Thank you ! That's how I roll. I learned so much about this system by putting this content together and I wanted the viewer to benefit from that as well. Thanks for watching !
I got a hybrid micro kit. Being as I have a well equipped machine shop I made my own aluminum extenders and ground spike. I keep the system packed in my vehicles for my POTA/Portable system. The speed and ease of deployment in the field/park makes it a nice choice for me. It is a compromise and it has it's purpose. Here in Missouri Park Rangers have asked me and other hams not to put wires in the trees. For that fact I like the ground mountable solution. I appreciate your testing and analysis. It's likely the least biased I've seen yet.
We are in the same boat here in a State Park they have kittens over wires in the trees. However a elevated high point with a crappie pole really will step up your game at a fraction of the form factor, weight, and expense.
I've had the MPAS 2.0 with CAP HAT for 4 years now and I have no problem getting DX with it. I've had many contacts from Ireland to North/Central and South America and a couple of contacts to Australia on 20m 100W SSB Phone. All over Europe even on 40m where it's not so efficient, I got to the Middle East a couple of times on 40m which isn't too bad. I ran 3 more radials for a total of 4 and it helped performance on 40m despite raising the SWR a bit. One could mount an external tuner at the antenna and bypass the UNUN but that would be costly. I've got to the U.K a couple of times on 80m which surprised me. The MPAS 2.0 With CAP HAT works so well I decided to leave it up on the front lawn permanently and I ran it to my sitting room where it connects to my FT-891, I also use this setup when I don't want to go to the shack and also for SWL, it's a very good and very quiet receiving antenna, at least in my location. I used Noalox to stop the aluminium seizing. Performance is decent on 20,17,15,12 and 10m. 40 does suffer of course, and I've made contacts on 80m to the U.K. For a portable antenna, the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 has greatly exceeded my expectations.
One of the best reviews I’ve seen of an antenna system. If you look at the difference between this review, and ones where the vendor provides the equipment, it just reinforces my view that objectivity is easier to achieve when the vendor doesn’t have expectations, and the reviewer doesn’t have to worry what the vendor might think. 👍
Thank you ! I am providing my observations on a product that carries a pretty steep price tag as I would hope others would do. When I have a matching unit in my hand that under a complete open shows an SWR of 7:1 @ 14mhz there is something rotten in Denmark. From my work with the T2FD I saw the same kind of response and it is apparent that the "magic" to quote another reviewer is merely a way to ensure the xmtr and perhaps the end user is happy using an antenna that falls short of the performance of an antenna that could be cobbled together for a fraction of the expense. Thanks for watching !
Very interesting review - thank you. I recently purchased the MPAS system. I set up my MPAS 2.0 Mini (with the CHA Cap Hat & Extension Whip) using the single counterpoise in the back yard. I haven't done any signal strength comparisons yet, but I took some swr measurements using IC-7300 built-in swr meter (RTTY mode). Here are the results (for the middle of the 40,20 & 10 meter bands : 7.15 mhz = 2.7 14.17 mhz = 1.25 28.49 mhz = 3.0 The antenna seems to be 'tuned' more for 20 meters, and drops off quickly by 40 and 10 meters. I have been able to use the reverse beacon network to get hits in southern California, Georga, South Carolina, Texas , New England and Costa Rica on both 40 & 20 meters using CW at 100 watts on the IC-7300 using this antenna set up as described above. I live on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, and the single 25' counterpoise is strung out due south from the MPAS ground spike.
You are welcome and thank you for sharing your experience with this product. This antenna uses a lossy transformer that puts you behind the eight ball from the initial outlay and really was a disappointment to me for the expense. I built a much better one myself for less than 20 bucks. I do think that Chameleon has the best antenna spike on the market and the mechanical aspects of the system are outstanding. After seeing their response to my efforts with walter mittyesque word salad marketing I personally feel I could not in good faith ever purchase one of their products again. Thank you for watching !
@@survivalcomms Fascinating ... I will contact Chameleon regarding these results and see what they say ... Could you detail your 'much better transformer' - how you built it, what materials, etc. so that I might try and build one too and see how it performs with the vertical elements compared to the transformer that they provide? Thank you.
@@survivalcomms Funny thing is that I saw a review of this antenna system by 'Ham Radio CQ' on youtube, where he got an swr or 1.04 @ 40 meters!! On this band I got a reading of almost 3 ! Now that was 5 years ago, so maybe Chameleon changed components ?? Go Figure !
Also, just for giggles, I tried to improve my efficiency by adding 8 x 16.5' radials to the 25' single counterpoise that they provided. My swr on 40 meters shot up to over 4 !!. Do you have any ideas as to why the swr increased so much? I've got to talk to Chameleon about that, too.
@@mikeymouse4629 You are welcome ! Do research on Ruthroff Ununs. It is all published and the one made on an FT140 -31 was featured in my video. the ones on an FT240-43 are even better.
Personally I do not subscribe or like many videos, but you sir IMPRESSED me with this video!!! Subscribed and liked. Please keep up the fair and unbiased reviews. To be completely honest, I am fairly new to the hobby and still learning. I actually purchased this antenna system, but I made the purchase before I was informed. Reading the response from the manufacturer on this video and I have lost some respect for Chameleon Antenna. I purchased is as antenna system to use for POTA and portable while RV'ing. While it has worked for me for that purpose thus far, it also makes me want to try other antenna systems as well. Again excellent video and look forward to other channel content.
Thank you very much Michael ! I do what I can to keep it real. Ham radio is all about experimentation and striving to enhance the art of radio. The MPAS is not a bad system it is just hyped up and that is truly counter to what the enhancement of the radio art is IMHO. Many have lost that focus at the altar of marketing and instant gratification. The support and feedback of those such as yourself are what motivate me to produce content. Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you for watching !
Thank you for a Excellent review. I'm so tired of the reviewers who set this antenna up, make some contacts and then gush on what a great antenna this is. Yes, build quality is very good with high quality materials. It's very fast to set up. It's the performance that really suffers. The performance is typical of the few specialized wide banded antennas we see on the market. They have their use such as with ALE. For general use, this antenna just leaves too much on the table. At it's price point and with the degraded performance I'd give it a 5 out of 10 at best. Others who have tested it and actually commented on performance have found it to be an average of about two "S" units down on received transmit power from a resonate antenna as well as the receive loss. If someone is actually informed about the performance loss and the antenna meets their needs, it may be what they want. The problem is that many who buy this antenna think it will perform right along the same lines as an end fed half wave, Silverbullet, Buddipole (or dipole) and that is not the case. For just over $625.00, I can buy a Yaesu FT-891. Add another $225.00 and I can have coax, battery or power supply and make an end fed half wave. I won't need an antenna tuner and have the loss from heightened SWR. With the the Yaesu and EF antenna, I'll not only have a great radio, but an antenna that will get the signal out and hear much better. For me, it's a no brainer. This antenna would be a disaster with a QRP rig. Chameleon uses their 5 to 1 transformer on many other models with the same resulting losses. Great job in the evaluation. It was fair and to the point. Other creators, take note, this is how you do a review.
Thank you very much and I appreciate it. This antenna is much like a different form factor T2FD in concept which is the darling of the ALE / Commercial / Military users due to its " broadband " characteristics but falls flat in the performance realm due to it's inherent losses in the 500ohm + - 20% resistor. You are 100 % correct in the observed decreases in RSSI and it's funny you mentioned that its use as a QRP antenna would be a disappointment. I edited out my commentary on that due to trying to keep the video short and I agree. I am excited about the spike however :) Thank you very much for sharing your experience and thanks again for watching !
@@survivalcomms The spike is a good one, but have you seen the price ? I'll make my own. Having a lathe helps with things like that. Love the Narcan sticker on the tool box. Got a good laugh out of it. Retired LEO. Oh, BCM all the way !
@@johnkaelberer237LOL yes it is very pricey. @DoRiteFabrication lives down the road I need to bring it to him and get his input on a few ideas for a future design. I actually gave Jim one of those stickers too. Retired Fireman here. Thanks again !
I was going to type similar, but you summed it up perfectly. Even in the use case you mentioned of a broadband antenna (say for ALE) then a simple terminated dipole can be built for a fraction of the cost. It is simply way overpriced for it’s performance, for most users. Of course, “reviewers” getting it for free rarely consider the value proposition…..
@@ammocraft We have several B&W T2FD antennas and one was even used in testing in the video by a receiving station . They are not cheap either however as you mentioned you can roll your own pretty easily. Setting one up is a pain in the butt but the concept is the same as a lossy transformer. It looks good to the transmitter and end user but lots of your RF is attenuated on RX and lost as heat on TX. It sounds funny to say it ........ Its science :)
I had some winnings so purchased this system from Chameleon. I also added some additional parts for the "Tactical Delta Loop." My tactical days are long over--besides I never wore a rucksack, having sense enough, (I thought) to ride to the GastHaus on a tank. All that being said, I do own the MPAS 2.0. I have also watched this thorough review. Outward appearances is that it is well built,, nice wire components and a cool spike. In the configurations I have set up, it works as intended. Then again, 17 foot of speaker wire up a squib pole and using a hand made 4:1 transformer works pretty well too. It's pricey, its a compromised antenna, and it does work. It is part of my inventory of antennas and I would probably take it, my squib pole antenna, my WRC and other wire ones for when the going gets interesting... Thanks again for the review. N6TDG
What a great video. Nice job! The MPAS does everything, just not very well. This is a great antenna for folks who know nothing about HF antenna theory and don't care to learn. It works, just not as well as several other options. Component quality is definitely very high- this is a well built unit. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily translate to on-air performance. Again, great video!
Wow, very very thorough analysis here. I was surprised with the numbers and loss numbers. I have been running end fed antennas for a while due to space and support limitations at my QTH. The UN UN loss never occurred to me as most people never talk about it. Or maybe are not aware of it. I had considered one of these until I saw the price. You can buy a nice used HF rig for the price of one of these and make resonant dipoles or a fan dipole. Thanks for all the work that went into this, I know you must of had a lot invested in these tests. 73 Bret.
Thank you ! This was well over a month putting this together. I learned so much over the process of creating this content and that is worth the effort itself IMHO. Thank you for sharing your experience and thanks for watching !
I have one and it is ok, it does what it says it should do. I like to run FT8 which as we all know can be a bit rough on the gear but aside from the temperture drift I noticed in the mini loading 5 to 1 baulin that comes in the kit it worked fine. I did manage to break the spring compression cordage in the collapsible whip, but Chameleon replaced that whip right away and no questions ask. Great customer service for that issue. So for the most part it works well in my mind. So good review and thanks, I agree with most of the findings that you found while testing that it does what it says it should do, albeit it is a bit pricey. Thanks for sharing and 73 Vic de KE8JWE
Thank you Vic for sharing your experience. It is a cool system and very well thought out . I had higher hopes for it performance wise commensurate with it's expense but like most things our mileage may vary. Thanks for watching !
This is a very informative and fair review of the product. I put together virtually all the component parts of the v.1.0 MPAS, and was rather disappointed in the performance, to be honest. I use the EmComm II as a daily-driver due to space restrictions, but the hybrid micro doesn't compare in performance to that - regardless of what is connected to it. However, all that being said, I will echo your finding regarding ease of set-up and tune-ability: whether it is my Xeigu G90 or my FT817ND with Z817 tuner, there is no problem matching a transmitter to this antenna. People purchasing this antenna should consider precisely how much they want to pay for the convenience factor. I enjoy using the antenna - and I've used it in the field both as a vertical, and as an end-fed wire antenna. It flat-out does not perform anywhere close to a dipole, however - and (thankfully) the manufacturer does not claim it to do so. I've activated parks with it, done field day with it, and it does stand up to field use. However, the price-point versus performance is disappointing.
