Chameleon MPAS Lite Antenna Use and Review -- with NEVER BEFORE SEEN CONFIGURATION REVEAL
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- I'll demonstrate how to set up and use the Chameleon Antenna MPAS Lite and show a sloping inverted "V" configuration never before seen.
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#HOAHam #chameleonantenna #MPASLite - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
For those who wants to use the 60' wire add-on for the CHA MPAS Lite, MPAS 2.0 or the TDL - you can now get the CHA LZ SLOPER WIRE (60'). The CHA LZ Sloper Wire is 60 feet long, constructed from 26 gauge braided copper wire, ensuring excellent conductivity and durability. Reinforced with KEVLAR fibers, this wire offers exceptional strength and flexibility, capable of withstanding harsh environmental conditions. The wire is encased in a PTFE sleeve, providing robust protection against wear and tear while maintaining flexibility.
I have this exact antenna and love it. I live in an HOA and use it as a vertical. Crazy thing is I get better SWR and more bands if I DONT use the 25' radial wire/counterpoise and using the coax as its counterpoise.
I love this about amateur radio; experiment and prove out what works best in your use case. Everything affects everything especially when it comes to ground radials and your surrounding environment.
Love the videos and positive attitude. Please keep the information coming! So much to learn and experience with this “hobby”
Thanks for the view and comment...lots more to come!
Another great video on this system. I will have to refer back to all of these again to make sure I know all the possibilities! Thank you for these! 73
Thanks for watching; more options to come.
I too have and love the Mpas lite. I have added a 25' X 4 radial set and recently a mad dog 80m coil to fill out the kit, I use a spool from amazon almost identical to Messi and Paloni's pota speed winder that was $9 for the coax.
Just got my hands on a Maddog coil a few weeks ago; really cool gear.
I have the MPAS Lite in my portable setup (great antenna, BTW). Excited to try the wire off the whip configuration. Thanks!
The results were quite impressive. The advantage of course is the SS17 is the mast...who knew.
That's a great idea Bob with the wire off the whip. Also looking forward to the WSPR video. That looks like it would be a great tool.
Thanks for the view, comment, and support as always; much appreciated.
Thanks for the video!
Was my pleasure and I'll keep em coming.
This was always an option with my Tactical Delta Loop with the exception of the 60' wire. Did remove the counterpoise with the 60' wire?
I left the counterpoise in place, just added the 60' sloper with the clip.
I love the idea of this antenna, currently working on creating my own clone, lol, nice having your own cnc machines. This is just such a versatile system, you have to love it
Oh to have a machine shop at your fingertips!!
@HOAHamRadio well, consumer level stuff, but yeah, it's convenient, and I like the challenge of making the antennas myself, it's half the fun of being a ham!
Love the ideas, I don't have the mpas but I do have the SS17 and I have wondered why not just add a wire to form the L or inverted V sloper. I'll say I had a small amount of panic as you did the vertical shot going up the SS17 as I watched the bend increase. I know it's made to flex but too many RC antennas destroyed over a childhood give me pause before trying it myself
LOL, I hear you. My fist TDL install I felt that way. I've become comfortable with flexing that SS17; haven't busted one yet, but know doubt you could if you were careless.
I have an SS17 I commonly use for POTA on a groundstake with good results. I use mostly 10 & 20M. Hit Australia one day sitting by a lake on a sunny day. So do you think adding the CHA Hybrid Micro in line really improves performance significantly somehow?
Using the SS17 only you would be modifying the length of the whip for different bands; with the Micro, you can leave the length the same and do quick band changing...that's the benefit.
Great video on the MPAS Lite. I have one. Its my HOA base antenna. I put a small US flag on it & call it a flagpole. I consistently make the trip into Europe and also, to the US west coast, using it as a vertical.
By the way, I'm on the Space Coast.
That is a fantastic idea, thanks for sharing!
I am struggling with the MPAS 17 ft whip along with the foldable lower portion to get resonate on 40M. I have the MPAS 500W unun with 4 speaker wire radials of 18 feet. Any ideas Bob? Can't seem to get it better than 2.5 to 1. Also when left out in the weather the 17 ft whip fills with water and rusts easily. Any ideas? Thanks de N4WRW over here in Vero Beach.
