Hat or No Hat: Does a Capacitance Hat Make a Difference? Demo and Review of the CHA CAP HAT
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- I'll run some practical tests to demonstrate what a capacitance hat does, and how to use it with your antenna. The Chameleon Antenna CHA CAP HAT is being used for this review.
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Great presentation! We're working on a light weight portable solution for the SS17 and SS58.
Wow!! This would be amazing!! I've been experimenting with a very lightweight homebrew hat for the TOP of my portable SS17 for awhile. It's never pretty ... but definitely increases radiation resistance and lowers resonance. I am very anxious to see what you come up with and would buy it now if I could 😀 73 KJ6ER
Any time line for a release date? I’m very grateful when a manufacturer pursues an idea like this!! I don’t live in a HOA but a rental condo with strict limitations. Tnx de WB3CFN
Thanks Chameleon Antenna for constantly innovating for amateur operators around the globe!
The use of Nitinol here would perfect.
So the ss17 itd be great if it was flexible enough to fit in a bag for portability
Useful info in an easy to understand format:
Just as a loading coil has the most affect at the lowest impedance point, the point where the most current is flowing, (the feedpoint of a 1/4 wave element,) a capacitance hat has the most affect at the highest impedance point, the top of a vertical, where the voltage is highest. The only reason to place a tophat further down is if there are wind-loading concerns, such as with a vehicular installation, or an ice-loading concern in a region where ice-storms occur since more energy will hang out in the tophat and less energy will reach the antenna tip. A tophat will convince an antenna that it is both longer and broader-band than it is, since electrons entering a tophat have more places to go to get away from one another and take more time to do it. A capacitance hat acts as a large reservoir for the high voltages occurring at the tip of an antenna, making the signal less fussy about its exact length. The best tophat has a large diameter wire, pipe, or tube around its perimeter, the larger the perimeter material the more the effect. I built a 30' vertical for 1750 meters with a 6' diameter tophat, and of course the larger the perimeter tube was around the tophat the smaller the loading coil I needed at the feedpoint of the quarter wave-tuned vertical. (I still needed 35 lbs of 8 gauge copper wire.) With a quarter-wave vertical there is maximal current at the base, and maximal voltage at the top, thus the greater the effect from capacitance at the top, and the greater the effect of inductance at the bottom. Capacitors work with voltage,. Inductors work with current. Far too few hams understand that simple concept. Antennas induce a magnetic field in the air around the current flowing in the antenna. The higher the current, the stronger the field that can be turned into radiation. The most current is at the base, or feedpoint of a 1/4 wave vertical, so that moving more current higher up the vertical increases radiation efficiency. That really only matters in antennas that are physically short relative to the wavelength you're trying to get them to radiate on. Radiation resistance is an imaginary resistance that accounts for the energy that gets radiated from an antenna, since that energy is fed into the antenna and has to be accounted for, and calling it a resistance is a whole lot easier than mathematically describing the fields involved in electromagnetic radiation. A low radiation resistance is a bad thing because that means that less energy is dissipated by that resistance, meaning that less energy is being radiated. There, that's a simple bunch of random stuff that may help you understand and picture more about what's going on without having to get into heavy field theory. Having a good mental picture of what's happening makes understanding how to do whatever you want to do a whole lot easier. At some point you'll find you won't even need any instructions at all to do pretty much of anything. - Elmer
An awful lot to digest here; I do appreciate you sharing since your explanation is far easier to follow than the textbooks I was researching. I enjoy continually growing and learning!
One of your all time best videos. Bravo! Not many new hams have ever heard of a "capacity hat" let alone know how or why it works, so thank you very much for enlightening that group. 73 OM
Quite the compliment, thanks.
Great, informative video. I use the capacity hat when I deploy my MPAS 2.0, and I have a couple of suggestions. First, for portability of the cap hat, remove two of the elements from the hub and leave the third one attached. Velcro the two detached elements to the attached element and you have a small footprint that fits into the CHA backpack that comes with the MPAS. Yes, you will have minor reassembly in the field, but it takes less than a minute. Just remember to keep the Allen wrench with your kit. Secondly, use the CHA UGS when deploying with a cap hat. The additional support is worth the cost of the guying system.
Fantastic suggestions, especially like the break down idea. Thanks for sharing.
Great explanation and training video!
Can hardly wait for the top of aerial cap hats to become available!
Thanks. This was a learning experience for me.
Thanks for the video Bob, I asked about this when you did the video on the stinger permanent kit. I already have this item but now I can add the stinger permanent kit to my 2.0. This is the first video that went into detail about the Hat. They should give you a discount code for your subs
Thanks for the feedback and watching the vids; I'm glad to share what I'm learning.
If you join the Telegram group, I know Chameleon frequently offers discounts there. The links are on the bottom of their homepage.
Being the type of person that likes to experiement myself, I learn by doing and for me, this videp was very informative. Thanks.
I'm very hands on and have to hold myself back as people explain things; I just want to go at it and learn by experience.
Good afternoon Mike,
Thank you for putting out great content to help all Amateur Radio operators.
I live in Valrico/Brandon, FL and I am new to Amateur Radio, still studying to take my Technician license, I have already bought the Yaesu FT-DX10 for my base station and a Yaesu FT5DR HT knowing I am not yet able to use them until I get each appropriate license.
I am very confused and need help understanding whether or not I should ground the equipment in my shack or not.
I have been reading and watching several videos about the need to ground your base station in your shack, I came across a video that stated you should NEVER ground your amateur radio equipment be it a base station in your shack or an HF antenna and claimed it is illegal to do so and a significant violation of the national electrical code under NEC 2011, definitions article 100, equipment, article 110.54 bonding and grounding equipment and article 800 communications circuits.
