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Reviews For: CHA F-LOOP (Chameleon Antenna)

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : CHA F-LOOP (Chameleon Antenna)
Reviews: 34MSRP: 350 to 450
Description:
The F-LOOP was designed with weight, durability, portability,
versatility and cost in mind.

The unique craftsmanship of the CHA F-LOOP distinguishes itself from
the competition. The antenna is built to last.

The unit covers everything between 10M to 60M (or 29,700MHz to
5,300MHz) continuously.

A single switch is used to tune the F-LOOP from 10M to 30M or from
40M and 60M.

The F-LOOP can be assembled and operated under 3 minutes.

The unit radiator is made of LMR-400.

The Faraday coupling loop is made of an aluminum bar which is
supported by a proprietary screw together hardline feeder.

Our specially and uniquely designed hardline feeder prevents SWR
fluctuations if the antenna is rotated or moved on itself which greatly
facilitated antenna tuning & operation.

The base of the unit is equipped with an anodized aluminum plate for
tripod assembly and for table top stability.

The F-LOOP antenna is fed from the rear of the unit by a SO-239 with
the provided coax cable.

The provided 12’ coax cable is equipped with an integral RFI choke
that will prevent or eliminate any possible RFI problems.

The front panel of the tuning unit is made of a clear piece of
polycarbonate which protects the tuning quadrant indicator.

The unassembled antenna comes into a high quality MOLE tactical bag
for easy carry and storage.

Each side of the tuning unit has been fitted with a custom designed
aluminum “L” shaped bracket that will be used to hold the optional 36”
diameter collapsible aluminum loop radiator.

The optional 36” diameter collapsible loop radiator is made of 1”
aluminum pipe. Each joints of the collapsible loop are made of high
tolerance aluminum connectors that minimize RF losses. With that
collapsible loop the F-LOOP will cover 10M to 40M.

The optional 36” diameter collapsible loop radiator greatly increase
antenna radiation by an average of 114%.

Specifications:
Frequency: 10M – 60M
Power: 10W CW or 25W SSB
RF Connection: SO-239
Weight: TBA

The antenna system consists of:

1 X CHA F-LOOP Matching Box
1 X LMR-400 Coax Cable
1 X 12' RG58A + Integrated RFI Choke
1 X Coupling Loop
1 X Screw Together Hard-Line
1 X Molle Bag
Product is in production
More Info: http://chameleonantenna.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00344.7
W6ARH Rating: 2016-01-16
great performance vs cost Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Vendor is very responsive and friendly. Impressive performance on HF and well designed.
First use contact was 5/7 between California and Colorado. Easy setup and very convenient portable packaging. I have both the hardline and aluminum loops but haven't evaluated the difference between them. However, I do believe the specs provided. Great product from a quality company.
N5UXI Rating: 2016-01-16
portable CHA F loop Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This antenna purchased last year in February 2015. It is a well made antenna have listened to 80 meters, yes 8o meters not tx but listening without 80 meter loop it received very well. would recommend to those who live in antenna restricted neighborhoods. great portable antenna.
KI4EZL Rating: 2016-01-04
What more could you want? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna lists has it all. 10 through 60 meters, solid construction, portability, and quality. After studying all of the attributes that this antenna has, I could not have decided on a better choice than the CHA F-LOOP by Chameleon.
NY2MC Rating: 2016-01-03
Very well made like all Chameleon Antennas Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This was my first loop antenna purchase and I do not regret it. I have used it mostly portable at the park and showed the loop to be well made and worked as it should. A few of the contacts made were with stations not registering on the S-meter but I could hear them clearly. A good solid base and 1/4 20 thread makes it possible to either sit it on a picnic table with no support or to mount it on a camera tripod. I would like it a bit more if it could handle a full 100 watts but overall a great package.
K5ACL Rating: 2015-12-01
Outstanding compromise for an HOA restricted ham Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live in an HOA restricted community and was fighting for almost 2 months to get my HF working. Dipoles & wire antennas just weren't cutting it in my neighborhood. I live in a densely populated city, and unfortunately experience a lot of RFI where I live. I decided to take the plunge and purchase the Chameleon F Loop based on all the other reviews here on eHam & on YouTube. Hooked this antenna up for the first time inside & it had great reception for being indoors! Transmitting was a different story, even at the max 20watts being used on the 40m band I wasn't being heard, but as soon as I placed it outside on my back porch (only 2 feet off the ground on a tripod), I made my first contact to Los Angeles (1,975 kilometers) on just 15 watts of power! Pretty nifty for such a small antenna that's sitting on my back porch! I can't spew out technical specifications on the antenna, but I can say that I'm happy with it, and I'm definitely looking forward to operating mobile with this and getting away from my neighborhood & up high!

