testing getting them away from the ground improved the match. Are you sure that the antennas were not getting closer to the pole when higher up? I have found that while metal and carbon fiber do affect the antennas more. All materials affect them to some degree. Anyway, great video and what seems like a fair test of some great antennas. Incidentally my choice of heavier ladder wire was not only for durability. I also felt that since Ed was already making a very lightweight antenna I would offer something different. I feel like there is room for all of us in this business and did not want to compete directly with his product. 73, Joe N9TAX

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The pole is fiberglass on the later test at night.

[@ch0lito]

Thanks for this Review Joe.

[@notsure7874]

I just ordered an antenna from you, a gmrs/murs version! If it's half what everybody says it is, and half as well built - it'll far exceed my expectations. I'm just now getting into portable setups, and my first project is to help a bunch of scouts on blister pack FRS radios not get out of range while hiking the trails at their scout camp. I figure the kids can keep using the blister pack units, and scout leaders can get GMRS licensed and man a portable base station. 30 foot fiberglass pole, I don't think I'll be angling it for this. I'm pretty certain that fiberglass won't interact nearly as much as carbon or metal, but it's great to know that it can interact, I was under the impression glass / resin didn't really interact... now I know!

[@wildcatcomms]

Joe, N9TAX! You're the man - this is the antenna I swear by, and I have three of them now. This is the best combination of lightweight while still being very robust, and it performs like a champ. Thank you for making such an epic product. And, your website is top notch. It's very easy to customize the antennas when you purchase them. My hat is off to you, sir!!! You've kept countless people safe at public service events by having high quality antennas. Thanks!

[@N9TAX]

As always I do certainly appreciate the continued support from the community. It is always good to hear from happy customers. We are also happy to help customers that have issues or require help. It humbles me to think about how small this started and how large the following for these antennas has become.@@wildcatcomms

[@davidg5308]

Should be a good livestream! We had Ed at one of our club meetings and he is a wealth of great info. I also have a few of his and a N9TAX as well. My Ed Fong Tri-Band is my main UHF/VHF at the house and it works great on all 3 bands.

[@NickFrom1228]

I've been quite happy with my Ed Fong antenna. Had a few emails with Ed and he was quite helpful and overall a very personable guy. Glad to see some real world comparisons.

[@HOAHamRadio]

I always appreciate your approach to gathering empirical data for decision making. Looking forward to the follow up as I have the Ed Fong J-Pole in my Go Bag.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks!

[@pigman571]

N9TAX build quality is by far the most robust if been able to find. That man knows how to build them to withstand heavy field use.

[@ludoka58leo]

I love my N9TAX

[@brandonporter4227]

It's actually pretty amazing what you can do with these J-poles and a really good deployment. There is a teacher at a local high school who wants to get the kids involved in ham radio, but they've been having trouble making contact because all they have is a Baofeng HT. So, I conducted an experiment of my own this past weekend while I was out at the high school for an astronomy night to show them what could be possible. I took my Ed Fong J-pole and attached it to a fiberglass pole and sat on top of the high school football stadium bleachers. I'm sure the metal structure made an excellent ground plane. I was using my Anytone AT-878UV II Plus on 5W and I hit our club repeater, which was almost 20 miles away. I talked to a guy on nearly the complete opposite side of the repeater at his QTH who was probably another 20 miles away. He said I was clear as a bell with only a little static. I had probably 60' of elevation and the repeater antenna is 100'. No idea what elevation the guys QTH is. Just being able to hit the repeater with only 5W and have nearly crystal clear audio both directions was pretty incredible for me.

[@norrinradd8952]

Solid test. Dr. Fong is a great guy. Can't wait to see him on the live stream.

[@LifeAtTerminalVelocity]

I love real world tests instead of laboratory claims. Thanks for the matchup Josh.

[@floydteter4323]

Great video - thanks for putting this together. And you're spot on - Mr. Fong is a great guy and very knowledgeable. A few years back, I ran a similar test to yours: Tried both the Ed Fong antenna and the N9TAX antenna. Hung 30 feet in the air from a horizontal tree branch. Encountered similar results: the Ed Fong was just a touch better on 2M, but the N9TAX was substantially better on 70 cm. Living in a suburban setting, the 70 cm performance was the deciding factor for me.

[@GentiluomoStraniero]

Thank you for running these tests and showing us data we can easily digest. I opted for Ed Fong antenna because it is compact and i support local suppliers. His j pole antenna has worked well for me and as with any antenna, placement will have an impact. Keep up the good work!

