My only problem with J antennas is WHY. I can more easily build a 5/8.

What your really asking is why a half wave vs a 5/8ths?

The best answer I can give is a 5/8ths REQUIRES a groundplane to
work at all correctly and that makes it more metal and complication.
Yes the 5/8ths offers _some_ additional gain but for simplicity the
end fed dipoles (all the J varients) do not require a ground plane and
are more compact in general shape making them a better candiate
for steath or portable ops.

Seriously if I were going for more gain than the OSJ the antenna would
be a 4 bay dipole for the same reasons. Rugged, simple, excellent
gain and good radiation pattern. The 5/8ths does not offer enough
gain increase to make it worth the effort when a 5.6db colinear or 4
bay dipole offers significantly more.

Allison
KB!GMX

Wow, Good Answer, I totally agree.

I tested several different 5/8 wave antenna, I even made a
prototype that worked as well or better than any of them, and
looked better. But comparing them to the OSJ it was hard to
tell the difference, maybe a 1/2 "S" Unit in favor of the 5/8 wave.
With the difference in cost to make, (Labor & Material)
it just did not see worth the effort to me.
73 Al Lowe N0IMW
A HREF="http://ArrowAntennas.com"ArrowAntenna.com/A