2M/70CM ROLL UP J-POLE/SLIM JIM ANTENNA

[Wingfoot]

My journey into ham radio continues & at the weekend we went into the hills of shropshire to camp out for a couple of nights along with my ham radio buddy & his partner.

While he had a nice Yaesu 817 & a Watson X30 & a long wire on a set of poles that anchored to a bracket you park the car on, I only had my cheap Baofeng UV-5R & a recently purchased roll up antenna made by Nelson Antennas in the USA.

We had some good contacts during the weekend & as my roll up was easily portable we took it with us on a couple of hikes & just clipped it onto a length of paracord strung up in the trees, I can't recommend these enough, I was very impressed by how well it worked & 100 times better than the stock rubber duck that comes with the radio.

The best thing is it rolls up to a very small size & weights almost nothing so ideal to store & transport with a small handheld radio in your GHB or BOB.

I got mine off the well known auction site on a buy it now auction, just search for "DELUXE MODEL ROLL UP 2M/70CM ROLL UP J-POLE/SLIM JIM ANTENNA WITH 10FT COAX" or "Nelson Antennas", I was so impressed Ive ordered a second one to go in my other go bag.

WF.

[TheOldHObbit]

This is great information, as you know I am about to get 2 Baofeng UV-5R5's for when I'm out camping or in the caravan, these antennas sound perfect for that, thanks .

[Wingfoot]

I think these antennas in combination with the UV5R really take some beating, I also used one of these hanging in my loft space for a while prior to installing my outdoor antenna on the house & it worked brilliantly within the roof space & is a good option for a stealthy set up, where you dont want to attract attention by hoisting a large outdoor antenna for all to see.

I have also tweaked my mobile (hiking / S.O.T.A) set up with this antenna, so that it now includes a telescopic 6m fishing pole, which works great in areas where trees are scarce, usually on the top of hills, the roll up antenna is so light it hardly effects the pole, carrying a couple of bungee cords will also allow for the pole to be fixed to fence posts or any other support structure close by, & because the pole is reasonably short & light when collapsed its easily portable, and would also attach easily to your caravan im sure.

When using the fishing pole I also use an extra 10 foot extension to the coax cable, gives me more options on antenna or operating possition when out in the field, & allows me to fix the antenna up as high as possible, there are a few sellers offering them on ebay, just be sure to get the ones with the correct sma fittings, I also rigged up a paracord guying kit so that if needs be the pole can stand up on its own, this works great when operating from my tent.

If you want to make your UV5R more useful then I cant recommend these antennas enough, I think they are outstanding value & a must have for any BOB or GHB comms kit.

Wf

[TheOldHObbit]

My thoughts exactly on the fishing pole I have several of these between 6 and 8mtr which I use to fly flags from when visiting different motorsport venues. The idea with the bungee's is a great one and I shall get a couple for my "Bug out Bag". I have also ordered the larger batteries 3800mha to go with each radio.

I really am looking forward to getting these little sets as they come with some fantastic reviews and they will hopefully assist me in understanding the different elements of radio other than good ole CB use. Passing my foundation will open a whole new world and I want to make the most of it.

Thank you once again for the information and I will be sure to give some feedback when I get my 5r5's and start playing.

[Wingfoot]

Thank you once again for the information and I will be sure to give some feedback when I get my 5r5's and start playing.

No problem, good luck with the new radios & the foundation exam, I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Ive been on my UV5R this lunchtime from home with it attached to my Diamond X50 antenna outside & had an easy 55 mile S.O.T.A contact with a guy up on Cadair Berwyn, which is a mountain in north wales, the summit where he was is up at 830metres/2,723Ft & one of the best in Wales, his callsign was MW0YDH & he was suffering some very poor weather conditions to make the contacts, he gave me a 5.7 signal report & to me he was a very strong 5.9, not sure what power he was using but I got back to him on only 4watts so I'm happy with that.

Antenna height is critical on VHF/UHF & the higher you can get it the further you will get.

Cheers
Wf

[TheOldHObbit]

Confirmation from the good ole US of A saying that my antenna has been despatched Mentioned this to my local retail outlet (Farnborough Communications) who is also a member of the club I am hoping to take my foundation with, who tells me there is a club member who is pretty darn good at making antennas and does demonstrations from time to time. I have been advised if I want another extension antenna to speak to him and he would either make another one for my second handset or he might even show me how to make my own.

Santa has confirmed that x2 UV-5r5's are on their way from the North Pole with my name on them...... lol

[Wingfoot]

Sounds like your in for a good Xmas.

Enjoy.

Wf

[TheOldHObbit]

2015-12-19 11.28.14 by Britfan, on Flickr

Arrived this morning

[Wingfoot]

Sweet

Wf

[TheOldHObbit]

2016-01-12_06-59-11 by Britfan, on Flickr

Got this 10 foot extension and it works great with the Slim JIm. I am unable to trip a 2mtr repeater 17 miles away with either the stock antenna or a 15" third party one, but when I put the slim jim up on a 5 mtr fishing pole it trips the repeater no problem. A great addition to the Baofeng comms bag and look forward to TXing when I get my Foundation.