220 MHz Twin-Lead J-Pole

A homebrew antenna for the 1.25 m (220 MHz) band, built from Ed Fong WB6IQN's design: 300-ohm twin lead inside a capped ¾-inch PVC pipe.

The antenna on a tall tripod in the backyard, against a blue sky — Testing on a tripod before it went up

The finished white PVC antenna mounted on top of a mast against the sky — The finished antenna in its permanent spot, about 22 feet up

A RigExpert Stick antenna analyzer in a hand, its screen showing SWR 1.29 at 220.26 MHz — The SWR check: 1.29:1 at 220.26 MHz

The 1.25 m band (222–225 MHz) is a quiet, useful ham band, but there aren't many antennas made for it. Ed Fong's twin-lead J-pole is a simple answer: a length of 300-ohm TV twin lead, cut and notched to size, with the coax soldered on at the bottom. It needs no radials, and the whole antenna slides inside a ¾-inch PVC pipe that is capped at the top, which keeps it out of the weather.

The design is Figure 3 in Ed's tri-band antenna article (QST, March 2017). I built mine in April 2025, tested it on a tripod in the backyard, and it now stands about 22 feet above the ground as antenna #1 in my antenna farm.

1.25 m220 MHz band

300 Ωtwin lead

36 intotal length

¾ inPVC pipe, capped

1.29:1SWR at 220.26 MHz

Dimensions

From Ed Fong's Figure 3, top to bottom, for a pipe of ¾-inch 200 psi PVC.

Section	Length	Notes
Radiator	26″	Both conductors, above the notch
Notch	¼″	Cut out of one conductor only
Matching section	9″	Below the notch
Bottom	¾″	The coax is spliced on here, and the two conductors are shorted together

Ed's figure uses thin RG-174A coax for the lead inside the pipe.

The build

Cut the twin lead to 36 inches and cut the ¼-inch notch in one conductor, 26 inches from the top.
Attach the coax at the bottom: solder the center conductor and shield to the twin lead and short the two conductors together, as in the figure.
Seal the splice with heat shrink.
Fit the connector on the other end of the coax.
Slide it into the PVC pipe and cap the top.
Test before installing: on a tripod in the backyard the SWR was 1.29:1 at 220.26 MHz.

The end of a black twin lead with its two wires stripped, next to coax and a soldering iron on the bench — Soldering the coax to the bottom of the twin lead

The coax braid and center conductor soldered to the twin lead, with cutters on the bench — The splice, before sealing

Red heat shrink sealing the joint between the black twin lead and the coax — Heat shrink over the splice

A UHF connector and the prepared end of the coax on the bench beside a soldering iron — The connector and the prepared coax end

The UHF connector soldered onto the end of the coax — The connector in place

Parts

300-ohm twin lead, 36 inches
Coax for the lead inside the pipe (Ed's figure uses RG-174A), and a UHF connector
Heat shrink for the splice
¾-inch 200 psi PVC pipe and a cap

Links

Ed Fong's tri-band antenna article (PDF) Ed's Antennas My antennas

Credits

The antenna design and dimensions are by Edison Fong, WB6IQN, from his article "A Tri Band Antenna for 2 meters, 220 MHz, and 70cm Antenna Without Radials" (QST, March 2017).