J-POLE
When Michael Martens, callsign KB9VBR, set out to make his first J-pole in 2001, his drive was purely utilitarian–the local ham club was setting up APRS digipeaters around town and he figured it might be cheaper to fabricate his own antenna. The J-pole is typically one of the first antenna designs an aspiring homebrew-ham attempts. With simple, inexpensive components and relative ease-of-use, the J-pole is a great gateway into the world of antennas, and it offers some additional technical benefits as well. Michael knew this and decided to give it a try.
Fast-forward several years and Martens is at the helm of a thriving, industry-leading J-pole antenna operation. KB9VBR Antennas, located in the heartland of Wisconsin, may not be a large electronics equipment manufacturer, but when it comes to J-poles, they pretty much own the market. (Just Google ‘j-pole antenna’–theirs will be the first website after Wikipedia.) Martens has received praise for his antennas from all over the world, and has even garnered recognition from Hollywood and some other publications. Most recently, the set designer of the…. READ MORE
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