Great review! I did a review also about a year ago and had pretty much identical results when testing it at the same time with a linked dipole that I made and cost maybe 30.00 to build. I also bought my own but was lucky to have some of the parts and didn't pay the 600 plus for mine. I set mine up as the lite version with the 17' whip. I also have the bigger version and it does no better than your test, it east to set up and you can set at the radio and tune bands, but I would rather take the time and set up a better antenna. I have a stake setup that I can set up a EFHW in the same time and take a radio without a tuner with better results. I may have to open mine up and see if my Mpas was built so poorly, that was unbelievable, and your repair was the way it should have been built for that much money there is no excuse! I have suspected that the white enclosure is to help with the heat buildup and if so good for chameleon to updated that. Keep up the honest reviews!
Thank you very much I watched your review of this product as well. Thank you so much for your input and for the information . I have the parts here now to build a hybrid mini and do some side by side testing. I too believe in honesty in product reviews and it would appear to a reasonable person this company has manipulated so many for so long . Their response to just this one video speaks volumes. They have yet to answer any simple question as to why they would market a product flawed thus and who does the QA on their product line. When called out their response is feigned victimhood and to release another video on an over priced and under performing product. It is a sad state of affairs . Thank you for watching and I am glad to be a new subscriber.
Thank you Brett! I saw your presentation at LARA on 3/16/24. You are what I love about Amateur Radio. Excellent testing criteria. I was the guy who asked about your testing with G5RV antennas. I have home brewed and used G5RV ‘s for years. Thanks Tony ( Licensed since 1990)
Thank you very much Tony. I greatly enjoyed presenting it for the group. I have a video on the ZS6BKW in my content catalog you might be interested in watching . Thanks for watching !
Very very detailed video. One of the best detailed videos I have viewed compared to other TH-cam Channels . I do have Chameleon MPAS 2.0 and bought it from HRO San Diego in early 2022. My first use was on my first POTA activation in Palomar Mtn in San Diego County. Using my FT-857D at 100w no tuner. SWR was 1.3 in 20m and 40m. I was able to do 29 QSO in the Midwest, East Coast and Canada. Pictures on my QRZ page. Stay Safe. Happy New Year. 73 Ruben KD6CWI.
I appreciate the thorough review very much. As an MPAS owner, your analysis provides some objective data to intuitive observations of my own. It is pricey. However, it does perform as advertised as you thoroughly emphasized throughout the video. Shout out to Julian, OH8STN for the link. This is hands down the most objective and honest review of this antenna system. I recommend the antenna only if one can afford it and also understand how to use it effectively.
Exactly! AMAZING review and comment: "This is hands down the most objective and honest review of this antenna system. I recommend the antenna only if one can afford it and also understand how to use it effectively." UNDERSTAND how to use it effectively which mean going out, practicing and adapting the antenna configurations for your need! It's pricey because it is made in the US with great care! The insane inflation we've seen since the last TWO years don't help either!
Wow..incredible review. You certainly know your stuff and made it easy to understand for us that do not know the science behind these antenns. I have the micro version of this antenna with a 9 to 1 transformer and it has its place when I cannot deploy a wire do to space or my nosey neighbors in my HOA that see my putting up masts in the yard. It works , and when conditions are great I have made a ton of contacts with little power, 5 to 10 watts. But an EF always seems better on the amount of contacts I can make and the strong signal reports I receive. My favorite part of this antenna is the quick deployment and the ease to ground spike, attach to a table or fence with the optional mounts and quality of components. The worst part is the cost. Chameleon should send you gear to tear apart and review, you are the perfect person to give an unbiased review. Again, great review, very much appreciated.
Very impressed with the analysis, matches what I've experienced in practice. Went to your channel and found a lot of other good stuff, too. I'm very pleased to be a new subscriber. 73
Excellent review. Notwithstanding this being a compromised antenna system I found the Chameleton MPAS lite system with the 17' telescopic whip antenna and "Micro" transformer to be useful for a quick portable operation on a muddy hill top, working Uruguay on 10 metres from the UK on 20 W SSB. Just dispense with the transformer for a 20m quarter wave, and with this configuration I have worked the West coast of the USA from the UK on 6 watts 20 metres using the Chameleon clamp, clamped to some railings in a local skate park.
Thank you ! It works great without the lossy transformer. When 20 is hot I have worked S.Africa and Australia QRP with military phone wire that cost me 50 cents. Thanks for watching !
Certainly this is the most thorough analysis of this system I’ve seen thus far. It would have been cool to see a comparison between the vertical system with vs without the capacitance hat option. The two things I hate about the MPAS is the bag and the counterpoise thumbscrew. The thumbscrew plastic cap came off early in my system’s life (it’s just glued on) and using multiple counterpoises makes the single point thumbscrew clumsy. I’ll also point out that the use of both the vertical extension, the whip, and the capacitance hat makes guying mandatory. Even in a slight breeze the ‘fully loaded’ (pun alert) vertical will flop around a lot without support. Of course guys slow down deployment a little and increases the gear you have to haul. Thanks for putting in the effort on this - I think you went above and beyond here….73
Thank you very much ! I have the capacitance hat and may do exactly what you requested at some juncture. Honestly in my system I have found the best ground mounted performance running it as an inverted L with 25' -30' of wire clipped to the whip like I showed in the video to get the lower band performance in lieu of the mil whip ext. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching !
I own the MPAS 2.0 (given to me and to which I've added a few extra bits and pieces) for use as my rapid deployment field antenna. I've watched a lot of other MPAS 2.0 reviews, some by reviewers to whom Chameleon gave systems for the purpose and others who acquired their own as you did. NONE have gone to the extent and detail that you have re construction of the system components and empirical performance evaluation. I have to STRONGLY agree with Mr. Well's comment: "... undoubtedly the best review of this system." I think your closing comments are particularly operative re it's intended use. The prospective buyer of an MPAS 2.0 needs to realize that up front before plunking their money down. It's NOT a DX antenna. It's a field expedient intended for a particular task and purpose (dare I say that overused term "tactical" purpose?). I'm a volunteer with the Red Cross in northern CA, charged with managing our radio comms. We have a radio "push pack" that includes the MPAS 2.0 graciously donated by Chameleon Antenna. Given that our region needs HF as one of the tools in our kit to manage comms over short to medium haul paths, the flexibility of the MPAS 2.0 fits our needs. BTW: your comparison of the Mil 7-seg whip to the AT-271/PRC suggests to me that you have, perhaps, some intimate knowledge of the 271 from using it outside the wire? Bravo Zulu on a great review. Best regards. I am N6MED, out.
Fantastic review. I grow tired of channels that set this thing up at the beach making it appear to function better than it actually does. I think you believe in truth in advertising.
Thank you ! It is all about what I observed and this was not an overnight evaluation. This was 2 months in the making. I know many might consider saving to purchase one of these but after reading some of the vendor's responses I wonder if they realize that marketing is < reality. Thanks for watching !
I enjoyed your excellent analysis of the MPAS 2.0. I’m gonna open my hybrid micro up. Hopefully will not find what you did, but the fix looks easy. I’ve had mine for 3 years now, and I am satisfied with it. I used to work as an aviation antenna tech, and having breadboarded & tested antennas that were electrically short & had to work over huge frequency ranges [the comm blade antenna in the USMC Harrier dorsal antenna was spec’d 30 to 420 mhz] so I have a very good idea of the compromises that have to be made. I bought the MPAS becuz I wanted a quality mil-spec vertical antenna system designed for rugged and abusive environments that I could quickly deploy, where I don’t have the real estate, or the ability to get an end fed or 1/2 dipole in the air. So I understand that; 1. It’s certainly not going to perform like the 2-30 MHz 10 dbd LPD @ a Fed Govt. agency near where I live. 2. It’s not even going to out perform an 80M dipole @ 1/2wl high. 3. Vertical hf antennas operated over lossy grounds aren’t very efficient, even with counterpoise(s). 4. The lossy xformer that makes it broadbanded is not very efficient. 5. A tuner helps. 6. The bag sux. 7. Everyone hypes their product, but Chameleon provides a lot of documentation and a well laid out instruction manual. I’m experimenting with an non-oem cap hat to force some of the current up the mil whip. Maybe it will improve 80, 60 & 40M performance [I wish I had the my old employers multi million dollar antenna test chamber & RS analyzers to see how that works out LoL]. Having operated a 10M mobile with a 102” whip & a tuner in my jeep during the last sunspot max, and now running the same rig [IC-7000 @ 55W] directly connected to a beat-up Larsen low band base loaded 1/4wl antenna salvaged from an abandoned oil truck, I’ve worked as much DX into SA, Europe & the US as I did with the former set up [but I plan to remount the original system asap when it gets warmer]. So lossy antennas do work. Maybe there’s a market for a heat sink to attach to the micro & mini to get rid of the heat it generates? Bottom Line; Its expensive for what it does & it’s not very efficient. I knew the limitations of the antenna system but liked it’s multiple configurations, ease of deployment. As long as people understand the above then they shouldn’t be disappointed. PS. I don’t think it’s deflection for Chameleon to point out that the system is used by the US military.
I feel the same way . I completely understand the need of an antenna that is simple in its deployment strategy and that is what we are seeing here. A resonant dipole or for that matter running the system sans hybrid micro will provide a performance increase. Experimentation and research are what amateur radio is about. Thanks for watching !
Great video, Bret. Although the antenna's mechanical construction is superb, $600 for a marginal performer is way too pricey. I sent mine back. Buy or build a wire dipole. Bret will show you how to get it up.
Agreed I bought the mini And extre ext and whip to hook up for invis. The bag is a joke and the instructions should have reflected the designer/engineer intent. I like the mini for the extra watts and robustness for my horizontal double whip invis set up. Cheers E
New to radio and thought this was a good way to cover a lot of bases while being dummyproof, portable and rugged. I cancelled my order after seeing this analysis and the comments from mfg. Those internals??!? Thank you for taking the time. You’re right, I’d be better served learning to build it myself than taking a $600 shortcut. Can buy a lot of poles and wire for that price.
They have an amazing marketing machine. The antenna mechanically and its modular design is good but the electrical aspects of it are as you saw. There is a place for a less efficient antenna that exhibits broad band characteristics when using ALE ( Think T2FD) but for a ham its a suboptimal compromise for the price IMHO. Thanks for watching !
i have had the mpas for about a year - i bought it understanding its limitations v a resonant antenna - I agree with everything you have said - great video - it has also prompted me to look at the hybrid and see if it has the same issues
This is the first honest review I have seen for this much ballyhooed “multiple configuration” antenna system. The detailed results of the 3dB losses of the 5:1 unun were an eye opener, as well as the real time signal loss on SSB transmissions below 20M in the vertical configuration. The Chameleon engineers have cleverly disguised the losses of the unun as low SWR to impress the naive user. Like you, I also have ZS6BKW doublets and a resonant 40/80M military type NVIS setup on a collapsing fiberglass mast that outperforms the MPAS 2.0 every time. I think a 7/10 rating is generous. I’d say 4-5/10 would be more accurate. Thanks for an awesome review. I liked it so much that I subscribed to your channel.
Thank you very much. Transformer loss is the key to the visualized broad bandwidth of 5:1 unun antenna designs and it isn't just this vendors products. Comet and Alpha are two other vendors that come to mind. The marketing model used exhibits field strength that the antenna lacks. Stay tuned we are doing a forensic analysis and rebuild of a classic broadband HF antenna that loses RF in another way to provide broad bandwidth characteristics. Video of such is forthcoming. Thanks for watching !
Not only an excellent review but backed with provable analytics and not just someone bloviating about something they really don't understand. EXCELLENT Have you considered doing a review of the Spiderbeam Beam? It's less expensive than the Chameleon and should be MUCH higher in performance. I have taken my TH7 DXX tribander down and plan to put up the 5 band Spiderbeam Beam. It will have a little less gain that the TH7 but is lightweight, can be turned with a TV rotator and has 2 of the WARC bands. I have also taken the Rohn 25 tower down and plan to use an AB577 mast, aka, the rocket launcher for my mast. So far, no one has done an thorough review on an antenna which should out perform a hex beam.
Thank you very much ! I know very little about the spiderbeam outside of awareness / theory but I am open to learning more about them. Thanks for watching !