The TH-camr claims the only specification for grounding is for towers and static dissipation.
Grounding amateur radio equipment is forbidden under article 250.24 A5 Load-Side Grounding Connections.
The TH-cam video that has me confused is:
Update - Never Ground Ham Radio Equipment!!!
By TH-camr K8BYP
Thank you in advance.
Michael
Archangelmm@frontier.com
Hey Michael, Bob here....
Well, ARRL is a respected authority on amateur radio; they say to ground amzn.to/3WiG3qt
Yeasu, ICom, and every other manufacturer I know puts grounding lugs on their equipment so you can ground it.
I guess this gent you reference with 677 subscribers as of today could be correct. I choose however to follow the guidance of ARRL, Yeasu, and ICom.
The top hat on the WWV transmitter in Fort Collins, Colorado is really impressive. It dwarfs the actual radiator and most folks think the top hat is the radiator.
I think you meant the WWVB tophat for 60kHz. Most of the WWV verticals are hardly even noticeable from I-25. Last time I was by there they are just chunks of small triangular tower material. And if I recall correctly, they are only simple quarter wavelength. They were guyed real well, though. It's surprising how tiny and simple those antennas are for a system that pretty much reaches the entire USA on 1 band or another at 1 time or another every day.
@@johnwest7993 When I left off the B, I wondered if someone would be so pedant as make a comment such as this.
Very good subject. Thanks for doing this one. I’ve often wondered what that capacity hat would do for the antenna.
I too wandered, and now I know.
Another great one! Thanks for the videos. I really appreciate how you go through your thought process.
Appreciate the feedback; its how my brain works, can't help myself.
Excellent video. I love this series on Chameleon. Great job Bob! 73s
Thanks for the views and feedback Jon.
Practical test always! At this point I’m e en tired of theory saying something and in the reality almost the opposite happens regarding antennas heheh 73,
Test it, see what it does! Learn something you didn't know before and discover things others didn't expect the gear could do!
Longtime no see brother. It is time for you to checkout the MMX-ZERO Intelligent Morse Decoder/Encoder.
I've had my eyes of that. Weren't you learning code? How's that going?
Hint: Paint it fluorescent orange so that you don't accidentally forget it as it blends into the ground when you take it down. Lesson learned the hard way twice!😂 Rob/WA9RAD
LOL, noted. Thanks for the heads up.
The unsung benefit of a cap hat, especially this one, is what it does to your SWR sweeps. Widens those sharp “sweet spots” 👍🏽
Roger roger!
Once you HAT you won’t go back. Makes a huge difference on 80/75/40 especially on those special freqs 🤫
Thanks for the input...seems like you've got some good experience to share.
Hey Bob,
Great video, and you are one of the gateway influencers that have led me down a very expensive Chameleon path. Great products and super job on your part for the realtime A/B testing!
Quick question, I didn't catch, did you have a radial system / ground plane under the verticals? If so, what were you using?
73 es God Bless,
Art / K0ACP
Sorry for spending your money : ) I believe you will very much like the gear; quality and performance are top notch!
I used three 16 1/2 foot radials on each set up, HOA Ham style, its what was on the workbench readily available at the time: th-cam.com/video/pTNojRg8x40/w-d-xo.html
Bob, thx
Thanks for the video!!!
Of course @norm_sueb122; its Thursday, I'm a creature of habit...had to drop a video.
29% more contacts on 20m, 13% more on 40m. Interesting test. I wonder why 15m & 17m were not better? Maybe only useful for the longer wavelengths?
That was my thought...someone may chime in at some point and let us know.
Is that the same puck they use for the ground-plane stingers? Looks very similar.
Permanent Stinger vid I did a week ago; yes, same center hub. Part of Chameleon’s Lego block philosophy. Fewer parts, more options.
@@HOAHamRadio I love it. I love the way they think. I could wish their prices were a little less steep, but I really love the way they think.
@@unclemikeyplays When it comes to working HF, I'll take or use anything that'll work mounted to an apartment balcony railing on the 2nd floor while @ 1,200 ft. ASL and not cook a balun doing it! Admittedly, Chameleon's products have been great!
KD8EFQ/73
I read somewhere 🤣🤣, (a radio/electrical engineering article), that capacitance hats work best when placed at the top of the antenna.
KD8EFQ/73
PS, (edited), I won't get a notification should you reply to my comment because Google/TH-cam hates me because I support Pres. Donald J. Trump, and harbor conservative values and ideals 🤣🤣🤣
Its actually odd how little information exists on this topic. I found one yesterday, supposed to be an industry best resource, and I couldn't understand a single world that was written. Obviously someone wanting to sound so smart, that without a PhD, no one else would even understand...not helpful for the masses.
Yes - the higher is the best! But mechanical limit are currently preventing to put one at the top of the SS17 or SS58 and we're working on it!
@@HOAHamRadio Thanks. I made a combination Hustler/Chameleon "top loaded" deal by placing the 80-meter load by Hustler on a 54" mast, and that on top of the Chameleon Ext. it seems to have had very similar result. Soon, I plan to take the Hustler 80-meter mobile load to a shop near me and have the whip holding piece chopped off, and drilled out with a 3/8 24-thread female receptacle so I can put the cap hat at the top with another shorter extension that also has 3/8 by 24 thread studs.
@@Chameleon_Antenna I'll pay for a matcher that'll take 1Kw PEP SSB because, as I learned with power supplies, if it calls for 20 amps, go 30 or 40 amps if you can afford it! And that's what I've done with that.
@@charleswoods2996 We're working on that actually....