Gotta love 'em. The J-pole, to me, epitomizes "hobby" and "homebrew." Sure, with a bit of leftover 10/2 wire, a piece of lumber or aluminum, some hardware, a good measuring tape, and the patience to tune the parts, one could build a cubicle quad or quagi in an afternoon. But, for apartment dwellers like me, the chance of mounting such a formidable device - and getting permission from the SO - is slim at best.

So, we must compromise.

Actually, I didn't compromise the first time. I was a homeowner, but the mortgage - and the SO - prevented me from purchasing or mounting anything big. That and the fact that I think an antenna farm is more intrusive on the skyline than it is indicative of the owner's income.

I had a modest 30-foot 3-section mast attached to my workshed. At the top was a dipole. It was very unobtrusive and rather insignificant. But it was a simple 5/8-wave rod, not even a colinear, so gain was nil. But, from its perch I could work repeaters that were near line-of-sight more than 50 miles (line of sight took me to the Pacific only 10 miles away), and over-the-horizon stations more than 20 miles out. All this, mind you, with a 5-watt HT.

I then read an article, I'm not sure exactly where, that spoke of a J-pole. It was a nice little Saguaro cactus looking thing made of copper pipe and fittings with a feedline running up the trunk. But it required plumber's experience soldering and cutting pipe, two skills I was lacking. And I couldn't pay someone to build it.

Shortly after, I saw an article which gave instructions to build a J-pole out of 300-ohm twin lead. Well, it just so happens that I've got a whole spool of the stuff, plus enough coax to go around the house twice (thanks to Harley in San Diego), and I can solder wire. So, after a short trip to Radio Shack� for a BNC connector, I began building my first J-pole.