[@Zyn88]

I love my N9TAX J-pole for my 2m/70cm work. I have it inside on a second floor and I can get quite a ways away from where I'm at. I normally hit repeaters 20-25 miles away, but it's also gotten me 145 miles before with some good band conditions

[@UDX4570PalmSprings-yh1mv]

In the early 30's my Father (SK) amateur extra class, enlisted in the U.S.Navy's ZP-12 Squadron (lighter than air "blimps") and said that J-poles were designed specifically for blimps at the time and were mounted horizontally behind the Gondola and weren't the greatest performing antenna but worked well in the application.

[@GeorgeAdams]

I use the N9TAX in my go box with an arborist throw weight. It’s been great, especially as a cross band repeater.

[@markw.4679]

I have a Nelson 2m/70cm antenna that works great. I am surprised yours did not. 🤔 I like the Nelson because it weighs less, and is narrow which takes up less room in my bag. 🖖

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It’s not that I don’t like it. I just let the numbers speak for themselves.

[@markw.4679]

I understand. I am looking forward to you next video! Thanks for the reply! 🖖

[@boatingman11]

Hey, Pal. Found your channel on Not A Rubicon. You do a great job in making some complex subjects understandable.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thank you, I try.

[@DerekMurawsky]

I have a dual band J-Pole from Arrow that I've had for a decade. It's rock solid. Different use case for sure, as it's not ultra portable, but... It's great for emergency base station operations and semi portable scenarios. It's light, just a bit bulky.

[@BenButler1]

Great info Josh! My first base antenna was Dr. Fongs j-pole, in the pvc in my attic. Great antenna. Then I met him at Pacificon a few years ago and bought the roll up j-pole antenna. Both are still running well.

[@YouTubeMaster1611]

Does having the antenna in your attic effect its performance much?

[@BenButler1]

@@KZbinMaster1611 not that I can tell

[@vaelenorg]

I love these comparison videos. Very, very helpful, thanks!

[@betmulligan6192]

Interesting video. Can't say I understand completely the testing you were doing but more info is better than less. I just keep listening. Thank you for the work you do.

[@MikeN2MAK]

It was great seeing these tests. I'm looking forward to Ed Fong on your channel someday. I have the Ed Fong roll-up J-pole and it's been great for me. i also have a Nelson one for 1.25m, which has been fun to use during VHF contests (I usually do SOTAs during those).

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Very interesting points made here, thanks for making the video.

[@Dennis-tf2cs]

I have 2 Fong's, great antennas. I talked with him when I bought mine. Closed them up in some PVC pipe and they've been in service for 10+ years. You're brave to go to San Fran.... it's pretty much a toilet now days. Just stay inside at night, that's what I did.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

A very interesting test. Thanks.

[@sixstringforge]

Great video, Ed always seems to be willing to talk. I've always found that Jpoles, don't seem to live up to the performance hype and tend to perform very differently in different environments... It would be very interesting to see how the roll up Jpoles stack up to jungle antenna (wire ground plane with sticks separating the ground radials. They are much more forgiving when tuning. I've also had good luck with only two radials making construction/deployment simpler.

[@BigTeaDrinker]

Great video, thanks for putting all the work in!

[@matts7347]

Great test. I do something similar though albeit easier for me. I just point a wifi camera at the QTH radio so I can see the S meter using various mobile antennas vs bands vs power levels. With the time delay one can see the results right away on a logged in smart phone or look back at the recorded video. Just set the “movement activity box” to the radio display. This only records then when the S meter moves. Keep up the great videos!!

[@ricksshop]

Surprised at the result. I would love to see a comparison to a J antenna cut for 440 Mhz. Get Ed on a Saturday live stream, that would be fun.

[@luish19779]

I got the N9TAX- 2 meter and work really good. I am located in NYC and I reach Rep 45 miles on 40 watts. The SWR on 1.1 with 100 ft of coax cable 😉

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep. It’s a good one too. Frankly all the Jpoles are great.

[@YouTubeMaster1611]

Do you have a video on your mast? Great content. Subscribed!

[@TheGeekiestGuy]

Nice knaf, Josh. I need to make an antenna. I've been focused on all the random projects that I haven't been able to go play radio in my backyard. I look forward to when you have Ed on a stream. Thanks for the content, brada man. 🤙🏽

[@californiakayaker]

Wow, very cool. I've been to Chinatown millions of times and haven't made that call ! That said, I'm still wondering how you derive your snr numbers. I think, just to get some eyebrow's raised, I'm going to bring some helium balloons to the next swap meet and have one of these antenna's as the length of the cables makes it necessary to get some elevation, but I might spend a few dollars on balloons ?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

SNR numbers are recorded by the SDR software and saved to CSV file.

[@RadioExpeditionProject]

My first antenna was an Ed Fong DBJ-1 antenna. 🏆

[@drycreekforge749]

I hit 57 miles with my n9tax gmrs/murs antenna on a 25w mobile unit. Im pretty happy with it.

[@James_Bowie]

In my experience, Ed Fong will be very happy to answer those questions, and promptly!

