VHF ANTENNA, 2 METERS, SLIM JIM

By: Ramón Miranda, YY5RM( ramon.miranda811@[Link])

Greetings colleagues, The Slim Jim is an antenna, half-wave, folded and is fed with a 1/4 adapter.
Wave at its lower end (Stub). This can be coupled to any impedance by changing the height of the point.
D (Graphic taken from the page of colleague M0UKD), where the coaxial cable is connected and the adjustment ranges from 0 ohms (
height = 0), up to approximately 400 ohms (D close to point C). Next, I explain one of so many
ways to build the Slim Jim Antenna, economical, designed for VHF, 2 Meters, amateur radio range (By
Internet, on the M0UKD page, you can search for information about its calculations and functioning.

Materials:

A PVC pipe, lightweight plumbing, 2 inches in diameter, 3 meters long, (will serve as antenna wrapping).

A reinforced PVC pipe, 2 inches in diameter, 3 meters long (will be used as a mast).

A cap to seal a 2-inch PVC pipe (will prevent rainwater from entering the antenna tip).

Ten Rawnplugs longer than 4.5 centimeters (Used as spacers).

Three meters of copper wire (You can use #12 cable, single strand, and remove the insulation).
A silicone stick, to apply with a hot glue gun (can be melted with the same soldering iron), or any other.
dielectric glue.

Plastic tape and 50 ohm coaxial cable (can be RG58/u), length to be agreed.

Construction:

Use the measurements (in centimeters) that I provide below, mark or draw on the
148.6 cm
10.1 cm

Cut the Rawnplugs to 4.4 cm, use them as spacers, at a distance

Solder the coaxial cable at point 'D', as indicated in the graphic and the photograph.

Insert the antenna in its entirety into the lightweight PVC tube until it reaches
at the top of said tube, secure the upper end of the antenna to the wall
inside the PVC tube, with enough melted silicone. Place PVC cap.

Insert the lightweight PVC pipe into the reinforced cup, apply tape or glue.

Since the coaxial cable is protected within the mast, it is necessary to make a small opening in the
lower end of the mast, to prevent the cable from being stepped on and damaged by the weight of the antenna.

Photographs:
Other Information and Experiences:

On occasions, I have been asked, 'Why is the coaxial cable connected short-circuited,'
Is that going to damage the radio? Answer: If measured with a tester or ohmmeter, it will indicate
in short circuit. Every antenna has its Radiation Resistance (typical = 50 ohms), which is
you can calculate with simple formulas, or measure with an Antenna Analyzer. In the case of a
Half-wave dipole, fed from the center, its Radiation Resistance is
approximately 73 ohms, this may vary depending on height and other factors, but,
if you measure it with the tester or ohmmeter, it will indicate infinity, or an open circuit. There are many
antenna adapters that work short-circuited, such as, for example, the Loop of an Antenna
Ringo. The Stub Adapter (graph on the right, taken from the internet, page M0UKD) also
is of the short-circuited type and couples the Antenna to any Transmission Line impedance (
In this case: RG58/u Coaxial Cable, 50 ohm.

Why is the antenna 1/2 wavelength and so long? Answer: The total length of the Slim Jim is 3/4 wavelength.
but the lower section of 1/4 wavelength does not radiate energy, it is the Stub Adapter of the Antenna. The upper part (
Indicated in the graph, as Radiation Sector) has a length of 1/2 wavelength, although due to its fold, it is equivalent to
a complete wave.

Bandwidth, Approximate = 4 MHz (Almost the entire range of VHF Amateur Radio, in 2 Meters, from 144.250
MHz up to 148.000 MHz, with 1.1 of SWR). On page DU1ANV, you can look for more details about the SWR.
Diagram and Vertical Angle of Maximum Radiation, from the page PU2OKE.

The reason for using plastic mast (Reinforced tube of 2" diameter x 3 meters high): In the cover photograph.
It is not observed that one of the arms of my HF Dipole Antenna comes very close to the spot I have available for
mount VHF and UHF antennas (No space for wind tensioners of the mast). The induction offered by the wire of the
Dipole primarily affects the Radiation Pattern of the VHF Antenna, as it is omnidirectional and very low.
vertical angle. Experimenting, I lowered the arm of the inverted V Dipole, but it still continued to affect the
VHF antenna. When I wrote the article 'Get to Know the Talkabout Radios', I compared the shape and intensity of the field of
the Ringo 5/8 with Radials and the Slim Jim, due to the similarity between the two antennas, I decided to build it for VHF, with
light materials that can be supported with a plastic mast. In case you do not have these problems and
enough space, you can assemble the
antenna with heavier materials and
mount the Silm Jim antenna on mast
metallic (I suggest a fence tube)
Alfajol, which are economical, measure
6.6 meters long, they are lightweight and have
an approximate outer diameter of
suggested inner diameter of the PVC pipe
as the wrapping of this antenna.
Many colleagues have written to me about their experiences and excellent results with the Slim Jim antenna, some of them
they have improved the construction method, for example; Colleague Lino Rodriguez, YY5FRD (yy5frd@[Link]
), which used a 3/16” copper pipe (larger diameter, increases the bandwidth) and to improve the
rigidity, used spacers made from 1/2" PVC pipe nipples, cut to the measurement of the internal wall of the
plastic tube that wraps the antenna. Below, I am sending you some of its photographs:

To conclude: I hope this article has been useful. Until next time, I say goodbye. Sincerely...

Ramón Miranda.