Cleanup your whip really well with some WD40 before and after long outdoor exposure. Now the SWR issue on 40M is not a real issue. Try to play with different counterpoise length, elevation and make sure your coax cable is well deployed and it doesn’t have loop into it.
Sounds like you created a lazy "Inverted L". 1/3 up and 2/3's down... kind of. I bet you could roll up a few feet on the winder, use your ground stake (since it looks like you might have nothing else to tie up to) and fine tune it for a lower swr on 40m and would probably get 15m matched on that same setup. You might could even fine tune the wire with colored tape to "roll up" and match the inverted L to every band to use it without a tuner. Great setup and idea! Robert KD4YDC
Thanks for the input. Lazy L about sums it up; sloping inverted V sounds like I know what I'm talking about : ). Adjustments to wire length may do exactly what you say; fun to experiment with.
Bob, I currently have the mpas2.0. So if I understand, all I would need to purchase additionally is the SS-17 and 26ga wire to complete the set up displayed! The only wite I see in the mpas kit is 16ga wire @ 60feet! So is it 16 ga or 26ga?
The wire with the MPAS Lite is 16 gauge and too heavy to pull this off; the 26 gauge wire / clip was custom made and not currently for sale. The parts are out there for anyone to buy and home brew if wanted.
My go-to antenna! FYI, the mpas-lite configuration is included with the Tactical Delta Loop. Well worth the cost!
Spot on, I'll be covering the TDL next week.
Could I monitor the MPAS Lite on an open, elevated deck and drop the counterpoise wire to the ground 13' below? How would I mount the whip?
Yes, an elevated MPAS Lite with hanging counterpoise should work. Lots of mounts out there to choose from; you'll have to find something that works specific for your deck options.
Where do you find the charts that we see in many of your videos (including this one) showing how many sections of the telescoping whip to use for what bands? I've looked all over the Chameleon website and haven't found anything like them. They would be so useful in the field.
Can you please share these charts for the whip/wire lengths for the various types of antenna configurations you use in your videos?
Enjoy your videos very much and looking forward to using my newly purchased MPAS 2.0 in the field very soon.
They’re in the user guides. A link of user guide is provided at the bottom of each product page.
@@Chameleon_Antenna Thank you. I see there are now more user guides online than I saw a month ago when I got my MPAS 2.0. Keep up the great work!
Great video Bob… I’m looking forward to your video on your WSPR transmitter. Also, what antenna tuner are you using with your FX-4CR? Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. Bill KC2KNA
Thanks Bill. The only tuner I've used so far is the URT1 in the shack (not really meant to be portable, or at least not pocket portable). I just picked up an Elecraft T1 and will give that a try in the next few weeks (who am I kidding, it will be months before I get to it...so many videos to get done first)
@@HOAHamRadio thanks for the quick reply Bob. I want to get the FX-4CR but with a small portable tuner. I would like to take it to the beach in Maryland this summer and use my CHA MPAS lite vertical configuration like you demonstrated in your video..
Bob, couple questions.
The lite, how small does this pack down? Would it fit in a carry on suit case?
The 26 gauge wire, Is that from chameleon as well?
Any chance of a comparison video of this and th3 big brother MPAS 2.0? I’m torn which one to go with. I live in an apartment and my girlfriend in a condo. So everything has to be small and portable as I have to take it down when finished
And what is that small radio on screen with you?
Thanks
Yes - pretty soon we will offer the PTFE Braided Kevlar as wire choice!
@ppfd, the longest part of the Lite is the whip at just under 24"; the longest part of the 2.0 is the extension, at just under 29".
Both are great kits, but if I could only have one, I'd choose the MPAS 2.0, then add a SS-17 in the future (then you would have a Lite too).
No plans on a comparison currently, the video schedule is booked 6 months out. The 2.0 will get performance over a broader range of bands...it covers the same bands as the Lite plus you'll get some 40 meters on it an an occasional 80.
