Chameleon MPAS Portable Antenna System Review.

[gil]

This is my introduction to a full review of the Chameleon MPAS which includes the CHA Hybrid Micro UNUN, the MIL Whip, wire and the CHA JAW Mount. I won't be using the included dipole mount. More posts will follow in this thread, as well as videos. I am planning a camping trip this summer, giving me the opportunity to test the MPAS and give you some nice views of the French countryside. This week I will order the ZM-2 tuner, so it will be part of the review as well. I wanted to test the Elecraft T1 but my budget doesn't allow for the purchase.

I would like to thank Chameleon Antennas for giving me the opportunity to test this system. Carl did not ask me to give a positive review, in which case I would have refused. You will get the truth, unbiased.

http://chameleonantenna.com/

I discovered the MPAS from Survival Tech Nord's review. I suggest everyone to check out his YouTube Channel. He has a few great videos comparing it to another well known similar package.

http://www.survivaltechnology.net/

Why the Chameleon MPAS?

My last portable antenna was the Buddistick, which worked wonders down to 30m. I never made a contact on 40, but I did not try much to be honest. I even made an 800 mile contact on 30m using 2W with the antenna clipped to my coffee table on the second floor of the house; CW of course. Too bad I lost that antenna along with everything else when my sailboat decided to leave its anchorage without me... The sea is very demanding sometimes. Why not buying another one, or the SuperAntenna MP-1? The CHA Hybrid Micro with the whip offers unparalleled convenience. I can't talk about performance yet, but I have carefully examined all the elements and played with them enough to give you my first impressions. It is immediately obvious that the whole shebang is very well machined. Will it match a tuned antenna of similar size in performance, I would say probably not, but let's not jump to conclusions. If I had the MIL Whip Extension I would say yes, against shorter resonant antennas. Again, we'll see... Any portable whip antenna is a compromise and will not match my favorite antenna, the End-Fed Half-Wave, or any other full size antenna for that matter. You can't beat the MPAS for speed of deployment however. You also don't need to mess around the antenna or change the counterpoise length when you change bands. If you have an automatic tuner, you basically have nothing to do but press a button. Let's examine each element individually:

The CHA Hybrid Micro is the heart of the system. Feeding wires or whips from the end creates a high impedance incompatible with most tuners or any 50-Ohm radio. The Hybrid Micro is a 5:1 UNUN (unbalanced to unbalanced) impedance transformer. It divides the impedance of the load by five, rendering it tunable by a regular tuner. You do get a bit of losses in the process, added to the loss of using a non-resonant aerial. Convenience has its price.

The Hybrid Micro weighs in at just about 300 grams (10.6Oz)., not light.. It is very well made, of aluminum and stainless steel. The body is something like Delrin I suspect. You get the sense that you have something you won't worry about dropping from your second floor balcony... The parts have obviously been designed and made for the task, not bought from the hardware store. The only gripe I have with it is that the SO-239 socket is held by two screws instead of four. It doesn't look like it will come off, but if the designers of the SO-239 put four holes in their socket, there has to be a reason.. Unless you try hanging yourself with your coax cable though, it probably won't be an issue. I could have made my own UNUN for a fraction of the cost, but let's face it, it would be nothing like the Hybrid Micro without a lathe, a mill, and countless hours of work. The design is perfectly adapted to it's function. I would have liked a couple extra 3/8-24 nuts since they are hard to find in Europe, but you get one on the dipole mount to tighten the counterpoise. Is it worth the asking price? I didn't think I would say this, but yes, pending performance testing...

Using the CHA Hybrid Micro with the 60ft. Wire and a counterpoise system will be a whole new ball game. I would expect great performance in that configuration. If I have a tree to hang a wire from though, I would rather opt for a half wave wire with EFHW tuner. If you will be using both the whip and a long wire though, better stay with the MPAS system, since you will carry less.

The MIL Whip (245g/8.64Oz), there is no other way to say it, is a tent pole. Not that I have a problem with that. Why reinvent the wheel? The aluminum elements are well made and fit tightly. The assembled whip is fairly rigid, allowing it to be used horizontally. The end plug looks like one that fits in an eyelet, revealing its humble beginnings. The 3/8-24 end-fitting looks great, solid. At 1Lbs, I won't mind carrying it. Being 10'8", I hope for decent performance down to 30m...

A word about the term "military" in regards to amateur radio gear: It isn't. But since Chameleon uses it, though to their credit they specify "inspired from," I will comment... I have a Clansman 2.5m military whip.. It is obviously superior in quality to the CHA MIL Whip. That is to be expected of course. This whip is made of brass and copper, with extremely tight tolerances and elements of different diameters. I paid £25 for it, brand new, but it must have cost a fortune to the British military. I think the MIL Whip, same goes for the MIL EXT, could have been priced a bit less aggressively.. I guess it's like "marine" labeled merchandise, you pay for the tag.