[@GraymanPOTA]

I am assuming that you were the same distance from your receiver and you used that same TX power for all of your tests, but what was the distance to the receiver and the output power of the transmitter?

[@kennycarberry]

These are my favorite HRCC videos!

[@ReggieRG]

Hi Josh, I really enjoy your videos! I have a strange question: I don't see any 1:1 balun/choke (ex: winding 5 or 6 turns of coax, about 4 or 5 inch diameter) in your videos when you use the Ed Fong j-pole roll-up (although I saw the ferrite that comes preinstalled on the n9tax j-pole). Would it change anything (for a ht)? Is this just for mobile/grounded/shack radios? How would you know if common mode current is affecting your results in your comparison in this video between those two (ferrite choke vs not even a coax-style ugly choke)? I am new to this and would not even know how to notice if a choke is needed on my ht-with-j-pole setup.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The choke on the N9TAX is not a balun. It’s just a choke. And no, it wouldn’t change this test.

[@ReggieRG]

Thanks again for your reply!

[@TheToastDog]

Don’t tell Leah that you named your son after a radio antenna. “Yeah sweetheart - of course it’s after Thomas Edison… oh yes and your uncle Edison too” (whew!)

[@viralsheddingzombie5324]

Does Ed Fong have a channel?

[@tonyd6884]

Another great video!

[@JoeyRF]

Try them out with a line up in a tree. I live in North Carolina and have a little mountain 5 minutes away and when I go up there I easily make contacts from Florida to Virginia on a n9tax pole it works very good for me

[@TerraMagnus]

That bendy wire you’re using… not sure if you’re buying that from a ham radio source but it might be cheaper from a garden supply. We use it for training vining plants to things we want it to grow on.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep. Tomato wire!

[@stevene1194]

Love my Ed Fong antennas. I have two.

[@GenXGamer1]

Love this little antenna. Got it by a recommendation from KJ7JXM as a good indoor antenna. Works great. Fist transmission after years of not transmitting was done just the other day during a power outage in my area and the loss of cell signal. Made contact with it using a Baofang UV-5R that was around 16 miles away. BTW it is mounted simply stuck to the side of my hutch style computer desk with double stick tape and fed right into the radio using just battery power.

[@bombassbeefjerky9708]

What would the signal stick do on an ext cable and at the top of your mast ??

[@KarlWitsman]

Just a shortwave listener here.... wanting to follow and decode 405.01 signals from weather balloons. The N9TAX is what someone else nearby uses, but his info says that it is tuned. Would an antenna tuner help for that freq? Right now, I'm just using a 50 foot wire and it's useless for this range. Thanks!

[@DonzLockz]

The N9TAX should always do better on 70cm as the ladderline is wider than the Ed Fong. Every antenna is a compromise though. Thanks Josh, looking forward to the video.👍🤠

[@ch0lito]

Can you have both antennas? And if you can, can they be cloSe to each other? OR do they require any specific distance between them?

[@jamesd65117]

What brand/model extendable mast did you use in this video?

[@wokethoughts2186]

How did you stand your pole up like that?

[@donnakano3697]

Remember that these J-pole antennas are actually 2M antennas that are being operated on the third harmonic. I suspect that the radiation angle might be high, if it performs like a groundplane antenna. Doing a Smith chart to plot radiation angle might be interesting, or trying another experiment using a true 70CM J-pole (3/4 wave at 70CM) might be telling.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I didn’t think Smith Charts do radiation angles? How are you running that?

[@TheBjameso]

Well it looks like dual band 2m/70cm j-poles are more like 2m j-poles that happen to kinda work on 70cm. That's okay for me, I haven't found as use case for 70cm as of yet in my activations. My second comment is about antenna height: the first time I took my DIY EFHW (copying K6ARK and DL2MAN designs/idea) cut for 20m out, plugged into a NanoVNA, I learned so much and supplemented my basic antenna understand an incredible amount. At higher frequencies the subtle shifts of antenna position and attitude cause even greater changes to impedance, SWR, etc. Tugging the line one way or the other a foot or so can make a huge difference.

[@Kinetic79]

Try running a choke of some sort (coax wrapped through a toroid 8-10 times) close to your radio or swr meter. Usually swr swings from moving things a foot or so are indicative of common mode current, especially if you’re referred to the coax as “the line”. How long is your coax?

[@TheBjameso]

@@Kinetic79 coax and counterpoises are for pack rats and drive ups 🤣

[@LuisRodriguez-417]

what Antenna Mast is that?

[@Insaniac99]

Do you have a video with more details of your telescoping antenna mast? I'm looking for solutions to take into the woods.

[@startrac2]

Where did you get the telescoping pole?

[@zappatx]

Why not use the fiberglass fold up mast? Not as strong? Thanks! Nice comparison

[@marcomm7543]

What frequency is good for technician level ham operator Emergencies and fun. I like your masts used.