The small radio I was showing is a unicorn...hard to get. Its a FX-4CR made by a single individual in China. Be careful about buying from anyone other than him directly, others have cloned his radio.
Long backlog of orders. His website is bg2fx.com.
Hey Bob, would your homebrew counterpoise kit work on the lite?
I just realized when I went to order the lite, it didn’t come with the wire for the CP
@@ppfd Sure would. Attach the alligator clip to the the SO-239 where is screws on to the Micro or Mini and you are good to go.
The 60' wire doesn't come with a clip. How did you attached it to the 17' whip? Also, I am doing things with my CHA-TDL that I am sure the manufacturer did not intent.
I have friends who make stuff for me : ) Any amateur wanting to try this would need to make their own lite weight wire with a loop and clip.
It would be interesting to see the testing results in the desert.
Agreed. Since everything affects everything, it would be interesting to see how soil conditions from the Tampa Bay area to a desert would come into play.
Hmmm... I don't see 26 ga. wire for sale anywhere on Chameleon's site. Do you have an alternate source?
We will start offering it - pretty soon!
Its live on their site now: chameleonantenna.com/shop-here/ols/products/cha-lz-sloper-wire-60
Good Moaning Bob, Keith from England ( M0KLL) just want to say using that 60foot LZ Slooper of 26 Gauge wire attached to the 17SS whip, that is some bend (Curve) in that Whip was this caused by the weight of the 26gauge kevlar? In the video view from 5minutes 40 seconds Judging by the dip in the wire they is no strain from the Palm Tree to the 17SS antenna yet the whip is leaning to toward that palm tree. I would imagine it would be a no go in any form of breeze for fear of damaging that 17SS telescopic whip antenna with whatever the weight of that 60 foot Kevlar attached. Enjoy your videos 73
Keith.
Concern understood. My wire was a prototype and I now have the production length in my possession; hoping to get a chance to compare if there is a weight difference.
@@HOAHamRadio As soon as you can Bob please ...
So I have to humble myself to say that I've had the MPAS lite for about 2 years and have always set up the vertical all the way and used a tuner. (I've had good results.) I saw that you posted a chart on lengths. I know that the Chalengence (spell?) uses different lengths on their product, so it wasn't a surprise t see that the SS17 also has recommended lengths per band. I went online to find that length chart with no result. I went onto Chameleon's site with no luck either. Please let me know where you got this, or if you could reply with a screen shot that I can "borrow" - Thanks for great tips on a amazing product! (I also have the EFHW 10-80 and use these are my two primary (only) antennas.)
Thanks! de K7EVM
Edit: I took a snip-it from the video so I could have a temporary copy. I will play this weekend. Thanks Bob!
That's what tuners are for; I too take this lazy approach quite often. The charts are located in the "User Guide". Near the bottom of each of their product pages, you will see "User Guide" in red letters.
@@HOAHamRadio follow up on comments - My paper copy did not have lengths as mentioned, however when I searched online and found the manual there it was as you mentioned.
I tried out the different lengths at US-10607 but did not notice huge difference. Thanks again!
Have you thought about doing the same with the SS58 instead of the SS17? Chameleon has been out of the SE17 for a while now.
I know they have a large quantity of SS17 whips in production; I expect they'll be back in stock soon. I may have to give this idea a try; it will be low to the ground, but hey, who knows.
@@HOAHamRadio I saw where one ham put the tactical delta loop on a CHA Porta Mast. It was impressive. I’m considering the same
@@devinhedge : ) yep that is an impressive looking antenna. I'll have a video next Thursday on this very subject. Hang tight.
CHAMELEON ANTENNA IS IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE 60' LIGHTWEIGHT 26 GAUGE WIRE I DEMONSTRATE FOR THE SLOPING INVERTED V CONFIGURATION. I'LL POST AN UPDATE ON THE CHANNEL ONCE IT IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE.
The product will be UP on our website today (Friday, May 24th - 2024) under the WIRE TAB.
Search for CHA LZ SLOPER WIRE (60')
Love the name!