Thank you… a very good review, honest observations from a tech point which is beyond my abilities but I was able to follow you ( coz I’m not the brightest bulb 😊 )… I saw the Chameleon CHA TD- LITE in Novembers RSGB Radcom magazine and thought it was interesting,,, wire antenna no ground spike whip kit and it cost £150 … When you took yours apart the build quality and soldering was shocking,,, disaster day will require some good kit. I feel radio hams can build one of these themselves, even myself who is a bit thick. Again thank you for the time and effort you exhibit. Well done sir. 😊 Best wishes to everyone. 73s
Great testing of the MPAS 2.0! Would you talk and maybe do a video on the ZAP tester you are using around 8:03 ? Seems like this would be a great tester to see what an antenna is putting out rather than just testing for SWR all the time.
Thank you ! I have a few field strength meters here and the Zap tester IIRC is no longer available. When using a field strength meter when doing comparisons is that they have to be in the exact same location and free from the effect your body can have on them by either shielding or augmenting the results. A tripod for your meter is a good way to do this outdoors. Thanks for watching !
You sir, have just saved me $600!! I was juggling resonant dipole vs this antenna. The proof is in the pudding. You’re awesome, thanks for the “No BS” review. 73, de NH7TR.
I’m running the Hybrid Mini ground mounted on the spike at the house. I bought the Hybrid and spike separately and supply my own wire. I have 25’ of coax from the house and a CMC near the transceiver. I have 60’ of counterpoise on the ground under 135’ of 13AWG wire in an inverted L - the horizontal section being about 15’ off the ground. This antenna does everything I need it to do: NVIS, regional, DX. 80-6m, digital and SSB voice both. PSKreporter shows good local reception on 160m but I’ve not tried to make contacts. I may build my own 5:1 and carry whips in the field. I’ve already built a 9:1 so I can compare.
Thanks for the info. The tip about taking the end of the whip off for inverted L is a nice suggestion. Completely agree on the bag... it's horrible that it's not even big enough to carry the whip. I bought a small fishing bag to carry everything in and is also lighter.
The bag is going to be changed later in 2023. We've 500 bags of the current model before we switch for the new ones. We were supposed to change during the second half of 2022 but some events prevented us to do so.
You are welcome and thank you. Extending the radiator really assisted the performance of the antenna @ 40m. Deletion of the hybrid micro and running the clip to just the whip sans the Mil Whip Ext 2.0 with a 33' counterpoise really worked well on 40M as well. A tripod bag works well also if you desire to use the Mil Ext 2.0. Without that that any tool bag that has a length of 18" works well. Personally I am not a fan of "large" bags as they lead folks to try to over pack them and in this case the volume could exceed the comfortable carrying capacity easily . Thanks for watching !
@@Chameleon_Antenna That is great news for the upgrade, and first time buyers. At present, I am unable to get $10 Canadian for it in the used market . 😞 The antenna itself is amazing. With all the buzz around resonant EFHW lately, some folks might pass this up. This system is a weapon when you need to be stealthy. Canada to Africa to the South Pole to Greenland with 10W just using the whip with 16 x 1/4 wave radials. Things I'd hope to see buying again: -Bag with back support , -longer bag -different winders with longer corners for figure 8 -bigger/longer thumb screw for adding more 10+ radials or maybe a small plate as an option to buy. (maybe I missed that option on the site) Correction to my original post: It was a fishing pole bag that I got at a camping store. It's amazing for this antenna system. Perfect fit with all the right "tackle" pockets.
Hello SurvivalComms, thank You for this excellent video. My guess is that Chameleon, Alpha and other antenna companies are influenced by military. Easy to use and NVIS purposes. I was 30 years in a desaster releave organisation here in Germany and our equipment followd the same approach: easy and fast to use, also for non - technician. I watched a lot of MPAS videos but noone did such an in deep research as You. Thank You again for that. In Germany this antenna system is extremly expensive, too. But i'm looking for a SOTA or travelling equipment, easy to install vertical. With the learnings out of Your video i will spend some time and build my own "rebuild" with modifications shown by You. By the way: immediately put an abo on Your channel!
You are welcome ! It definitely is easy to set up in a vertical configuration when one uses it with the wire kit its setup setup speed is like any other end fed design and it is a very configurable package as delivered. The lossy transformer is the Achilles heel but again that loss is what gives the antenna its broad banded characteristics . Thanks for watching !
As I understand the Transformer used was the micro unit. Wish he had tested the larger mini Transformer. Was not impressed by the Transformer build. Chameleon needs to be informed of the build quality and I expected better for the price. The antenna system with its vertical whip length seems to be meant to operate on the upper mid range amateur bands. Not really meant for the lower band range from my test experience. Marginal at 10m as well. I am using an older model mini Transformer in black not white as the newer ones. It is a compromise antenna system no doubt. I did not pay $600+ when I bought mine several years ago.
Its obvious the vendor has seen what I have due to their presence in the comments section but they have not reached out to me at all just regurgitated marketing and telling those who agree that they don't know how to use their products. Thanks for watching !
One thing that I which operators understood is the difference between contesting, and emergency/tactical communications. Two different worlds and thinking processes altogether. The CHA MPAS 2.0 is currently sold and used by different branches of the US military which include USMC, NAVY, SOCOM and others because they understand the needs for durable and quickly deployable broadband antenna systems for ELA and other digital tasks. At their different military bases they'll install a CHA SKYLOOP for EXTREME performances but they'll need A LOT of room and time to get it up! Now that been said, is the CHA MPAS 2.0 installed in a vertical configuration can be used for contesting? Of course but a proper location will have to be selected in order to maximize the performances of the unit. If the operator is surrounded by a lot of trees then using a wire antenna like a G5RV would be of course the best choice. But let's say that you're in downtown LA and you need to do a NVIS COMM with a station on 40M. You'll forget about dipole, G5RV and any other wire antennas because they take too much room! You'll get the CHA MPAS 2.0 and set it up horizontally to achieve the COMM. If you live in a multilevel condo tower, good luck with your dipole or G5RV but you can use the MPAS vertical installed at 45 degree on your balcony and it's going to work!
I do radio professionally please do not disparage me as a contester or hack. Spending money isn't the solution knowledge is . Marketing a product that is inferior to the most basic antenna designs in regards to performance isn't responsible especially with the price point you charge for your product . The fact is I gave your product a fair evaluation and shared my observations and opinions even to the extent of sharing the same sentiment you echoed here due to an understanding of expediency in deployment . The fact that your antenna where it matters was observed to be assembled like a lawnmower repair makes me wonder who is doing QA on your product line. If you wish to dispute what I observed of a product and your design I purchased for a large price tag then that is fine but attempting to school me with tacticool marketing is a desperate gambit. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms I’ve been professional in my communication all the way by explaining all my points. The moment you become bitter and borderline aggressive online you lose all respect. I was hopping for an intelligent and polite conversation, I’m sorry I was wrong.
@Chameleon Antenna I took your response the same way @SurvivalComms did. The way I read it you told him he was using it wrong. If I read it wrong please elaborate.
I know this is an older video but I found it very informative and saved me some money on buying the MPAS 2.0. I would like to play more with vertical antennas, however. Can you send me a link on how you wound the 5:1 unun? I am a new ham. I have been googling ununs and I have been unable to find a good reference for it. Or even just a a diagram on how it is wound. Thanks George NG1W
Great video Sir. You have proven what I have suspected about this system with actual testing. I purchased the mini after I had had a SWR jump while using the micro. The micro got very warm/hot. I contacted the manufacturer and they answered very quickly and told me I likely had not damaged the micro but the mini give more headroom. Now I am curious about opening the micro and some how making a 4:1 core for it just as an experiment. Thanks again for a great video.
@@Chameleon_Antenna overheating the micro was my fault chasing a digital contact. That’s why I got the mini. Weight doesn’t bother me as I normally car POTA anyway. I have however not had the same result as the video did by adding radials. It seemed to make my situation worse. I have a good group in the club I belong too. I see similar comparisons in the future. Thanks for the response. 73
@@garykb4gm342 In the user guide, we ALWAYS recommend to install the RFI choke at the feed point because you want to control your counterpoises/radials (ground system). You want to AVOID using the coax shield as counterpoise or radial as much you can. Now with the MPAS you've TWO wires that come with the system: a 75' and a 25'. You can use both if needed. Also, if you don't want to use the antenna tuner, you could use the 75' and roll or unroll the wire in order to get the best SWR needed for a certain band. Orienting the single counterpoise toward a direction will help the radiation toward that direction! Yes digital mode like FT8 can be a problem if too much power is used. This is why that using 1/4 of the SSB or half the CW limit is recommended.
Thank you ! There is not the room in the housing for another style of xfmr. When I put the other comparison UNUN in the MPAS system I encapsulated it in in a housing I built to be fair in testing. If you enter G8JNJ into a search engine and look to his antenna articles you will find a plethora of research information for your project. Thanks for watching !
One thing I forgot to mention, the heat test you ran was completed in open air. Now stick that back in the delren tube and yes it will get hard to touch hot. I know because I found that out the hard way. As the saying goes stupid people do stupid things... LOL so don't grab it after a long key down. Again Take care and 73 Vic de KE8JWE
No doubt and ferrite materials don't shed heat readily even in open air . It was almost 20 minutes before the XFMR returned to room temperature in open air. Thanks again !
Grate review and tear-down of the system! I build my own 5:1 UnUn with a Fair-rite multi aperture core last week and wanted to play around and compare it with a 1:9 and 1:4. So maybe this is obsolet now M;-) Did also a back-to-back insertion loss measurement and got ~1.5dB over the HF spectrum. Thanks a lot for your Video, vy 73 de Jan, DG1JAN
@@survivalcomms yes, it is a monolithic core. Unfortunately I can't post the FairRite PartNo. I guess YT algo thinks it is a Phone Number and delets my comment. ☹️ AFAIK it is the biggest monolithic core from FairRite in 43 material they have
This is good review - nothing wrong with that! The antenna is a compromised antenna that will cover the intended specified frequencies and it will do what it’s intended to do. The CHA MPAS 2.0 is like a Leatherman multi tool where the operator can adapt the antenna according to his needs in various environment configurations. It has its place and its needs. Operators must understand which antenna configurations to use and where to use them. I live in AZ surrounded be deserts where having trees to setup wire antennas would be considered a luxury. So having a vertical like the CHA MPAS 2.0 that I can setup quickly to get the signal out is important and very often the only option. The CHA MPAS 2.0 is a tool and operators must understand how and where to use it. It’s a versatile antenna that can be used just about anywhere at any time due to its small footprint and its high portability. Location and antenna configuration will influence the performances. Remember it’s a BROADBAND antenna NOT a monoband antenna which is VERY different. You can't have both broadbanded and extreme performance. You can have one or the other. If you take extreme performance, you can have it on one band at a time. If you need to jump around the bands, you need a Broadband antenna or multiple antennas. I wonder how many 40M or 80M NET someone can do in a crowded parking lot at COSTCO with a G5RV? I know the answer and it’s ZERO. How many can I do with the MPAS quickly installed on a mag-mount of the roof top of a small Prius? Endless amount of them! If we really wanted to talk about pure performances, operators would get a CHA SKYLOOP antenna which is about 285’ long and install it at 35’ to 40’. You’ll need about half an acre to install it and spend few days. Knowing and understanding HOW and WHERE to use the antenna effectively is the key here! You need the right tool for the right task. Nobody gets 2023 McLaren 720S to do some OFF Road in the middle of Arizona Deserts and then go online to complain about its "performances". It's NOT made for that purpose.
Maybe I'd not use a doublet in a Costco parking lot, but a few $25.00 Hamsticks on a mag mount will smoke your antenna all day long. For about 1/6th the price.
