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| Reviews Summary for CHAMELEON V2L HF/VHF/UHF Multiband Antenna™ |
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Reviews: 8
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $99
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Description: The Chameleon V2L HF/VHF/UHF Multiband Antenna is a hybrid antenna between the Chameleon V1 and the Chameleon V2. Like the V1 the V2L is composed of two individual screw together elements that can be assembled and disassembled in matter of minutes for fast and easy deployment and offers about 50% less wind resistance than the V1 and the V2.
The lower antenna part is 2’ long and it’s made with 3/8” of premium fiberglass tubing while the upper part is made of a 56” long stainless steel whip.
The Chameleon V2L silhouette is slimmer and stealthier than its cousins the V1 and the V2. At 6’6” long the V2L is ideal for smaller vehicles & boats.
An adequate ground-plane system and DC grounding are required for proper antenna performance. The ground plane quality will directly influence the antenna performance especially on 80M and 40M.
An external tuner is required to operate the Chameleon V2L.
Two Chameleon V2L can be added together to create a portable stealth dipole antenna.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://chameleonantenna.com/
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IZ2XDJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 13, 2013 16:08
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V2L with hybrid base: great combination
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Being a newbie in HAM all I wanted was a simple to install mobile antenna on my boat, mostly for WInlink and grib files, next to contact possibilities on HAMnet. I don't want to cut my rigging for isolators. So I decided to try the Chameleon Hybrid with the stealthy V2L, coupled to an SGC-235 and Icom 706MKIIG. I mounted the antenna set on my stainless crossbar-davits-windgen support and hooked a KISS-SSB counterpoise to the tuner. No other grounding connections to engine or any other (nor electrical) part. Ferrites and loops of wire under the antenna and all across the lines. To my own astonishment everything worked right from the start, getting SWR steadily around 1.5 and contacting WINLINK stations up to 900 km distance (after the tuner rumbled for a second) and even contacts across the Alps from Netherlands to Italy, amidst a load of ship masts. Unfortunately I haven't since been able to further test the set with more 'scientific' precision, but here's a happy user so far. I like the stealth aspect very much as my boat is a sailing catamaran. Of course the results will be even better if I use the HYBRID with the supplied long-wire, but that will not be my permanent install, which would be the V2L.
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AE7NM
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 19, 2012 21:47
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Compact Mobile HF
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have my Chameleon V2L mounted on my MINI Cooper. I wanted an antenna that was shorter than the car. I do not use any of the Chameleon matching networks. Instead, the antenna is connected directly to an ICOM AH-4 antenna tuner. The antenna tunes on 80m through 10m with an SWR less than 1.5. The SWR on 6m with just the top section connected is about 2.5. I have made contacts on all bands 80m through 10m except 30m. I have worked DX on 20m, 18m, 12m and 10m. Not bad for a short antenna on a little car.
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KB3WVB
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 17, 2012 20:03
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A great antenna for (almost) everything
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The Chameleon V2L was actually only the second HF antenna that I purchased. I became a HAM operator in December 2011 and quickly upgraded to my General license. I've read as many books as I can find on antennas and have built a few of my own.
My main reason for buying the V2L was that I wanted to operate mobile. I have an hour-long commute every morning and evening and wanted to hit the HF bands. However, I drive a 2009 Honda Accord and that does not lend itself to most of the mobile HF antennas on the market. Many are either too big or too heavy. Enter the V2L!
After buying the V2L, I set about installing it on my car. I found a good mounting point on the rear frame of the driver's side backseat passenger door. I couldn't mount the antenna on a 90-degree angle with the ground due to the way the door frame was molded so the antenna sloped towards the middle of the car by about 25 degrees. Not the optimum setup but "good-enuf" to get on the air.
Radio setup:
-Yaesu 857d
-LDG Z100 Pro II Tuner
-25' RG-8X coax
-One water bottle about 2-inches in diameter
I had many great contacts and learned a lot about optimizing my setup for the antenna. A few things I learned:
- Bond *everything*. k0bg.com has a great article on bonding and it reduces a lot of the RFI.
- Add an "ugly" balun as close to where your coax exits the vehicle as possible. I took a "Smart-Water" water bottle and wrapped about 10 turns of the coax around the bottle and secured it with duct-tape. Having this right at the exit of the vehicle keeps the transmissions from the antenna outside the vehicle and any RFI generated from the vehicle inside the vehicle. This resulted in clearer contact reports and also seemed to reduce the background static by quite a bit. This is in addition to the 9:1 UNUN included with the antenna. (Antenna -> UNUN -> "Ugly-Balun" -> Tuner)
In addition to the mobile setup, I also purchased a tripod and used this antenna with great success during Field Day this year. When portable, you need to make sure that you add a few ground radials below the antenna. I ran Field Day using only 3 radials and was making contacts with no problem. You won't be breaking any pileups but you will be heard and that's what matters!
I have also recently ordered the Mil-Whip from Chameleon which can replace the upper section of the V2L to increase performance on the lower bands. This is a really cool feature that I haven't seen on other antennas and I'm really excited to try it out!