The CHA JAW Mount is a beast at 345g (12.2Oz). I don't have much to say about it except that you're not going to break it! The antenna attachment part can be rotated ninety degrees to allow mounting on a pole or a table for example. The Hex key is included, a nice touch. I will mind the weight, but I don't like flimsy mounts like on the Buddistick. The hole for the Hybrid Micro is bigger than 3/8. You can use a chamfered washer from the dipole mount to fix that problem, but a 3/8 hole would have been better.

The wire is 60ft long with round isolators and copper clamps, terminated by an eyelet. It comes on a winder. You will need counterpoise wires... I will personally make a 25ft wire and a 60ft one to make an inverted V or use on 80m for NVIS. I also plan on getting a Clansman counterpoise kit which is four 10m wires connected to a single central wire. Racal makes a nice kit that comes on a spool and can be found for about $32 on Ebay. My 25ft single wire will be terminated with a crocodile clip to be used on barb wire fences and other improvised counterpoises.

I can't say more before I get my tuner. My first impression is largely positive. The ruggedness is apparent, without any element being the "weakest link." When the three pieces are assembled, you get a tight system with no play. I will probably add a spring between the JAW Mount and the Hybrid Micro, just in case.. That will also allow me to bolt the spring to the JAW Mount permanently, fixing the large hole issue once and for all. The whole package at 1255g/2.8Lbs isn't that heavy if you want a rugged antenna. A low-drag trekker might cringe at the weight, but we're radio operators, not sissies, right?

[RadioRay]

Very good preliminary review.  It all begins with materials and craftsmanship. If something breaks or degrades too quickly, it is not worth the price.  this looks rather impressive and -yes- as you pointed-out 'full mil'  no, HOWEVER, very-very rugged and head and shoulders above 'ham gear' - it seems so. I appreciate that you know the right sort of questions to ask about equipment and it's use.

The more that I look at that heavy-duty clamp mount, the more that I like it!  As you know, I have a heavy background in military and adventure radio as well as manufacturing, so I LIKE what I see in this material review. Reminds me of the QRP contact on thirty meters between us, with your mini-vertical mounted on the coffee table in your flat.   ha ha 

I am looking forward to your initial test reports and then your trail reports.


72 de RadioRay  ..._  ._

[Lamewolf]

Looks to be very well constructed, but I'm wondering what the swr curves look like without a tuner, which I'm sure you must use with it ?  I'm very frugal (yeah, cheap) so I almost always use simple wire antennas when working portable/qrp.  No trees, No problem, I just take my 31' Jackite telescopic fiberglas pole along and use it as a support.  Anyway, lets hear about how your new toy performs after you've had a chance to try it out.
kc8aon

[Lamewolf]

Very good preliminary review.  It all begins with materials and craftsmanship. If it 'works' but breaks or degrades too quickly, it is not work the price.  this looks rather impressive and -yes- as you pointed-out 'full mil'  no, HOWEVER, very-very rugged and head and shoulders above 'ham gear' - it seems so. I appreciate that you know the right sort of questions to ask about equipment and it's use.

The more that I look at that heavy-duty clamp mount, the more that I like it!  As you know, I have a heavy background in military and adventure radio as well as manufacturing, so I LIKE what I see in this material review. Reminds me of the QRP contact on thirty meters between us, with your mini-vertical mounted on the coffee table in your flat.   ha ha 

I am looking forward to your initial test reports and then your trail reports.


72 de RadioRay  ..._  ._

I like the way you do things in the field Ray.  From a survival shelter and simple wire antennas, and I won't mention others things I saw in those Ron Hood videos ! LOL
kc8aon

[gil]

Thanks Ray!

Reminds me of the QRP contact on thirty meters between us, with your mini-vertical mounted on the coffee table in your flat.   ha ha 

And using 2W no less! LOL. Those not so distant days were fun.

The ZM-2 tuner is on the way, mailed the morning after I ordered! That is what I will use with the MPAS. I am not wondering about SWR without a tuner because it is a simple UNUN not designed to be used without one.

Looks to be very well constructed,

Indeed, and that is the main reason I wanted to test it. I do not expect the whip to work as well as a wire antenna, we all know that. The 60ft included wire should do well however, even on 80m. The MPAS' purpose is speed of deployment and lasting service in all conditions. It looks like it will be up to that task.

Gil.

