Description

Weighing just 4 ounces our portable roll up antenna is perfect for increasing the range of your radio while in remote areas. Small and light enough for a backpack or your bug out bag. Overall length is 66″ , includes 12″ of coax and standard SO-239 female connector. Specifically tuned for the GMRS and MURS radio band.

When you’re preparing for emergency communications, out for a Parks On the Air event or on a remote adventure trip, having a reliable yet compact antenna like the ladder line j-pole can make the difference between reliable radio contacts or silence.  I have tested numerous antenna designs since becoming a licensed HAM in 2011. Very few match the versatility and performance of the 450 ohm ladder line Slim Jim for the GMRS and MURS  bands. This ingenious antenna offers impressive gain, omnidirectional coverage, and best of all, can be rolled up and tucked into your backpack when not in use.

The ladder line j-pole Slim Jim antenna is an evolution of the classic J-pole design with significantly improved performance characteristics and it’s a highly effective portable antenna that will dramatically extend your communication range.

What makes this particular design special is its ability to focus radiation at a lower angle toward the horizon (where you actually need it) rather than wasting energy skyward. This translates to noticeably better performance in real-world conditions. I’ve personally used this antenna to make contacts with one of our local GMRS repeaters that is around over 13 miles, away as the crow flies. The antenna was suspended about 20 feet up over a tree branch and with a hand held Baofeng UV-5R at 5 watts it comes in crisp and clear.

The ladder line j-pole Slim Jim antenna represents a significant improvement over the traditional J-pole design that many ham operators are familiar with. The name itself is actually an acronym – “Slim” because it doesn’t require radials, and “JIM” stands for “J Integrated Match,” referring to the quarter-wave matching stub technique used in its design.

What sets the Slim Jim apart is its radiation pattern. While a standard J-pole radiates at approximately 30 degrees from the horizontal plane, the Slim Jim’s pattern is much lower – typically 8-10 degrees from horizontal. This means more of your signal travels where it’s needed most: along the ground toward distant stations rather than up toward the sky. This lower radiation angle effectively gives you about 6dB of gain in the horizontal plane compared to a J-pole.

Another advantage of this ladder line j-pole design is its impressive bandwidth. A well-built Slim Jim typically maintains a low VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) across the entire 2-meter band and beyond. This means you’ll get excellent performance whether you’re operating on the low end (462 MHz) or high end (457 MHz) of the band without needing to retune.

We manufacture these in our shop located in Abita Springs, Louisiana, USA along with several other designs. Each one is assembled and tuned before packaging and shipment.

Please see our other listing for our antenna we also offer the Slim Jim design tuned to 2 Meter / 70 cm  frequencies.