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K6NJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 5, 2012 21:11
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Overall, a good antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is my third HF mobile antenna I have used on my Nissan Frontier truck. I went from the ATAS-120A to a Hamstick and now to this antenna. I have it mounted in the worst place, but only available spot for my use which is mounted to the rear bumper. I've grounded the heck out of everything and that definitely makes a positive difference. I'm running a Yaesu FT-857D rig at 100 watts with a LDG Z11ProII tuner. Overall, I would have to say that this antenna has given me the best performance compared to the other three antennas. I've worked multiple provinces in Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, Martinique, Cuba, Japan and multiple Eastern states from California while mobile mostly on 17 and 20 meters. Most of the signal reports are not super strong, but I am getting in there! The antenna appears very robust and is low profile compared to other HF mobile antennas. I'm sure there are better antennas for more $$$, but overall I am happy with this antenna and would recommend it.
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K5HTB
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 27, 2012 05:36
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Great Mobile Antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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My use of the antenna is mobile mounted in a "gum drop" hole mount on the back of my full size Mercury. The un-un is inside the trunk along with some ferrites. The trunk (boot) lid is ground with a 3/4 inch ground strap to the body.
My first contact was Houston,Tx to CT. The following weekend, I went to a Harris County, TX park and hit Argentina and Brazil on 10 meters. I parked near a small lake. In all cases my signal reports were 57 to 59 with 100 watts.
Travis
K5HTB
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KF7PC
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 11, 2011 10:51
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Great for CC&R neighborhoods
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just wanted to give a report about my new V2L installation inside a short tree in my backyard. I painted the lower part of the antenna a terracata brown color to blend in with the landscaping and hid the mount and UNUN inside a plastic owl lawn ornament. The antenna height is almost exactly the same as the small tree, so it is totally hidden from my neighbor standing a few feet away. I have two ground "counterpoise" wires buried a few inches under the gravel and ran RG-8X underground to my ham shack.
My first contact from here in Tucson was in Easton, PA with a 5/9 report on 15 meters. Next contact was in Brazil on 10 meters with me running 50 watts USB out of my Yaesu FT-100D and FC-20 tuner. The antenna is very quiet on the receive side, only a slight background hiss on the lower bands.
The Chameleon V2L was the answer to my CC&R neighborhood and performs better than any other vertical I have owned (ATAS-120 and AV-3).
A great product and excellent support from Carl too.
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NX2C
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 3, 2011 05:48
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V2L is well worth the money !!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I did alot of research for an affordable portable antenna . I ended up buying the V2L - My 2nd portable setup I made a contact from Tennessee to New Zealand on 10 Meters ( 8200 miles ) !! and the best part , with my FT 817 QRP !! the secret is the grounding counterpoise, if you read and follow the instructions in the Chameleon forums you will be very happy with this antenna . It is well built and strudy at the 3/8 - 24 mounting point.The upper stainless whip is able to be removed for ease of transporting , and the option of a "MIL Whip " is available -[ which will be my next purchase ] All in all I am very happy with the V2L ! 73 NX2C
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ROB1955
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 23, 2011 13:10
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Affordable, Well Made & Stealth: Excellent Antenna!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I’ve been a Chameleon Antenna longtime customer and I’ve been using the V2L for almost 6 months now (Carl asked me to test it on some vehicles few months prior to the official launch). I did some testing on the following vehicles (thanks to all my friends and their XYL):
- Toyota Tacoma Truck
- Toyota Prius
- Honda Civic
- Aluminum Boat (Princecraft)
- Nisan Titan Truck
- Motor Home
- Subaru Outback
- Motorcycle
- Sailboat
The antenna performed very well on all mentioned vehicles (some better than others). Surprisingly the motorcycle antenna setup impressed me! The antenna performed specially well on 40M which was totally unexpected! Low SWR from 10M to 40M included! The 80M band was a little bit harder to tune (SWR 2.0:1 compared to other bands which was less than 1.5:1 with an external LDG tuner).
The transmits and the receives of the V2L have been always very good even at low power (30W to 5W). On the 2M and 70CM I was able to use my HT radio and reach almost all repeaters with only 5W. (The 70CM repeaters seems to be a little bit harder to reach than the 2M with 5W).
At the beginning I was experiencing some sever RFI (mostly on the Toyota Prius and the motorcycle). The lights of my radio were blinking while transmitting. A better antenna grounding and a RF choke under the antenna solved the problem. About 20’ to 25’ of rg8x (their recommended coax cable) were used (coax choke included).
The actual composition of the V2L is different from the V1 or the V2. As usual the craftsmanship of the antenna is excellent! The upper part of the antenna is a stainless steel whip and not a helical wounded whip such as the V1 or the V2. Because of that the silhouette of the V2L is slimmer than the V1 or the V2 which greatly reduce the wind load of the system. The antenna is also stealthier and will not disguise your vehicle such a screw driver antenna does. (It helps to keep the XYL happy!)
The V2L is a length-compromised antenna and the only rule of thumb is to mount it as high as possible on the vehicle to reduce ground losses and maximize radiation. The problem that I’ve encountered with that was the difficulty to park the vehicle in the garage. So I found a small piece of equipment online that helped me to fold the antenna over the vehicle without having to unscrew the V2L all the time. It’s the RoadPro RPFD-100 Fold Over Antenna Adapter Spring Loaded (just Google it’s fantastic!).
My first suggestion would be to ground the antenna very well to your vehicle chassis. It will help to reduce the SWR and increase your receptions and transmissions tremendously. My second suggestion would be to use a choke balun under the antenna to reduce or eliminate RFI.
To conclude the Chameleon V2L Antenna is an excellent compromise antenna for the price ($99). Keep the antenna as high as possible over your roof top and you won’t be disappointed.
I would definitively recommend this antenna to anyone.
It’s a keeper!
Go and try it yourself!
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