[@IndependentNewsMedia]

Great video, side note Compactenna + would perform better then most of these j-poles on 70cm, but would lose on 2m, but at 9" should be considered for field operations.

[@frankgeis6064]

What kind of telescopic pole are you using and where can I find it? Thank you.

[@andygirton5432]

Do you have a link for the telescoping mast?

[@bindthedevilloosetheangels]

would you do this type of video for g.m.r.s. please?

[@mmyr123]

Would the GMRS version do better on 70 centimeter?

[@HelloNotMe9999]

What mast are you using for this test?

[@TheConstitutionalGuardian]

I think you downplayed that one a bit; personally, I would have tested with no metallic objects near the antenna; Since dual-band antennas are designed to operate on two different frequency bands, the optimal height for one band may not necessarily be the same as the optimal height for the other band. This can lead to some compromises in performance, particularly if the antenna is mounted at a height that maximizes performance for one band but not the other. When installing a dual-band antenna, it's essential to consider the characteristics of both frequency bands and aim to find a height that provides acceptable performance across both bands. This might involve some experimentation and testing to determine the best compromise; compromise is key in the amateur community, however, now all hams understand compromise.

[@3henry214]

Maybe the N9TAX performing better on 70cm than the ED Fong J-pole is due to the N9TAX not being a J-Pole, but a slim Jim design? N9TAX explains the difference in a video. Basically, the top of the lead is shorted on Slim Jim, and on the J-Pole it is left open (not shorted) His EZNEC modeling showed that the slim Jim had slightly more gain than a J-Pole. Check out his "N9TAX Slim Jim Antenna design and use" video.

[@mitchbearson6276]

Would these work on GMRS or is there a better flexible cable antenna for GMRS? Just getting into radio stuff

[@adamremlinger6227]

The bulk roll of gear snake can also be found at most nurseries. It’s also use to secure plants. $5ish for 25 ft that you can cut to length!

[@RadioExpeditionProject]

I own two N9TAX antennas. They work great. 🏆

[@VE9ASN]

I've had 2 n9tax and now the Ed fong. Both n9tax failed in the same spot unfortunately, no such issues with the Ed Fong

[@NihilisticHatred]

I bought an antenna from Ed and he told me to put it inside a certain type of pvc pipe.

[@raymondmartin6737]

My Ed Fong TBJ-1, tri-band antenna has been very good in the provided PVC tube, on another pvc pole, by my terrace on the top 4th floor, on a hill. 😊 73 de W2CH Ray New Hampshire.

[@alvarogaitan2529]

great Jaison terrific experiment your number 0ne

[@walterwest7457]

Can you program a BAOFENG GT-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio 144-148/420-450MHz with an Apple MacBook Pro?

[@fionah787]

Hi help please . I'm new new new to baofeng uv 5r. When I turn it on and scan nothing comes up but screeching and stactic😮 what do I do to hear the channels please

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep, it sounds like you need to bump up the Squelch a bit to mute the receive audio when scanning.

[@adcraziness1501]

Finally got my N9TAX dual band slimjim up in a tree and I put the rig expert on it and was shown a SWR value of 1.0082133:1 I think that is probably darn near perfect enough. (@144.9MHz) It had 38.28dB return loss.

[@theoriginalcrb]

What mast is that.

[@WolfQuantum]

The Nelson wouldn't break squelch because you called it a Monoprice. ;)

[@TheCaveman71]

I can tell you why you had problems with the Ed Fong antenna. These sort of roll-up antennas need to be completely straight to work properly.

[@kc6nfv746]

Check out the super J Pole Antenna should be even better

[@franklyre]

I think you do your basic research for what you need and how you will use….. make your choice and move on. For the most part, they all do a pretty good job and the characteristics will change depending on…… everything. Love my Ed Fong antennas….. KJ7LAN, clear

[@patientprepper2030]

At least the socks match the coax.

[@MT-cc2fz]

Wait what? You said the difference in dB is really not that much. Huh? The Ed Fong antenna at 440MHz is like almost 9dB or 300x weaker.

[@thelongislandguy]

300x weaker is close to 25dB.

[@johngoold1218]

Cancel this, found them on Amazon, thanks. (I"m not seeing the "S-clip" link in the description.......could just be me...)

[@PowderMill]

⚠️ Uh Oh! San Francisco…. What a beautiful city… BEFORE Demoncrat policies utterly destroyed it. 🙁 I sure hope you brought sturdy boots to protect you while wading through the bum feces and discarded used hypodermic needles. 🫣🤣 Edison Fong = THE Antenna Master! Thanks for testing. I just ordered 2 more Ed Fong “roll up” antennas. (creating family emergency communications bags for Christmas)