The concept of setting up a base of operations is the same regardless if you are using the 2 meter amateur radio band, MURS, or UHF GMRS bands. My base setup consists of a 2 meter mobile radio, 18 amp hour gel cell battery, eight foot painters pole, and a 2 meter J-Pole antenna. When we are camping or I’m working as part of an event. I set up my base station and go to it. The battery has enough power to last the entire weekend and the short mast and J-pole is usually enough to hear just about every other station I’m working in the event.

VHF communications is primarily line of sight, so the higher you can get your antenna the better. This is especially true if you are using portable radios or are in a heavily forested or hilly area. You may require a taller mast for effective communications, but seldom will you need something taller than 10-15 feet for temporary use. Your terrain may also be way to rugged for effective communication. In that case setting up relay stations may be in order to keep everyone in communication.

Good luck with your base camp operations and please send me your success stories using the J-Pole antenna. I’d love to hear them.

The other harbinger of Spring is lightning and severe weather. I’ve been asked quite a few questions over the last two weeks about lightning protection. Here are my guidelines for a safe antenna installation:

1. Lightning will follow the path of least resistance. Your antenna system should be bonded to an earth ground via a heavy copper or copper clad steel line connected to an eight foot ground rod.
2. Lightning will also follow down your feedline. A lightning arrestor inline on your coax will minimize lightning’s effects. The arrestor needs to be bonded to the same earth ground as your other ground line.
3. If you are grounding a mast or tower with multiple antennas, all antennas need to share the same ground system. Multiple grounds will cause more harm than good if lightning hits.

The ARRL has an excellent collection of resources for lightning protection. Almost all grounding recommendations are based on the National Electric Code and can change as the code is updated. I recommend that you visit the ARRL’s site for the latest information on grounding and lightning protection: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/lightning.html

Finally, I’m not a licensed electrition, my advice may be contrary to your local ordinances. Please seek out an expert when an expert is necessary.

1. Size. The 2 meter J-Pole is less than 6 feet tall. The breakaway model folds down to under 36 inches. The antenna is small enough that it can fit in the trunk of your car without taking up too much space.
2. Performance. The J-Pole has about 2.5db of gain over a 1/4 wave antenna. It’s a half wave design, so it has a doughnut shaped radiation pattern; sending more RF energy to the horizon than the sky. Also, building the antenna out of 1/2 inch copper tubing both increases the bandwidth and reduces the noise floor of the antenna. You’ll get better reception capabilities and a wider range of operating frequencies.
3. Cost. Probably the biggest factor; the J-Pole is inexpensive. You can dedicate this antenna to Emcomm use without breaking the bank. A similar single band commercial antenna is $80 or more; the 2 meter J-Pole is under $30.00.

As an active ARES/RACES member, the J-Pole is part of my go kit. If I didn’t recommend it, I wouldn’t sell it.