My disappointment was on the poor terminations done in the antenna. I bought this antenna about a year ago and have only used it a few times. With the quality put into all the other parts, I can’t believe the sub par connections. I wonder if mine are done this poorly? Wow! Very disappointed in that alone. KK5AP
@@JLSULev I was as well. The manufacturer never answered me why this is how a flagship product of theirs was constructed either. Rather they elected to disparage me further showing just what they think about someone who takes a critical look at a product of theirs. Lesson learned is that honest content creators are not welcome and shills and fantasy commando stories are an integral part of their business model. Thanks for watching !
This was a great video, it presented data that made it easy to draw conclusions, and having a receiving station to report is a good idea, more effective than a field meter because it represents real QSO experience. I've used the vertical to reach around the world on FT8 10-15M because my dipoles are for 20M +, I wouldn't use the vertical in the field with low power due to losses, better to use an EFHW in the trees with a short cable. But doing POTA from my car 100w, the vertical is great for fast setup. Thx this is one of the better videos I've watched!! 73
Excellent and thorough review with accurate assessment. I bought the Cha Emcom III Portable using an Amazon giftcard. It to is well made, but a so-so performer on 40m and lower. My goal in purchasing the antenna was a compact frequency agile antenna for manpack portable capable of 100W, with a focus on 40m & 80m NVIS operation. As suspected the performance, even with additional counterpoise wires, was lack luster on 80m. I had been eyeballing the Packtenna 40m-10m EFHW with an extension kit, or a MyAtennas 80m-10m EFHW, but neither antenna was available through Amazon. I'll probably purchase the Packtenna. My current goto antenna is an Ultimax 80m-10m EFHW. After optimizing installation based upon Steve Ellington's testing I have found it to be very good performer. I suspect it is within -1dBd to -2dBd. For the increased flexibility and ease of deployment, I'll gladly take the small hit. It however is too big for manpack portable ops. th-cam.com/video/MzfQybYMlUc/w-d-xo.html
A Magic Carpet works good for a counterpoise. A 4 ft by 6 ft screen or Faraday cloth, makes a good Magic Carpet! Thank you for the information! 73 W4DES east central Florida
Thanks for this very comprehensive review! I've seen in some forums that mid-fed verticals will do better than base-fed verticals. Would this solve some of the issues you highlight in the video such as ground loss? An example of such mid-fed vertical would be the JPC-12 antenna. Any thoughts?
I have this as my go to portable antenna system. Granted, it lives in my truck, and, if I deploy out of that, its great. I wholly agree on the bag. I thought it was a neat idea, but it simply isnt workable. Its too awkward for carrying everything, sucks as a backpack-but, taking it out of the radio world, its a great truck bag.
I drank the Chameleon kool-aid without knowing the issues with their transformers and their losses. After researching the design I came to the realization that you demonstrated that it is a very lossy, broadband design. I dumped it and went with a 49:1 design for my antenna and couldn't be happier with it!
All that glitters is not gold. I was really impressed with the build quality of the mechanical aspects of it - the electrical however...not so much. They do have an impressive marketing machine that excels at kool - aid creation. Thanks for watching !
In your measurements you state the MIL2.0 is 105.250 & the MIL EXT2.0 is 113.375. Added together I get 218.625”/12 = 18.219’ = 18’ 2 5/8” not 17’ 4”. This is a great video of the system and it looks like I won’t be buying one.
@@truckinguy92 It's a good simple antenna. A bit of loss in the transformer but less than the Hybrid Micro for a fraction of the cost. Stay tuned......
"Cheaply made" will be an exaggeration. Understanding manufacturing, design and market value is something important that need to be understand before making such comments. We manufacture and sell hundreds to thousands of them in the US each year. The amount of MICRO or MINI units returned due to defect or breakage is under 6 units per year! The MPAS has been around since 2014 and thousands of unit has been sold and we do not receive more return than about 3 to 5 a year. In my book - it's a win because the unit is build and engineered properly.
@@Chameleon_Antenna The only reason you have sold so many antennas is because of all the free stuff that you give You Tube hack channels who will sell their mother and your antennas to make a buck and get views. Now that some of the the honest reviewers are coming out and exposing the flaws and weaknesses of your antennas, I would expect sales to cool. Hey, if you need this design of antenna for a very special use, then maybe buy one. If you are the average ham radio operator, you are wasting your hard earned money. I have been waiting for honest reviews for so long. No one cares about what the military uses. We cannot afford the gear they have, the other infrastructure that goes along with their gear and we don't do radio like they do for the most part. Apples and Oranges. Why not just market to the Military like the other wide band antenna makes do. I bet I know why....
Does it make any sense with these type of antennas to model how they work in theory and derive any useful insights? With perfect ground and no loss from antenna elements, MMANA-GAL gives SWR values for the vertical configuration (i.e. 218.5 inches high) ranging between 2165 to 5.7 if the expected impedance is 250 ohms at the antenna feedpoint (to take into account the 5:1 unun). This is considerably different from the values you show @6:50.
That is a great question. There are so many variables that computer models of vertical antennas don't take into consideration IMHO. Soil conductivity is a big one. Another is the considerable loss in this transformer design affecting the SWR measurement's utility in expressing antenna efficiency. All that glitters is not gold however it does sell antennas in this case. Thanks for watching !
Your to generous with your rating. The antenna was a poor performer and they are fooling people with the matching system creating enough resistance to look like 50 ohms when as you said, half the signal is being wasted in heat both transmit and receive. I did a lot of HF mobile work and some of the best matching vertical whips with the best were the worst performers. A center loaded mobile HF antenna using tightly spaced wire in a coil less than 2 inch in diameter would have so much resistance it would match my transmitter every time on 75 meters yet it was a poor performer. A different vertical whip with a 3 or 4 inch diameter coil less turns, would not match as well and required a small coil or cap at the feed point because the antenna's impedance was less than 20 ohms. An example of a high swr for the right reasons. I'm glad you brought the truth out on it's performance. To many newbie hams don't understand the basics of how an antenna works. Thanks,
Please cite sources of "other reports". I already spent 600 bucks on a lossy transformer why would I spend more on a larger lossy transformer? Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms First: Don’t buy another transformer. ALL transformers are lossy - and I suspect increasing lossy as you lower the frequency, moving further from 1/4 L of the given radiator. Not sure I can find the comments again, will take a look, possibly on the Chameleon site. A user using CW complained, that the Micro transformer overheated after a short while - increasing the ‘lossynes’ . Some Agreed as far as I remember - and a Chameleon rep responded, kind of acknowledged that it could overheat below the stated rating if used intensively. Hinting something like ‘It works for say 50W CW - but only with a low duty cycle’ A multi band antenna is a compromise - more than single band, high Q antennas. A cheap dipole sounds like the best solution for you. And thanks for appreciating my comment
Unbiased review, very rare nowadays. Thanks for scrutinizing products so potential buyers have more informaton before taking the plunge or not. I myself have been eyeing the MPAS 2.0, MPAS Lite and EmComm II (MPAS 2.0: a one-do-it-all system for a portable/luggable rig). The smaller packages MPAS Lite and EmComm II seem to fit better for fast QRP deployments when overlanding and wild camping. Still undecided but MPAS 2.0 has been ruled out for now. Btw, my use case is operating QRP in my OTH environments in Scandinavia (plenty of tree's for wire) and occassionally roaming around various European countries in car or motorbike (areas with less tree's, hence some form of whip is needed).
You are welcome and thank you. The physical construction of this antenna is excellent but as shown the observed electrical fit and finish and transformer design are where it falls behind IMHO. Any of the designs featuring the binocular core 5:1 UNUN which I understand is the heart of the other two products you mentioned will exhibit the same loss characteristics. The Comet CHA-250HD and the Alpha Antennas Alpha Match also utilize this design from what I understand. If the end user uses a mode such as ALE that requires the broadband capability placing it over terminal performance than any of the antennas discussed here truly shine when viewed through that lens. For the average ham interested in a light and fast option it is hard to beat an end fed half wave IMHO. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms Thanks again. Will do research which manufacturers employ other transformer solutions, but as you said, Chameleons physical constructions seem to be better than other manufacturers products I've been eyeing.
A real review for once!. I get so tired of reviews done at the saltwater beaches showing better results. The neophiite then thinks this iot the greatest thing since sliced bread. If the novice fails to realize that the beach setting is the cause of the performance then they have bought into the snake oil. My reviewfrom watching yours... The wire is good but expensive. The ground spike is great. The rest of the kit is the radiomans tinkertoy set of bits and pieces of questionable effecacy at a premium price. Sadly I did buy the larger xformer with 60 foot of wire and a 17' antenna on sale and found it to be a poor performer. Chameleons or My antenna's EFHW antennas tend to work better if only errected in an inverted V. A better deal in my eyes, financially and functionally. I had not attempted other configurations.
Thank you for the feedback and the info. I have several videos on my channel about the EFHW transformers I have built and tested. I build and test antennas just about every day with a focus on practicality and do my best to relate the info to my audience. Thank you for watching !
I've seen some of those, and to their credit, they do make it clear that dropping a line in the bay is a big part of the magic. In N. Colorado, I am just a bit lacking in large bodies of water, salty or otherwise! Heck, the ground conductivity around here is a constant challenge. I've found that with my SS25 whip, my best results are some pretty colorful wire from an old ethernet cable, at 3' AGL. (Tnx, Simon/VA7BIX)
I don't blame you. Definitely is less than one would expect performance wise . I do like the spike however. The vendor definitely got the last laugh on this purchase. Thanks for watching !
Analysis makes sense. Working with a non-resonant antenna on most bands. Hence, a poor result would happen on any antenna. For a much smaller cost, a Wolf River Coil can be easily, quickly resonated to a desired band, and field tests/QSOs often get outstanding reports from hams who often say they provide some of the better POTA signals on the band. It is faster to set up a WRC, too, with use of an antenna analyzer.
This is undoubtedly the best review of this system, by far. It was packed with fact and very balanced. Congratulations.
Thank you ! That's how I roll. I learned so much about this system by putting this content together and I wanted the viewer to benefit from that as well. Thanks for watching !
I got a hybrid micro kit. Being as I have a well equipped machine shop I made my own aluminum extenders and ground spike. I keep the system packed in my vehicles for my POTA/Portable system. The speed and ease of deployment in the field/park makes it a nice choice for me. It is a compromise and it has it's purpose. Here in Missouri Park Rangers have asked me and other hams not to put wires in the trees. For that fact I like the ground mountable solution.
I appreciate your testing and analysis. It's likely the least biased I've seen yet.
We are in the same boat here in a State Park they have kittens over wires in the trees. However a elevated high point with a crappie pole really will step up your game at a fraction of the form factor, weight, and expense.
I've had the MPAS 2.0 with CAP HAT for 4 years now and I have no problem getting DX with it. I've had many contacts from Ireland to North/Central and South America and a couple of contacts to Australia on 20m 100W SSB Phone. All over Europe even on 40m where it's not so efficient, I got to the Middle East a couple of times on 40m which isn't too bad.
I ran 3 more radials for a total of 4 and it helped performance on 40m despite raising the SWR a bit.
One could mount an external tuner at the antenna and bypass the UNUN but that would be costly.
I've got to the U.K a couple of times on 80m which surprised me.
The MPAS 2.0 With CAP HAT works so well I decided to leave it up on the front lawn permanently and I ran it to my sitting room where it connects to my FT-891, I also use this setup when I don't want to go to the shack and also for SWL, it's a very good and very quiet receiving antenna, at least in my location.
I used Noalox to stop the aluminium seizing.
Performance is decent on 20,17,15,12 and 10m. 40 does suffer of course, and I've made contacts on 80m to the U.K.
For a portable antenna, the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 has greatly exceeded my expectations.
Ok...... Thanks for watching !
One of the best reviews I’ve seen of an antenna system. If you look at the difference between this review, and ones where the vendor provides the equipment, it just reinforces my view that objectivity is easier to achieve when the vendor doesn’t have expectations, and the reviewer doesn’t have to worry what the vendor might think. 👍
Thank you ! I am providing my observations on a product that carries a pretty steep price tag as I would hope others would do. When I have a matching unit in my hand that under a complete open shows an SWR of 7:1 @ 14mhz there is something rotten in Denmark. From my work with the T2FD I saw the same kind of response and it is apparent that the "magic" to quote another reviewer is merely a way to ensure the xmtr and perhaps the end user is happy using an antenna that falls short of the performance of an antenna that could be cobbled together for a fraction of the expense. Thanks for watching !
