I often receive inquiries if my antennas can be used with handheld or HT radios. The simple answer is that if your radio has a detachable antenna, then yes you can connect it to my J-Pole antennas or another style of antenna.

Connecting your HT to an external antenna is a great way to extend your range of the handheld, especially if you are using your handheld in a remote location. The duck antennas that come with most handheld radios are not very efficient, most have none or even a negative gain. They are designed for portability and not efficiency. If you wanted to set up a field station at a public service event, or even use your HT as a base radio, then you will need a better quality antenna, such as the 2 meter J-Pole antenna.

Handheld radios these days usually have an SMA or a BNC antenna connector on them. The J-Pole antenna uses an SO-239 connector on it, which mates to a PL-259 connector. The PL-259 is the standard connector for 50 ohm coax cable. You will need an adapter to connect your HT to the coax cable. Radio Shack does sell a BNC to SO-239 adapter. The part number is 278-120 and this should be a stocked item for most stores.  I know they also have an SMA to SO-239 adapter, but I was unable to find it in their online catalog. Radio Shack employees are not often well versed in the little components that they carry, so if you have the part number, your shopping experience will go better.

My favorite go to place for adapters and connectors is Tower Electronics. This online retailer can also be found at many hamfests in the the Midwest. When I run into them at a hamfest I’ll often pick up a variety of connectors and adapters that I may need for a future situation. They have both an SMA to So-239 adapter and an SMA to SO-239 adapter with a three foot jumper. For the SMA connector, I recommend getting the adapter with the jumper. This will take the stress off your HT’s connector and prolong it’s life.

These adapters and connectors will let you connect your handheld radio to standard 50 ohm coax cable so that you can use the J-Pole antenna with your handheld radio. This will not only increase the range of your HT, but also give you solid communications when using your handheld as part of a field station at a public service event. Start collecting adapters and keep them as part of your EMCOMM, emergency communications go-bag kit.

October 1, 2011 marks the date for the 2011 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET). The SET is a readiness exercise to test the capabilities of ARES/RACES emergency communications groups. Unlike Field Day which is more points based and social, the SET drill is usually based around a scenario. This year our local ARES/RACES group chose to test our capabilities by assembling a HF, VHF/UHF station in the parking lot of one of our served agencies, the Marathon County Red Cross.

Our ARES group designed our SET scenario to test a few different capabilities: Use ICS forms to plan the operation, assemble the station in a wild location, be a regional resource for the state’s ARES/RACES communication network. Despite a few hiccups, we achieved our objectives that we outlined in the plan. The ICS forms worked well for our purposes and all future ARES activities will include filling out an ICS-202 prior to starting the activity. If your ARES team is ICS-100 and IS-700 trained, there is no reason why you shouldn’t utilize these resources.

As a side note, we used a KB9VBR 440 MHz UHF J-Pole to connect to a wide are net and a KB9VBR 2 meter J-Pole to run our Winlink station. HF antenna was a home brew 120 foot dipole with open wire feed.

KB9VBR UHF J-Pole antenna

GMRS radios are gaining in popularity daily. Inexpensive and effective, these radios are redefining how families keep in touch. Unfortunately you won’t get the range you need unless you have a good antenna. The GMRS J-Pole is similar to the 440MHz antenna, but it is tuned for maximum performance on the 462MHz GMRS band. If your base radio can accept an external antenna (many of the better models can), then adding one of these antennas will greatly improve your range.

Price: $19.00 + 6.50 shipping

GMRS J-Pole Antenna Buy Now

KB9VBR UHF J-Pole antenna

The 2 meter works great on the 70cm band, but sometimes you may want a 440MHz dedicated antenna. This is the one for you. Short, lightweight, and always more gain than a 1/4 wave groundplane; only 30 inches overall with an 11 inch mounting stub.

Price: $19.00 + 6.50 shipping