[Lamewolf]

The ZM-2 tuner is on the way, mailed the morning after I ordered! That is what I will use with the MPAS. I am not wondering about SWR without a tuner because it is a simple UNUN not designed to be used without one. <snip>

I realize its not designed to be used without one, but it would be interesting to run a sweep on with an analyzer to see if there are any useable spots without a tuner !  Whats the cost on something like that  ?

[gil]

it would be interesting to run a sweep on with an analyzer to see if there are any useable spots without a tuner

I should be able to do this in October..

Gil.

[Lamewolf]

it would be interesting to run a sweep on with an analyzer to see if there are any useable spots without a tuner

I should be able to do this in October..

Gil.

I'm sure you will find some resonant points but on what frequencies will be the big question.  Since its designed to be used with a tuner, I hope they at least made it so that the swr is somewhat low on the ham bands to assure at least a little bit of efficiency.  It would be nice if it was at least no more than 3:1 in the ham bands anyway !  BTW, is this thing rugged enough to use mobile ?

[Lamewolf]

What is the shackle on the threaded stud for in the third picture down ?

[gil]

BTW, is this thing rugged enough to use mobile ?

The whip? Maybe with a spring.. Chameleon does make mobile antennas though, I don't think I'd try the whip on a car..

What is the shackle on the threaded stud for in the third picture down ?

The shackle is there to attach the Hybrid Micro somewhere while using the 60ft end-fed wire. That is also where the wire itself attaches after being connected below to the HM.

Gil.

[gil]

The ZM-2 tuner, part of the Chameleon MPAS review arrived today. Needless to say it didn't take long for me to finish it! Not the best looking job in the world but it works. I should rather say it excels! I was in a hurry to test it so I put the CHA MIL WHIP with the Hybrid Micro horizontally between two chairs three feet off the ground and laid about five meters of counterpoise wire below it; all that in my living room, ground floor of a thick-walled brick house. How's that for NVIS? ;) There is a second floor, tall attic and a tile roof :o The ZM-2 happily tuned the whip on 40m, 1.3:1 SWR. Without any extra capacitance no less. Being dumb enough to think a signal could get out, I started calling QRO at 10W ;)  Nothing on the Reverse Beacon Network... I tuned around and found a lone DXer calling CQ. He replied on the first call! Got only half my call sign, but since he did not slow down for me, I let it go. He sounded like he was keying 35wpm, I had replied at 17. WOW, I actually got out of the house! A fluke? I started calling again... It took a few calls but finally I was heard by the F5RRS RBN skimmer, at 0dB ::) 360 miles... Then I got a German skimmer, also at 0dB. Now I needed to plug in my PAR End-Fed and see if I could get the same stations to compare... DK9IP again, this time at 12dB, along with a flurry of other European receiving stations. I took the whole shebang outside this time and the ZM-2 tuned the 10'8" whip with Hybrid Micro on 80m, 1.5:1 SWR, using only a single 10m counterpoise, +250pf capacitance. I did not try to call but heard some CW...

This quite non-scientific experiment means little other than I don't have to worry about the Chameleon MPAS or the ZM-2 not working in the field. I am leaving on the 17th, more about that on another thread, but I will have time to do a preliminary test before my trip.

Gil.

[Lamewolf]

What is a skimmer ? ???

[cockpitbob]

Reverse Beacon Network
http://www.reversebeacon.net/

Dozens of radios all over the world.  If their software hears your CQ they post it with your call, signal's SNR and CW speed.  Great way to see how/where you are getting out.

[Lamewolf]

That's cool, now if I can ever find affordable internet in my area maybe I could play with such things !  Don't even have cell service in my area unless I drive about a mile away and up on the ridge !

[gil]

Here is the first video, a preliminary test of the MPAS system to make sure everything worked and I did not forget anything before leaving on my French Pyrenees radio trek..

I have neither all the video gear I need or the experience to produce quality films yet, but one has to start somewhere... The main issues I find are sound recording and stability. Editing isn't especially easy either...

Also I need to mention that I have not made a single intercontinental contact for months, even using my proven PAR 40/20/10 End-Fed, propagation being pretty bad this year so far. Do not judge this system by the lack of transatlantic QSOs.

Expect a surprise in the last video, which there are four so far. I have only tested on 40/30/20m. I will most likely test the MPAS on 80m later and post the results here.

This is the first real series of products testing I am publishing where I have contact with the manufacturer and ask or accept to test gear somewhat "officially." I would not mind doing more as it is fun to test equipment I might not be able to otherwise buy or would not necessarily be interested in. Again, I have not been asked to be nice... If someone sends me a product and it does not perform well enough or as advertised, I will say so, maybe suggest improvements...

Make sure you read the whole evaluation in this thread and subscribe to the Radio Preppers Youtube channel.

Gil.