Very interesting review - thank you.
I recently purchased the MPAS system.
I set up my MPAS 2.0 Mini (with the CHA Cap Hat & Extension Whip) using the single counterpoise in the back yard.
I haven't done any signal strength comparisons yet, but I took some swr measurements using IC-7300 built-in swr meter (RTTY mode).
Here are the results (for the middle of the 40,20 & 10 meter bands :
7.15 mhz = 2.7
14.17 mhz = 1.25
28.49 mhz = 3.0
The antenna seems to be 'tuned' more for 20 meters, and drops off quickly by 40 and 10 meters.
I have been able to use the reverse beacon network to get hits in southern California, Georga, South Carolina, Texas , New England and Costa Rica on both 40 & 20 meters using CW at 100 watts on the IC-7300 using this antenna set up as described above.
I live on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, and the single 25' counterpoise is strung out due south from the MPAS ground spike.
You are welcome and thank you for sharing your experience with this product. This antenna uses a lossy transformer that puts you behind the eight ball from the initial outlay and really was a disappointment to me for the expense. I built a much better one myself for less than 20 bucks. I do think that Chameleon has the best antenna spike on the market and the mechanical aspects of the system are outstanding. After seeing their response to my efforts with walter mittyesque word salad marketing I personally feel I could not in good faith ever purchase one of their products again. Thank you for watching !
@@survivalcomms Fascinating ... I will contact Chameleon regarding these results and see what they say ...
Could you detail your 'much better transformer' - how you built it, what materials, etc. so that I might try and build one too and see how it performs with the vertical elements compared to the transformer that they provide? Thank you.
@@survivalcomms Funny thing is that I saw a review of this antenna system by 'Ham Radio CQ' on youtube, where he got an swr or 1.04 @ 40 meters!!
On this band I got a reading of almost 3 !
Now that was 5 years ago, so maybe Chameleon changed components ?? Go Figure !
Also, just for giggles, I tried to improve my efficiency by adding 8 x 16.5' radials to the 25' single counterpoise that they provided.
My swr on 40 meters shot up to over 4 !!. Do you have any ideas as to why the swr increased so much?
I've got to talk to Chameleon about that, too.
@@mikeymouse4629 You are welcome ! Do research on Ruthroff Ununs. It is all published and the one made on an FT140 -31 was featured in my video. the ones on an FT240-43 are even better.
What a complete and scientific review of the MPAS 2.0.
Thank you and thanks for watching !
Personally I do not subscribe or like many videos, but you sir IMPRESSED me with this video!!! Subscribed and liked. Please keep up the fair and unbiased reviews. To be completely honest, I am fairly new to the hobby and still learning. I actually purchased this antenna system, but I made the purchase before I was informed. Reading the response from the manufacturer on this video and I have lost some respect for Chameleon Antenna. I purchased is as antenna system to use for POTA and portable while RV'ing. While it has worked for me for that purpose thus far, it also makes me want to try other antenna systems as well. Again excellent video and look forward to other channel content.
Thank you very much Michael ! I do what I can to keep it real. Ham radio is all about experimentation and striving to enhance the art of radio. The MPAS is not a bad system it is just hyped up and that is truly counter to what the enhancement of the radio art is IMHO. Many have lost that focus at the altar of marketing and instant gratification. The support and feedback of those such as yourself are what motivate me to produce content. Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you for watching !
Thank you for a Excellent review. I'm so tired of the reviewers who set this antenna up, make some contacts and then gush on what a great antenna this is. Yes, build quality is very good with high quality materials. It's very fast to set up. It's the performance that really suffers. The performance is typical of the few specialized wide banded antennas we see on the market. They have their use such as with ALE. For general use, this antenna just leaves too much on the table. At it's price point and with the degraded performance I'd give it a 5 out of 10 at best. Others who have tested it and actually commented on performance have found it to be an average of about two "S" units down on received transmit power from a resonate antenna as well as the receive loss. If someone is actually informed about the performance loss and the antenna meets their needs, it may be what they want. The problem is that many who buy this antenna think it will perform right along the same lines as an end fed half wave, Silverbullet, Buddipole (or dipole) and that is not the case. For just over $625.00, I can buy a Yaesu FT-891. Add another $225.00 and I can have coax, battery or power supply and make an end fed half wave. I won't need an antenna tuner and have the loss from heightened SWR. With the the Yaesu and EF antenna, I'll not only have a great radio, but an antenna that will get the signal out and hear much better. For me, it's a no brainer. This antenna would be a disaster with a QRP rig. Chameleon uses their 5 to 1 transformer on many other models with the same resulting losses. Great job in the evaluation. It was fair and to the point. Other creators, take note, this is how you do a review.
Thank you very much and I appreciate it. This antenna is much like a different form factor T2FD in concept which is the darling of the ALE / Commercial / Military users due to its " broadband " characteristics but falls flat in the performance realm due to it's inherent losses in the 500ohm + - 20% resistor. You are 100 % correct in the observed decreases in RSSI and it's funny you mentioned that its use as a QRP antenna would be a disappointment. I edited out my commentary on that due to trying to keep the video short and I agree. I am excited about the spike however :) Thank you very much for sharing your experience and thanks again for watching !
@@survivalcomms The spike is a good one, but have you seen the price ? I'll make my own. Having a lathe helps with things like that. Love the Narcan sticker on the tool box. Got a good laugh out of it. Retired LEO. Oh, BCM all the way !
@@johnkaelberer237LOL yes it is very pricey. @DoRiteFabrication lives down the road I need to bring it to him and get his input on a few ideas for a future design. I actually gave Jim one of those stickers too. Retired Fireman here. Thanks again !
I was going to type similar, but you summed it up perfectly. Even in the use case you mentioned of a broadband antenna (say for ALE) then a simple terminated dipole can be built for a fraction of the cost. It is simply way overpriced for it’s performance, for most users. Of course, “reviewers” getting it for free rarely consider the value proposition…..
@@ammocraft We have several B&W T2FD antennas and one was even used in testing in the video by a receiving station . They are not cheap either however as you mentioned you can roll your own pretty easily. Setting one up is a pain in the butt but the concept is the same as a lossy transformer. It looks good to the transmitter and end user but lots of your RF is attenuated on RX and lost as heat on TX. It sounds funny to say it ........ Its science :)
One of the best antenna reviews I have seen, fantastic work 👍
Thank you ! Thanks for watching !
Wow finally somebody who paid for this antenna doing a legitimate review
That's how I roll . Thanks for watching !
I had some winnings so purchased this system from Chameleon. I also added some additional parts for the "Tactical Delta Loop." My tactical days are long over--besides I never wore a rucksack, having sense enough, (I thought) to ride to the GastHaus on a tank.
All that being said, I do own the MPAS 2.0. I have also watched this thorough review. Outward appearances is that it is well built,, nice wire components and a cool spike. In the configurations I have set up, it works as intended. Then again, 17 foot of speaker wire up a squib pole and using a hand made 4:1 transformer works pretty well too.
It's pricey, its a compromised antenna, and it does work. It is part of my inventory of antennas and I would probably take it, my squib pole antenna, my WRC and other wire ones for when the going gets interesting...
Thanks again for the review.
N6TDG
You are welcome ! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching !
What a great video. Nice job! The MPAS does everything, just not very well. This is a great antenna for folks who know nothing about HF antenna theory and don't care to learn. It works, just not as well as several other options. Component quality is definitely very high- this is a well built unit. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily translate to on-air performance. Again, great video!
Thank you very much ! Very well put - It is a good HF antenna for non radio - radio users. Thank you for watching !
Wow, very very thorough analysis here. I was surprised with the numbers and loss numbers. I have been running end fed antennas for a while due to space and support limitations at my QTH. The UN UN loss never occurred to me as most people never talk about it. Or maybe are not aware of it.
I had considered one of these until I saw the price. You can buy a nice used HF rig for the price of one of these and make resonant dipoles or a fan dipole. Thanks for all the work that went into this, I know you must of had a lot invested in these tests.
73 Bret.
Thank you ! This was well over a month putting this together. I learned so much over the process of creating this content and that is worth the effort itself IMHO. Thank you for sharing your experience and thanks for watching !
I have one and it is ok, it does what it says it should do. I like to run FT8 which as we all know can be a bit rough on the gear but aside from the temperture drift I noticed in the mini loading 5 to 1 baulin that comes in the kit it worked fine. I did manage to break the spring compression cordage in the collapsible whip, but Chameleon replaced that whip right away and no questions ask. Great customer service for that issue. So for the most part it works well in my mind. So good review and thanks, I agree with most of the findings that you found while testing that it does what it says it should do, albeit it is a bit pricey. Thanks for sharing and 73 Vic de KE8JWE
Thank you Vic for sharing your experience. It is a cool system and very well thought out . I had higher hopes for it performance wise commensurate with it's expense but like most things our mileage may vary. Thanks for watching !
This is a very informative and fair review of the product. I put together virtually all the component parts of the v.1.0 MPAS, and was rather disappointed in the performance, to be honest. I use the EmComm II as a daily-driver due to space restrictions, but the hybrid micro doesn't compare in performance to that - regardless of what is connected to it. However, all that being said, I will echo your finding regarding ease of set-up and tune-ability: whether it is my Xeigu G90 or my FT817ND with Z817 tuner, there is no problem matching a transmitter to this antenna.
People purchasing this antenna should consider precisely how much they want to pay for the convenience factor. I enjoy using the antenna - and I've used it in the field both as a vertical, and as an end-fed wire antenna. It flat-out does not perform anywhere close to a dipole, however - and (thankfully) the manufacturer does not claim it to do so. I've activated parks with it, done field day with it, and it does stand up to field use. However, the price-point versus performance is disappointing.
Great review! I did a review also about a year ago and had pretty much identical results when testing it at the same time with a linked dipole that I made and cost maybe 30.00 to build. I also bought my own but was lucky to have some of the parts and didn't pay the 600 plus for mine. I set mine up as the lite version with the 17' whip. I also have the bigger version and it does no better than your test, it east to set up and you can set at the radio and tune bands, but I would rather take the time and set up a better antenna. I have a stake setup that I can set up a EFHW in the same time and take a radio without a tuner with better results. I may have to open mine up and see if my Mpas was built so poorly, that was unbelievable, and your repair was the way it should have been built for that much money there is no excuse! I have suspected that the white enclosure is to help with the heat buildup and if so good for chameleon to updated that. Keep up the honest reviews!
Thank you very much I watched your review of this product as well. Thank you so much for your input and for the information . I have the parts here now to build a hybrid mini and do some side by side testing. I too believe in honesty in product reviews and it would appear to a reasonable person this company has manipulated so many for so long . Their response to just this one video speaks volumes. They have yet to answer any simple question as to why they would market a product flawed thus and who does the QA on their product line. When called out their response is feigned victimhood and to release another video on an over priced and under performing product. It is a sad state of affairs . Thank you for watching and I am glad to be a new subscriber.
Thank you Brett! I saw your presentation at LARA on 3/16/24. You are what I love about Amateur Radio. Excellent testing criteria. I was the guy who asked about your testing with G5RV antennas. I have home brewed and used G5RV ‘s for years. Thanks Tony ( Licensed since 1990)
Thank you very much Tony. I greatly enjoyed presenting it for the group. I have a video on the ZS6BKW in my content catalog you might be interested in watching . Thanks for watching !
Very very detailed video. One of the best detailed videos I have viewed compared to other TH-cam Channels . I do have Chameleon MPAS 2.0 and bought it from HRO San Diego in early 2022. My first use was on my first POTA activation in Palomar Mtn in San Diego County.
Using my FT-857D at 100w no tuner. SWR was 1.3 in 20m and 40m. I was able to do 29 QSO in the Midwest, East Coast and Canada.
