Following up on our J-Pole Workshop announcement, NFARL members turned out on July 18th for a morning of hands-on antenna building, radio programming, and repeater know-how. Hams of all experience levels — including several brand-new licensees fresh off Ham Cram — built their own dual-band 2m/70cm J-Pole antennas, programmed their HTs with the new NFARL Metro Atlanta Frequency Plan via CHIRP, and picked up practical tips for getting the most out of local repeaters.
By noon, tables that started out covered in twin-lead wire, PVC, and soldering irons were covered in finished — and tuned — antennas ready to take home.
🛠️ Building the DBJ-2 J-Pole
Each station worked through a build of the twin-lead 2m/70cm J-Pole based on the well-known QST design by Ed Fong, WB6IQN. Members measured, cut, and soldered their feedpoints under the guidance of our volunteer Elmers, working step-by-step through the assembly and test procedure.
It's a great little project: inexpensive, portable, and it drastically outperforms a stock rubber duck antenna — whether mounted as a semi-permanent base antenna or rolled up in a go-bag for portable and emergency use.
📡 Checking the SWR
No antenna build is complete without checking the numbers. The club's analyzers got a serious workout as members swept their freshly soldered J-Poles across both bands, tweaking element lengths and connections to chase down a clean match.
Several builders walked away with sub-1.2 SWR readings on both 2m and 70cm — about as good as it gets for a homebrew antenna.
💻 CHIRP Programming & Repeater Tips
While antennas were coming together at one end of the room, members brought their HTs (and programming cables) to load up the newly launched NFARL Metro Atlanta Frequency Plan via CHIRP — NFARES emergency channels, high-use local repeaters, and essential repeaters within 25 miles of Metro Atlanta, all in one upload. We also ran through practical repeater etiquette: checking in, joining a conversation, and navigating local net protocols with confidence.
🙏 Thank You
A big thank-you to everyone who volunteered their time, tools, and expertise to make this workshop happen.
And thanks to everyone who came out and built something! It's exactly this kind of hands-on, get-your-hands-dirty learning that makes NFARL such a great club.
📅 What's Next
Keep an eye on the NFARL Calendar for our next meeting and upcoming workshops. Got a topic you'd like to see covered in a future hands-on session? Let us know!
73, and see you on the repeaters!