You can checkout pictures of the antenna over on my blog: http://weirdamateurradio.blogspot.com

The antenna is very well built. I attempted to build a home brew magnetic loop as you can see on my past blog posts, but it didn't work so well! Plus the Chameleon is really easy to break down and transport if needed. The price is a little high, but I was on the fence between this and the MFJ loop. I wanted something a little more portable (and less power!). This fit the bill nicely. American made product. Received the antenna about 10 days after I ordered it!
AB6YA Rating: 2015-11-05
Tried it at Field Day - Have to have one! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I went to the Ham Fest in Arizona for some field day work with my Yaesu FT-817ND and end-fed EARCHI vertical on a 30' Jackite pole and was having a pretty decent run.

Then a friend of mine setup next to me with his FT-817ND and the Chameleon F-Loop and I was shocked. We traded off working stations and he was getting a solid S-Unit plus over me on transmit, 1-2 S-Units on receive.

I have to have one!
OH8GEJ Rating: 2015-09-14
Well thought out, well engineered, happy customer Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Chameleon F-Loop
There are lots of reviews about the Chameleon F-Loop, but I still thought it was necassary to make a few points about this magnetic loop antenna which aren't really getting across in those other reviews.

Unboxing
The very first thing I noticed when I opened the package was, someone spent an awful lot of time preparing and packaging the system. I had the feeling that pride in workmanship were qualities that were meant to be propagated to the customer upon opening the package. This is something rarely seen in today's "buybit from China", "price is most important" world. So yes I'm a very proud owner of the F-Loop.

BACKGROUND
The very first QSO I made with the F-Loop was done indoors. I was sitting in my office just testing out the reception of the loop. To my surprise, Rx was far better than I expected possible from an indoor mounted antenna. Anyway, that QSO was between myself OH8GEJ and Steve M0WGI in London with a report of 53, then 55 on the second return. At the end of that QSO, several other stations were calling, and Steve M0WGI was kind enough to hand the frequency over to me to make the return to IZ5QRH who gave me a report of 57 in Italy. This type of QSO's are no big deal if you have a tower and yagi, but with an indoor mounted loop operating QRP? So far I find it astonishing.

Operating conditions were 5 watts, through my FT-817ND, and the Chameleon F-Loop. The F-Loop was setup using the standard coax element. That's it! No voodoo magic, no amplifiers, just relatively bad conditions, with a good radio, and a good antenna on 17 meters. I'm certain the sceptical "wet noodle" guys will have their opinions, but you can't deny good, solid, repeatable, results like this! Moreover, these kinds of QSO's are quite the norm with the F-Loop FT-817 combination. Its certainly not easy, as QRP work never is, but I no longer have any use for the bogus "Super", "Miracle", or "Wonder" antenna systems, promising the world, and not delivering.

Pros and Cons
Pros
- Narrow bandwidth
- Extremely quiet
- Simple to tune
- Rapid deployment
- Bullet proof construction
- Tripod mountable
- Breaks down/sets up easily

Cons
- I think it could be lighter
- Its not weatherproof

The Chameleon F-Loop is a realistic solution to those who are antenna restricted, apartment dwellers, wanting a well-made magnetic loop antennas which is the perfect balance between form and function.

If you're serious about the Chameleon F-Loop, I've put together a series of videos from myself and other owners of the Chameleon F-Loop. Chameleon F-Loop Antenna: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKMrdrsNkFA5mG_tuCaOCorp_gYjWvRd0
This way, you can see the real results, free real people.

73s
Julian, OH8GEJ
W7SSB Rating: 2015-08-25
Great product and best of all made in the USA. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had the CHA F- LOOP since the beginning of the year. I also have several other named loop antennas ( MFJ,Alex and Alpha loops) Most of my time is spent with the CHA F LOOP. Ease of use, quality and best of all it works as advertised !
I can call Carl the owner of Chameleon and get any questions answered quickly .....That is why for the 5 rating!I have recommended it several other hams!I'm able to work into the 40 meter noontime net from inside my office building with my KX3 from my work bench!The loop is quite and easy to tune .Try one you'll like it!
Don W7SSB
YV5OF Rating: 2015-08-25
Amazing Portable Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I can not describe how easy, how amazing this antenna. Its convenient transportation, assembly and performance when working, and low SWR ( 1:1 ).. Right now I'm working from the Locator: FK70AI, on the shores of Miranda - Venezuela. About 5 meters above sea level.

Operating with a maximum power of 10w with my Yaesu FT-857D. JT65A with HF digital mode, I managed to copy stations everywhere (America, Asia, Europe, etc.), and managing to be copied. One of the best contact was able to work the T46BC( NA-204 ) expedition in PSK mode with only 10w and my CHA F-Loop at the corner of my deck, at a distance of 2029.9 km from my location.

This antenna meets all expectations of any Ham, who likes to operate QRP, SOTA, POTA, etc. An excellent job of Engineering.


Severino - YV5OF
K1DOS Rating: 2015-08-23
Outstanding! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna is well worth the price. Solid build, portable, simple to setup and works. If you are looking for a low-profile antenna that wont take up much space and is dependable (operationally and construction) then check out this antenna. What more can I say.