Pictures on my QRZ page. Stay Safe. Happy New Year. 73 Ruben KD6CWI.
Very cool ! Thank you for sharing your experience and thanks for watching !
I appreciate the thorough review very much. As an MPAS owner, your analysis provides some objective data to intuitive observations of my own. It is pricey. However, it does perform as advertised as you thoroughly emphasized throughout the video. Shout out to Julian, OH8STN for the link. This is hands down the most objective and honest review of this antenna system. I recommend the antenna only if one can afford it and also understand how to use it effectively.
Exactly! AMAZING review and comment: "This is hands down the most objective and honest review of this antenna system. I recommend the antenna only if one can afford it and also understand how to use it effectively." UNDERSTAND how to use it effectively which mean going out, practicing and adapting the antenna configurations for your need! It's pricey because it is made in the US with great care! The insane inflation we've seen since the last TWO years don't help either!
Thank you William ! Thanks for watching !
Wow..incredible review. You certainly know your stuff and made it easy to understand for us that do not know the science behind these antenns. I have the micro version of this antenna with a 9 to 1 transformer and it has its place when I cannot deploy a wire do to space or my nosey neighbors in my HOA that see my putting up masts in the yard. It works , and when conditions are great I have made a ton of contacts with little power, 5 to 10 watts. But an EF always seems better on the amount of contacts I can make and the strong signal reports I receive. My favorite part of this antenna is the quick deployment and the ease to ground spike, attach to a table or fence with the optional mounts and quality of components. The worst part is the cost. Chameleon should send you gear to tear apart and review, you are the perfect person to give an unbiased review. Again, great review, very much appreciated.
Thank you very much and thanks for watching !
Very impressed with the analysis, matches what I've experienced in practice. Went to your channel and found a lot of other good stuff, too. I'm very pleased to be a new subscriber. 73
Thank you ! I hope you enjoy the other content I have put together . I am happy to have you as a new subscriber as well and thank you for watching !
Excellent review. Notwithstanding this being a compromised antenna system I found the Chameleton MPAS lite system with the 17' telescopic whip antenna and "Micro" transformer to be useful for a quick portable operation on a muddy hill top, working Uruguay on 10 metres from the UK on 20 W SSB. Just dispense with the transformer for a 20m quarter wave, and with this configuration I have worked the West coast of the USA from the UK on 6 watts 20 metres using the Chameleon clamp, clamped to some railings in a local skate park.
Thank you ! It works great without the lossy transformer. When 20 is hot I have worked S.Africa and Australia QRP with military phone wire that cost me 50 cents. Thanks for watching !
Best overview I've seen for this system outside of OH8STN. Thank you!
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching !
Certainly this is the most thorough analysis of this system I’ve seen thus far. It would have been cool to see a comparison between the vertical system with vs without the capacitance hat option. The two things I hate about the MPAS is the bag and the counterpoise thumbscrew. The thumbscrew plastic cap came off early in my system’s life (it’s just glued on) and using multiple counterpoises makes the single point thumbscrew clumsy. I’ll also point out that the use of both the vertical extension, the whip, and the capacitance hat makes guying mandatory. Even in a slight breeze the ‘fully loaded’ (pun alert) vertical will flop around a lot without support. Of course guys slow down deployment a little and increases the gear you have to haul. Thanks for putting in the effort on this - I think you went above and beyond here….73
Thank you very much ! I have the capacitance hat and may do exactly what you requested at some juncture. Honestly in my system I have found the best ground mounted performance running it as an inverted L with 25' -30' of wire clipped to the whip like I showed in the video to get the lower band performance in lieu of the mil whip ext. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching !
I own the MPAS 2.0 (given to me and to which I've added a few extra bits and pieces) for use as my rapid deployment field antenna. I've watched a lot of other MPAS 2.0 reviews, some by reviewers to whom Chameleon gave systems for the purpose and others who acquired their own as you did. NONE have gone to the extent and detail that you have re construction of the system components and empirical performance evaluation. I have to STRONGLY agree with Mr. Well's comment: "... undoubtedly the best review of this system." I think your closing comments are particularly operative re it's intended use. The prospective buyer of an MPAS 2.0 needs to realize that up front before plunking their money down. It's NOT a DX antenna. It's a field expedient intended for a particular task and purpose (dare I say that overused term "tactical" purpose?).
I'm a volunteer with the Red Cross in northern CA, charged with managing our radio comms. We have a radio "push pack" that includes the MPAS 2.0 graciously donated by Chameleon Antenna. Given that our region needs HF as one of the tools in our kit to manage comms over short to medium haul paths, the flexibility of the MPAS 2.0 fits our needs.
BTW: your comparison of the Mil 7-seg whip to the AT-271/PRC suggests to me that you have, perhaps, some intimate knowledge of the 271 from using it outside the wire?
Bravo Zulu on a great review. Best regards. I am N6MED, out.
Thank you very much and thank you for sharing your experience with the antenna. Thanks for watching !
Fantastic review. I grow tired of channels that set this thing up at the beach making it appear to function better than it actually does. I think you believe in truth in advertising.
Thank you ! It is all about what I observed and this was not an overnight evaluation. This was 2 months in the making. I know many might consider saving to purchase one of these but after reading some of the vendor's responses I wonder if they realize that marketing is < reality. Thanks for watching !
I enjoyed your excellent analysis of the MPAS 2.0. I’m gonna open my hybrid micro up. Hopefully will not find what you did, but the fix looks easy. I’ve had mine for 3 years now, and I am satisfied with it.
I used to work as an aviation antenna tech, and having breadboarded & tested antennas that were electrically short & had to work over huge frequency ranges [the comm blade antenna in the USMC Harrier dorsal antenna was spec’d 30 to 420 mhz] so I have a very good idea of the compromises that have to be made.
I bought the MPAS becuz I wanted a quality mil-spec vertical antenna system designed for rugged and abusive environments that I could quickly deploy, where I don’t have the real estate, or the ability to get an end fed or 1/2 dipole in the air.
So I understand that;
1. It’s certainly not going to perform like the 2-30 MHz 10 dbd LPD @ a Fed Govt. agency near where I live.
2. It’s not even going to out perform an 80M dipole @ 1/2wl high.
3. Vertical hf antennas operated over lossy grounds aren’t very efficient, even with counterpoise(s).
4. The lossy xformer that makes it broadbanded is not very efficient.
5. A tuner helps.
6. The bag sux.
7. Everyone hypes their product, but Chameleon provides a lot of documentation and a well laid out instruction manual.
I’m experimenting with an non-oem cap hat to force some of the current up the mil whip. Maybe it will improve 80, 60 & 40M performance [I wish I had the my old employers multi million dollar antenna test chamber & RS analyzers to see how that works out LoL].
Having operated a 10M mobile with a 102” whip & a tuner in my jeep during the last sunspot max, and now running the same rig [IC-7000 @ 55W] directly connected to a beat-up Larsen low band base loaded 1/4wl antenna salvaged from an abandoned oil truck, I’ve worked as much DX into SA, Europe & the US as I did with the former set up [but I plan to remount the original system asap when it gets warmer]. So lossy antennas do work.
Maybe there’s a market for a heat sink to attach to the micro & mini to get rid of the heat it generates?
Bottom Line; Its expensive for what it does & it’s not very efficient. I knew the limitations of the antenna system but liked it’s multiple configurations, ease of deployment. As long as people understand the above then they shouldn’t be disappointed.
PS. I don’t think it’s deflection for Chameleon to point out that the system is used by the US military.
Thanks for watching ! A 70 foot radiator and a transformer is not a compromise antenna. Its a full size antenna using a lossy transformer.
Wow, sir, great review, I will stick to using a dipole or a doublet for that extra umph that I'll need to get out in an emergency.
I feel the same way . I completely understand the need of an antenna that is simple in its deployment strategy and that is what we are seeing here. A resonant dipole or for that matter running the system sans hybrid micro will provide a performance increase. Experimentation and research are what amateur radio is about. Thanks for watching !
Great video, Bret. Although the antenna's mechanical construction is superb, $600 for a marginal performer is way too pricey. I sent mine back. Buy or build a wire dipole. Bret will show you how to get it up.
Thank you John ! welcome home ! Thanks for watching !
Agreed
I bought the mini
And extre ext and whip to hook up for invis.
The bag is a joke and the instructions should have reflected the designer/engineer intent.
I like the mini for the extra watts and robustness for my horizontal double whip invis set up.
Cheers
E
Thank you Eric for the information. Thanks for watching !
New to radio and thought this was a good way to cover a lot of bases while being dummyproof, portable and rugged. I cancelled my order after seeing this analysis and the comments from mfg. Those internals??!? Thank you for taking the time. You’re right, I’d be better served learning to build it myself than taking a $600 shortcut. Can buy a lot of poles and wire for that price.
They have an amazing marketing machine. The antenna mechanically and its modular design is good but the electrical aspects of it are as you saw. There is a place for a less efficient antenna that exhibits broad band characteristics when using ALE ( Think T2FD) but for a ham its a suboptimal compromise for the price IMHO. Thanks for watching !
i have had the mpas for about a year - i bought it understanding its limitations v a resonant antenna - I agree with everything you have said - great video - it has also prompted me to look at the hybrid and see if it has the same issues
Thank you ! I would check it for sure . Was pretty disappointed to see the electrical connections inside. Thanks for watching !
"Behoove"....I'm already impressed! Great discussion.
Thanks for watching !
This is the first honest review I have seen for this much ballyhooed “multiple configuration” antenna system. The detailed results of the 3dB losses of the 5:1 unun were an eye opener, as well as the real time signal loss on SSB transmissions below 20M in the vertical configuration. The Chameleon engineers have cleverly disguised the losses of the unun as low SWR to impress the naive user. Like you, I also have ZS6BKW doublets and a resonant 40/80M military type NVIS setup on a collapsing fiberglass mast that outperforms the MPAS 2.0 every time. I think a 7/10 rating is generous. I’d say 4-5/10 would be more accurate. Thanks for an awesome review. I liked it so much that I subscribed to your channel.
Thank you very much. Transformer loss is the key to the visualized broad bandwidth of 5:1 unun antenna designs and it isn't just this vendors products. Comet and Alpha are two other vendors that come to mind. The marketing model used exhibits field strength that the antenna lacks. Stay tuned we are doing a forensic analysis and rebuild of a classic broadband HF antenna that loses RF in another way to provide broad bandwidth characteristics. Video of such is forthcoming. Thanks for watching !
Not only an excellent review but backed with provable analytics and not just someone bloviating about something they really don't understand. EXCELLENT
Have you considered doing a review of the Spiderbeam Beam? It's less expensive than the Chameleon and should be MUCH higher in performance. I have taken my TH7 DXX tribander down and plan to put up the 5 band Spiderbeam Beam. It will have a little less gain that the TH7 but is lightweight, can be turned with a TV rotator and has 2 of the WARC bands. I have also taken the Rohn 25 tower down and plan to use an AB577 mast, aka, the rocket launcher for my mast.
So far, no one has done an thorough review on an antenna which should out perform a hex beam.
Thank you very much ! I know very little about the spiderbeam outside of awareness / theory but I am open to learning more about them. Thanks for watching !
Hey, what a great video. Thank you for the time.
My Girls KI5YJL and KO4SGN, are doing some NVIS stuff now, so this was a great family thing.
You are welcome! Thank you for watching !
Thank you… a very good review, honest observations from a tech point which is beyond my abilities but I was able to follow you ( coz I’m not the brightest bulb 😊 )… I saw the Chameleon CHA TD- LITE in Novembers RSGB Radcom magazine and thought it was interesting,,, wire antenna no ground spike whip kit and it cost £150 … When you took yours apart the build quality and soldering was shocking,,, disaster day will require some good kit. I feel radio hams can build one of these themselves, even myself who is a bit thick. Again thank you for the time and effort you exhibit. Well done sir. 😊
Best wishes to everyone.
73s
You are welcome ! Building it yourself build skills . Thanks for watching !
Great testing of the MPAS 2.0! Would you talk and maybe do a video on the ZAP tester you are using around 8:03 ? Seems like this would be a great tester to see what an antenna is putting out rather than just testing for SWR all the time.
Thank you ! I have a few field strength meters here and the Zap tester IIRC is no longer available. When using a field strength meter when doing comparisons is that they have to be in the exact same location and free from the effect your body can have on them by either shielding or augmenting the results. A tripod for your meter is a good way to do this outdoors. Thanks for watching !
You sir, have just saved me $600!! I was juggling resonant dipole vs this antenna. The proof is in the pudding. You’re awesome, thanks for the “No BS” review. 73, de NH7TR.
Thank you ! The resonant dipole or even a simple random wire end fed with a 9:1 outperforms this antenna.
Excellent video and demonstration! You've got my sub.
Thank you and thanks for watching !
I’m running the Hybrid Mini ground mounted on the spike at the house. I bought the Hybrid and spike separately and supply my own wire. I have 25’ of coax from the house and a CMC near the transceiver. I have 60’ of counterpoise on the ground under 135’ of 13AWG wire in an inverted L - the horizontal section being about 15’ off the ground. This antenna does everything I need it to do: NVIS, regional, DX. 80-6m, digital and SSB voice both. PSKreporter shows good local reception on 160m but I’ve not tried to make contacts.
I may build my own 5:1 and carry whips in the field. I’ve already built a 9:1 so I can compare.
Thanks for watching !
Excellent analysis
Thank you very much ! Thanks for watching !
Thanks for the info. The tip about taking the end of the whip off for inverted L is a nice suggestion. Completely agree on the bag... it's horrible that it's not even big enough to carry the whip. I bought a small fishing bag to carry everything in and is also lighter.
The bag is going to be changed later in 2023. We've 500 bags of the current model before we switch for the new ones. We were supposed to change during the second half of 2022 but some events prevented us to do so.
You are welcome and thank you. Extending the radiator really assisted the performance of the antenna @ 40m. Deletion of the hybrid micro and running the clip to just the whip sans the Mil Whip Ext 2.0 with a 33' counterpoise really worked well on 40M as well. A tripod bag works well also if you desire to use the Mil Ext 2.0. Without that that any tool bag that has a length of 18" works well. Personally I am not a fan of "large" bags as they lead folks to try to over pack them and in this case the volume could exceed the comfortable carrying capacity easily . Thanks for watching !
@@Chameleon_Antenna That is great news for the upgrade, and first time buyers. At present, I am unable to get $10 Canadian for it in the used market . 😞
The antenna itself is amazing. With all the buzz around resonant EFHW lately, some folks might pass this up. This system is a weapon when you need to be stealthy. Canada to Africa to the South Pole to Greenland with 10W just using the whip with 16 x 1/4 wave radials.
Things I'd hope to see buying again:
-Bag with back support ,
-longer bag
-different winders with longer corners for figure 8
-bigger/longer thumb screw for adding more 10+ radials or maybe a small plate as an option to buy. (maybe I missed that option on the site)
Correction to my original post: It was a fishing pole bag that I got at a camping store. It's amazing for this antenna system. Perfect fit with all the right "tackle" pockets.
Thank you. Great review! Love to see supplemental analysis on the MPAS 2.0 Mini. 73.
You are welcome. Thank you and thanks for watching !
Hello SurvivalComms, thank You for this excellent video. My guess is that Chameleon, Alpha and other antenna companies are influenced by military. Easy to use and NVIS purposes. I was 30 years in a desaster releave organisation here in Germany and our equipment followd the same approach: easy and fast to use, also for non - technician. I watched a lot of MPAS videos but noone did such an in deep research as You. Thank You again for that. In Germany this antenna system is extremly expensive, too. But i'm looking for a SOTA or travelling equipment, easy to install vertical. With the learnings out of Your video i will spend some time and build my own "rebuild" with modifications shown by You. By the way: immediately put an abo on Your channel!
You are welcome ! It definitely is easy to set up in a vertical configuration when one uses it with the wire kit its setup setup speed is like any other end fed design and it is a very configurable package as delivered. The lossy transformer is the Achilles heel but again that loss is what gives the antenna its broad banded characteristics . Thanks for watching !
As I understand the Transformer used was the micro unit. Wish he had tested the larger mini Transformer. Was not impressed by the Transformer build. Chameleon needs to be informed of the build quality and I expected better for the price. The antenna system with its vertical whip length seems to be meant to operate on the upper mid range amateur bands. Not really meant for the lower band range from my test experience. Marginal at 10m as well. I am using an older model mini Transformer in black not white as the newer ones. It is a compromise antenna system no doubt. I did not pay $600+ when I bought mine several years ago.
Its obvious the vendor has seen what I have due to their presence in the comments section but they have not reached out to me at all just regurgitated marketing and telling those who agree that they don't know how to use their products. Thanks for watching !
One thing that I which operators understood is the difference between contesting, and emergency/tactical communications. Two different worlds and thinking processes altogether. The CHA MPAS 2.0 is currently sold and used by different branches of the US military which include USMC, NAVY, SOCOM and others because they understand the needs for durable and quickly deployable broadband antenna systems for ELA and other digital tasks. At their different military bases they'll install a CHA SKYLOOP for EXTREME performances but they'll need A LOT of room and time to get it up!
Now that been said, is the CHA MPAS 2.0 installed in a vertical configuration can be used for contesting? Of course but a proper location will have to be selected in order to maximize the performances of the unit. If the operator is surrounded by a lot of trees then using a wire antenna like a G5RV would be of course the best choice. But let's say that you're in downtown LA and you need to do a NVIS COMM with a station on 40M. You'll forget about dipole, G5RV and any other wire antennas because they take too much room! You'll get the CHA MPAS 2.0 and set it up horizontally to achieve the COMM. If you live in a multilevel condo tower, good luck with your dipole or G5RV but you can use the MPAS vertical installed at 45 degree on your balcony and it's going to work!
I do radio professionally please do not disparage me as a contester or hack. Spending money isn't the solution knowledge is . Marketing a product that is inferior to the most basic antenna designs in regards to performance isn't responsible especially with the price point you charge for your product . The fact is I gave your product a fair evaluation and shared my observations and opinions even to the extent of sharing the same sentiment you echoed here due to an understanding of expediency in deployment . The fact that your antenna where it matters was observed to be assembled like a lawnmower repair makes me wonder who is doing QA on your product line. If you wish to dispute what I observed of a product and your design I purchased for a large price tag then that is fine but attempting to school me with tacticool marketing is a desperate gambit. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms I’ve been professional in my communication all the way by explaining all my points. The moment you become bitter and borderline aggressive online you lose all respect. I was hopping for an intelligent and polite conversation, I’m sorry I was wrong.
@@Chameleon_Antenna Interesting playing the victim while telling everyone that they don't know how to use your products.
@Chameleon Antenna I took your response the same way @SurvivalComms did. The way I read it you told him he was using it wrong. If I read it wrong please elaborate.
@@lowrybrock8272 They won't because they were called out as #charlatanantennas
I know this is an older video but I found it very informative and saved me some money on buying the MPAS 2.0. I would like to play more with vertical antennas, however. Can you send me a link on how you wound the 5:1 unun? I am a new ham. I have been googling ununs and I have been unable to find a good reference for it. Or even just a a diagram on how it is wound. Thanks George NG1W
Great video Sir. You have proven what I have suspected about this system with actual testing. I purchased the mini after I had had a SWR jump while using the micro. The micro got very warm/hot. I contacted the manufacturer and they answered very quickly and told me I likely had not damaged the micro but the mini give more headroom. Now I am curious about opening the micro and some how making a 4:1 core for it just as an experiment. Thanks again for a great video.
Yes the MINI will allow more power to be used but it's TWICE the size and the weight of the MICRO.
@@Chameleon_Antenna overheating the micro was my fault chasing a digital contact. That’s why I got the mini. Weight doesn’t bother me as I normally car POTA anyway. I have however not had the same result as the video did by adding radials. It seemed to make my situation worse. I have a good group in the club I belong too. I see similar comparisons in the future. Thanks for the response. 73
@@garykb4gm342 In the user guide, we ALWAYS recommend to install the RFI choke at the feed point because you want to control your counterpoises/radials (ground system). You want to AVOID using the coax shield as counterpoise or radial as much you can. Now with the MPAS you've TWO wires that come with the system: a 75' and a 25'. You can use both if needed. Also, if you don't want to use the antenna tuner, you could use the 75' and roll or unroll the wire in order to get the best SWR needed for a certain band. Orienting the single counterpoise toward a direction will help the radiation toward that direction!
Yes digital mode like FT8 can be a problem if too much power is used. This is why that using 1/4 of the SSB or half the CW limit is recommended.
It makes zero difference - I tried it and have it recorded on video.
Thank you ! There is not the room in the housing for another style of xfmr. When I put the other comparison UNUN in the MPAS system I encapsulated it in in a housing I built to be fair in testing. If you enter G8JNJ into a search engine and look to his antenna articles you will find a plethora of research information for your project. Thanks for watching !
One thing I forgot to mention, the heat test you ran was completed in open air. Now stick that back in the delren tube and yes it will get hard to touch hot. I know because I found that out the hard way. As the saying goes stupid people do stupid things... LOL so don't grab it after a long key down. Again Take care and 73 Vic de KE8JWE
No doubt and ferrite materials don't shed heat readily even in open air . It was almost 20 minutes before the XFMR returned to room temperature in open air. Thanks again !
Many thanks for that Outstanding review.
You are welcome ! Thanks for watching !
Grate review and tear-down of the system! I build my own 5:1 UnUn with a Fair-rite multi aperture core last week and wanted to play around and compare it with a 1:9 and 1:4. So maybe this is obsolet now M;-)
Did also a back-to-back insertion loss measurement and got ~1.5dB over the HF spectrum.
Thanks a lot for your Video, vy 73 de Jan, DG1JAN
Thank you ! Was that the monolitic core ? I wanted to experiment with one of those. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms yes, it is a monolithic core. Unfortunately I can't post the FairRite PartNo. I guess YT algo thinks it is a Phone Number and delets my comment. ☹️
AFAIK it is the biggest monolithic core from FairRite in 43 material they have
@@moselblues8694 You can email me the part number. I like doing research.
This is good review - nothing wrong with that! The antenna is a compromised antenna that will cover the intended specified frequencies and it will do what it’s intended to do. The CHA MPAS 2.0 is like a Leatherman multi tool where the operator can adapt the antenna according to his needs in various environment configurations. It has its place and its needs. Operators must understand which antenna configurations to use and where to use them. I live in AZ surrounded be deserts where having trees to setup wire antennas would be considered a luxury. So having a vertical like the CHA MPAS 2.0 that I can setup quickly to get the signal out is important and very often the only option.
The CHA MPAS 2.0 is a tool and operators must understand how and where to use it. It’s a versatile antenna that can be used just about anywhere at any time due to its small footprint and its high portability. Location and antenna configuration will influence the performances. Remember it’s a BROADBAND antenna NOT a monoband antenna which is VERY different. You can't have both broadbanded and extreme performance. You can have one or the other. If you take extreme performance, you can have it on one band at a time. If you need to jump around the bands, you need a Broadband antenna or multiple antennas.
I wonder how many 40M or 80M NET someone can do in a crowded parking lot at COSTCO with a G5RV? I know the answer and it’s ZERO. How many can I do with the MPAS quickly installed on a mag-mount of the roof top of a small Prius? Endless amount of them!
If we really wanted to talk about pure performances, operators would get a CHA SKYLOOP antenna which is about 285’ long and install it at 35’ to 40’. You’ll need about half an acre to install it and spend few days.
Knowing and understanding HOW and WHERE to use the antenna effectively is the key here! You need the right tool for the right task. Nobody gets 2023 McLaren 720S to do some OFF Road in the middle of Arizona Deserts and then go online to complain about its "performances". It's NOT made for that purpose.
Maybe I'd not use a doublet in a Costco parking lot, but a few $25.00 Hamsticks on a mag mount will smoke your antenna all day long. For about 1/6th the price.
Yep I mentioned that . Thanks for watching !
My disappointment was on the poor terminations done in the antenna. I bought this antenna about a year ago and have only used it a few times.
With the quality put into all the other parts, I can’t believe the sub par connections.
I wonder if mine are done this poorly? Wow! Very disappointed in that alone.
KK5AP
@@JLSULev I was as well. The manufacturer never answered me why this is how a flagship product of theirs was constructed either. Rather they elected to disparage me further showing just what they think about someone who takes a critical look at a product of theirs. Lesson learned is that honest content creators are not welcome and shills and fantasy commando stories are an integral part of their business model. Thanks for watching !
This was a great video, it presented data that made it easy to draw conclusions, and having a receiving station to report is a good idea, more effective than a field meter because it represents real QSO experience. I've used the vertical to reach around the world on FT8 10-15M because my dipoles are for 20M +, I wouldn't use the vertical in the field with low power due to losses, better to use an EFHW in the trees with a short cable. But doing POTA from my car 100w, the vertical is great for fast setup. Thx this is one of the better videos I've watched!! 73
Thank you ! Thanks for watching !
Excellent and thorough review with accurate assessment. I bought the Cha Emcom III Portable using an Amazon giftcard. It to is well made, but a so-so performer on 40m and lower.
My goal in purchasing the antenna was a compact frequency agile antenna for manpack portable capable of 100W, with a focus on 40m & 80m NVIS operation. As suspected the performance, even with additional counterpoise wires, was lack luster on 80m.
I had been eyeballing the Packtenna 40m-10m EFHW with an extension kit, or a MyAtennas 80m-10m EFHW, but neither antenna was available through Amazon. I'll probably purchase the Packtenna.
My current goto antenna is an Ultimax 80m-10m EFHW. After optimizing installation based upon Steve Ellington's testing I have found it to be very good performer. I suspect it is within -1dBd to -2dBd. For the increased flexibility and ease of deployment, I'll gladly take the small hit. It however is too big for manpack portable ops.
th-cam.com/video/MzfQybYMlUc/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you for watching !
A Magic Carpet works good for a counterpoise. A 4 ft by 6 ft screen or Faraday cloth, makes a good Magic Carpet! Thank you for the information! 73 W4DES east central Florida
Thanks for that tip ! I just ordered a 2 meter sheet of it for experiments. Thanks for watching !
Thanks for this very comprehensive review! I've seen in some forums that mid-fed verticals will do better than base-fed verticals. Would this solve some of the issues you highlight in the video such as ground loss? An example of such mid-fed vertical would be the JPC-12 antenna. Any thoughts?
Thank you and I have not used a JPC12 so I bhave no idea how it will stack up. Thanks for watching !
W6LG has a great video on YT regarding the failing of mid mounted accoutrements vs. base level.
I have this as my go to portable antenna system. Granted, it lives in my truck, and, if I deploy out of that, its great. I wholly agree on the bag. I thought it was a neat idea, but it simply isnt workable. Its too awkward for carrying everything, sucks as a backpack-but, taking it out of the radio world, its a great truck bag.
Thanks for watching !
I drank the Chameleon kool-aid without knowing the issues with their transformers and their losses. After researching the design I came to the realization that you demonstrated that it is a very lossy, broadband design. I dumped it and went with a 49:1 design for my antenna and couldn't be happier with it!
All that glitters is not gold. I was really impressed with the build quality of the mechanical aspects of it - the electrical however...not so much. They do have an impressive marketing machine that excels at kool - aid creation. Thanks for watching !
Just gave you a Thumbs up and Subscribed to your Channel.
Thank you very much ! I hope I have other content you will find useful.
Very interesting. So this is basically a portable version of the much reviled Comet CHA250B.
The special sauce in these designs is the lossy transformer . Thanks for watching !
His callsign is withheld for privacy reasons, and I do not blame him.
True I'm not for sale. Besides use of amateur callsigns for commercial purposes is questionable under commission rules. Thanks for watching !
In your measurements you state the MIL2.0 is 105.250 & the MIL EXT2.0 is 113.375. Added together I get 218.625”/12 = 18.219’ = 18’ 2 5/8” not 17’ 4”. This is a great video of the system and it looks like I won’t be buying one.
Its your choice - I sold mine. I could build a quality EFHW for 30 bucks that works much better. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms EFHW=my favorite antenna. It’s just so simple and there’s plenty of trees in the northeast to string it up.
@@truckinguy92 It's a good simple antenna. A bit of loss in the transformer but less than the Hybrid Micro for a fraction of the cost. Stay tuned......
I'm surprised that the matching unit was so cheaply made. Nice hardware but the guts....at that price?
"Cheaply made" will be an exaggeration. Understanding manufacturing, design and market value is something important that need to be understand before making such comments. We manufacture and sell hundreds to thousands of them in the US each year. The amount of MICRO or MINI units returned due to defect or breakage is under 6 units per year! The MPAS has been around since 2014 and thousands of unit has been sold and we do not receive more return than about 3 to 5 a year. In my book - it's a win because the unit is build and engineered properly.
The machining and hardware is top notch. Whoever assembled the transformer however was asleep at the work station.
@@Chameleon_Antenna The only reason you have sold so many antennas is because of all the free stuff that you give You Tube hack channels who will sell their mother and your antennas to make a buck and get views. Now that some of the the honest reviewers are coming out and exposing the flaws and weaknesses of your antennas, I would expect sales to cool. Hey, if you need this design of antenna for a very special use, then maybe buy one. If you are the average ham radio operator, you are wasting your hard earned money. I have been waiting for honest reviews for so long. No one cares about what the military uses. We cannot afford the gear they have, the other infrastructure that goes along with their gear and we don't do radio like they do for the most part. Apples and Oranges. Why not just market to the Military like the other wide band antenna makes do. I bet I know why....
Great work!
Thank you very much ! Thanks for watching !
Does it make any sense with these type of antennas to model how they work in theory and derive any useful insights? With perfect ground and no loss from antenna elements, MMANA-GAL gives SWR values for the vertical configuration (i.e. 218.5 inches high) ranging between 2165 to 5.7 if the expected impedance is 250 ohms at the antenna feedpoint (to take into account the 5:1 unun). This is considerably different from the values you show @6:50.
That is a great question. There are so many variables that computer models of vertical antennas don't take into consideration IMHO. Soil conductivity is a big one. Another is the considerable loss in this transformer design affecting the SWR measurement's utility in expressing antenna efficiency. All that glitters is not gold however it does sell antennas in this case. Thanks for watching !
SAC warriors never die!
Your to generous with your rating. The antenna was a poor performer and they are fooling people with the matching system creating enough resistance to look like 50 ohms when
as you said, half the signal is being wasted in heat both transmit and receive. I did a lot of HF mobile work and some of the best matching vertical whips with the best were the worst performers. A center loaded mobile HF antenna using tightly spaced wire in a coil less than 2 inch in diameter would have so much resistance it would match my transmitter every time on 75 meters yet it was a poor performer. A different vertical whip with a 3 or 4 inch diameter coil less turns, would not match as well and required a small coil or cap at the feed point because the antenna's impedance was less than 20 ohms. An example of a high swr for the right reasons.
I'm glad you brought the truth out on it's performance. To many newbie hams don't understand the basics of how an antenna works. Thanks,
You are welcome and thank you for sharing and watching !
Seen other reports that the Micro easily overloads below stated max power. The Mini should fare better
Please cite sources of "other reports". I already spent 600 bucks on a lossy transformer why would I spend more on a larger lossy transformer? Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms First: Don’t buy another transformer. ALL transformers are lossy - and I suspect increasing lossy as you lower the frequency, moving further from 1/4 L of the given radiator. Not sure I can find the comments again, will take a look, possibly on the Chameleon site.
A user using CW complained, that the Micro transformer overheated after a short while - increasing the ‘lossynes’ . Some Agreed as far as I remember - and a Chameleon rep responded, kind of acknowledged that it could overheat below the stated rating if used intensively. Hinting something like ‘It works for say 50W CW - but only with a low duty cycle’
A multi band antenna is a compromise - more than single band, high Q antennas. A cheap dipole sounds like the best solution for you.
And thanks for appreciating my comment
Unbiased review, very rare nowadays. Thanks for scrutinizing products so potential buyers have more informaton before taking the plunge or not. I myself have been eyeing the MPAS 2.0, MPAS Lite and EmComm II (MPAS 2.0: a one-do-it-all system for a portable/luggable rig). The smaller packages MPAS Lite and EmComm II seem to fit better for fast QRP deployments when overlanding and wild camping.
Still undecided but MPAS 2.0 has been ruled out for now.
Btw, my use case is operating QRP in my OTH environments in Scandinavia (plenty of tree's for wire) and occassionally roaming around various European countries in car or motorbike (areas with less tree's, hence some form of whip is needed).
You are welcome and thank you. The physical construction of this antenna is excellent but as shown the observed electrical fit and finish and transformer design are where it falls behind IMHO. Any of the designs featuring the binocular core 5:1 UNUN which I understand is the heart of the other two products you mentioned will exhibit the same loss characteristics. The Comet CHA-250HD and the Alpha Antennas Alpha Match also utilize this design from what I understand. If the end user uses a mode such as ALE that requires the broadband capability placing it over terminal performance than any of the antennas discussed here truly shine when viewed through that lens. For the average ham interested in a light and fast option it is hard to beat an end fed half wave IMHO. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms Thanks again. Will do research which manufacturers employ other transformer solutions, but as you said, Chameleons physical constructions seem to be better than other manufacturers products I've been eyeing.
A real review for once!. I get so tired of reviews done at the saltwater beaches showing better results. The neophiite then thinks this iot the greatest thing since sliced bread. If the novice fails to realize that the beach setting is the cause of the performance then they have bought into the snake oil.
My reviewfrom watching yours... The wire is good but expensive. The ground spike is great. The rest of the kit is the radiomans tinkertoy set of bits and pieces of questionable effecacy at a premium price.
Sadly I did buy the larger xformer with 60 foot of wire and a 17' antenna on sale and found it to be a poor performer.
Chameleons or My antenna's EFHW antennas tend to work better if only errected in an inverted V. A better deal in my eyes, financially and functionally. I had not attempted other configurations.
Thank you for the feedback and the info. I have several videos on my channel about the EFHW transformers I have built and tested. I build and test antennas just about every day with a focus on practicality and do my best to relate the info to my audience. Thank you for watching !
I've seen some of those, and to their credit, they do make it clear that dropping a line in the bay is a big part of the magic. In N. Colorado, I am just a bit lacking in large bodies of water, salty or otherwise! Heck, the ground conductivity around here is a constant challenge. I've found that with my SS25 whip, my best results are some pretty colorful wire from an old ethernet cable, at 3' AGL. (Tnx, Simon/VA7BIX)
Thank hod I seen this before I got that antenna
Just my observations. Thanks for watching !
not finished the video yet, mind a aswirl tonight, i havea crappie pole and the surplies stinger? but i have no idea to oin them
I have the same arrangement here for a project. I will be putting out a video when I piece it together. Thanks for watching !
@@survivalcomms very cool !
@@survivalcomms deleting my comments?
@@OH8STN Not at all Julian what happened ?
I wonder what Julian wanted to say? I kinda think I know already. He’s been shipped a lot of free product.
Well you have surely have put lipstick on a pig. I have an early version of this, and the performance was so bad, I put it in a box.
I don't blame you. Definitely is less than one would expect performance wise . I do like the spike however. The vendor definitely got the last laugh on this purchase. Thanks for watching !
Analysis makes sense. Working with a non-resonant antenna on most bands. Hence, a poor result would happen on any antenna. For a much smaller cost, a Wolf River Coil can be easily, quickly resonated to a desired band, and field tests/QSOs often get outstanding reports from hams who often say they provide some of the better POTA signals on the band. It is faster to set up a WRC, too, with use of an antenna analyzer.