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Reviews For: Chameleon Antenna HF Modular Portable Antenna System (MPAS)

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : Chameleon Antenna HF Modular Portable Antenna System (MPAS)
Reviews: 11MSRP: 330.00
Description:
The CHA MPAS is desgned to be the most versatile, high performance, and rugged portable/manpackable HF antenna available using the "Lego Block" aproach, as described by Survival Tech Nord. The core components of the antenna system are the CHA Hybrid-Micro portable base, 60' of wire, a 10'8" military style collapsible whip antenna and a clamp-style antenna mount. The broadband impedance matching network transformer of the CHA Hybrid Micro allows broadband antenna tuning. The antenna will operate from 1.8 - 54MHz (including 160m - 6m amateur bands)without any adjustment with a wide range antenna tuner.
Product is in production
More Info: http://chameleonantenna.com/CHA%20MPAS/CHA%20MPAS.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00115
N6MED Rating: 2023-07-03
Great rapid-deployment antenna system. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
On other forums I've seen criticism for the inefficiency of the 5:1 hybrid resulting in significant power loss compared to a single-band dipole. Reviews for this system seem to rarely mention the intent of its design. The system is poor for DX or for field day use where a lot of effort is in play for using max gain, single-band antennas. BUT, that's NOT the intent of the system!!!

For those critics who might review the system on this forum, >> it is a very flexible field-expedient system intended for rapid deployment.
EI3IBB Rating: 2020-06-01
Fantastic Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is an early review of the MPAS 2.0 which I received a few days ago.

I tried it on 20m the other night and got the below contacts from Ireland, I was running 100 Watts SSB on the FT-891.

9Z4FE In Trinidad and Tobago

TA0TA In istanbul Turkey

KE4LJH IN Palm City, Florida.

KP4PR In Puerto Rico

To say I was impressed was an understatement. I certainly wasn't expecting such DX on a portable Antenna. I was just using the single supplied Counterpoise.

I also have the CAP-HAT which is supposed to make the Antenna more broadband and it certainly is, SWR hardly changes throughout each band, whether this has to do with the HAT I do not know, haven't tried it without it.

I only briefly tried the wire antenna, I just threw it up a tree and made some bad shape loop and tried it on JS8 Call and made contacts around Europe.

The Antenna is certainly extremely well constructed and will last me years with proper care.

Julian-OH8STN and Eirc-KJ4YCI helped convinced me to get this antenna from watching their excellent youtube videos.

I have made contacts on 40m but haven't tried any DX on 40 and I have not yet tried other bands. But initial impressions with this antenna are WOW.
K3PTC Rating: 2020-02-05
Great product. Great customer service! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can't say enough about Chameleon Antenna. I have owned their Mag Loop for several years and it has performed flawlessly. I recently purchased the MPAS system. There was a minor problem with my order which Chameleon corrected immediately. I finally found time to fire up the vertical configuration this past weekend and was soon talking to the west coast SSB with 15W. Can't wait to get it out on the trail.

73's,
K3PTC
Rockville, MD
AE7YD Rating: 2018-08-10
better than expected Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Years ago when Chameleon came out with the V1, then the V2 I did
listen to the nay sayer despite I desperately needed a stealth antenna
(HOA in Phoenix, AZ). Now in CA and no HOA I wanted a portable antenna.
Early this year reading newer reviews and Youtube videos, I took
the plunge and did order the CHA Micro (MPAS). I use it with the
wire or the MIL whip. My only regret is that I didn't buy it earlier.
I did use it on the deck, on the car (stationery) and it works great.
I use it with a tuner or the build-in tuner of the radio getting good
results with only 5 to 10w.
Last week I purchased the the extension and the capacitive hat.
Works even better. Really worth the price. Now I also use it on a
tripod and a 16ft telescopic fiber glass mast. Usually with only
one radial.
Each component is of premium quality and the finish is excellent.
Noteworthy to mention is the perfect contact between the different
sections of the whip and the extension sections.
KM6NFY Rating: 2018-05-22
Excellent portable antenna system. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have used the MPAS antenna set up in many ways from a sloping wire, dipole and inverted v. My favorite set up is the mini hybrid with the mil whip and whip extension set on top of the Cha spike. I have reached as far as 10574 km on 5 watts and 8649 km on 2.5 watts. It is my go to portable set up. I would use two if I had them
VE3IPS Rating: 2018-02-13
Best Portable Antenna System Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been making a lot of contacts with the CHA Hybrid Micro ( part of the MPAS system) using the included 60 foot wire and a 10 foot whip antenna. I make contacts regularly into the ECARS net on 40m using 10 watts from my manpack radio system with the antenna set up as NVIS (60 foot antenna). The same configuration works just as well on 60m for emcomm activities. I also make DX contacts with the same unit but with a 10 foot vertical whip. My best DX results was using the whip and the Hybrid Micro on the beach in Jamaica and working the Canary Islands on 20m SSB. That is overy 6000 km. I am finding the MPAS antenna system to be the most flexible antenna I own and the one that always helps me make contacts in the field, in the bush or on a beach. I am very pleased with the mil-spec quality as I can rely on the antenna system to work every time. If I could only have a single antenna system the Chameleon MPAS would be my only choice. 73 John VE3IPS
K2EXE Rating: 2017-05-12
nice portable antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very impressed with this antenna I purchased it looking for a portable antenna. I added on the mil extension and the radial kit to my MPAS setup and have had good luck from 160m on up, I have not tried it on 6 or 10 m yet but it has performed well at my home qth on the other bands. I am looking forward to taking this out to try my hand at some SOTA activations in the near future. The assembly is quick and painless and with so many options and ways to use this antenna I will be busy testing the multitude of configuration options this antenna provides. I like the simplicity of the jaw clamp yet the rugged and durable support it provides for the antenna.
AK4YH Rating: 2017-05-10
Works great with the whip. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Hello, I have tested the MPAS, mostly the Hybrid Micro with whip (see my YouTube channel) in various conditions, portable operations. It does work well, even down to 40m (CW), which for a 3.2m whip is pretty good. No problem tuning it on 80m, but I haven't tried making contacts on that band. Of course, you get much better results using the 60ft wire, but you can't beat the practicality. The antenna is up in three minutes flat. The Hybrid Micro is a bit heavy for hiking, especially if you also carry the JAW mount, but the construction is solid, well machined and nearly indestructible. You pay for what you get. The whip itself is nothing special. The 60ft wire is of good quality. Thumbs up in my book for the MPAS, my nine months of testing have not uncovered any weaknesses.
KG7FII Rating: 2017-05-10
Well-built portable antenna system Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a preliminary review of the Chameleon CHA-MPAS, which I purchased with the CHA military whip extension. Bad weather and a hectic work schedule have kept me from testing it. I will append my comments when I get a chance to use it.

I am impressed with the quality material and construction of the hybrid micro base, the military whip, and the jaw bracket antenna mount that comprise the MPAS system and the whip extension. All components feel solid. The segments of the whip antenna fit together well. The components are light, pack easily, and are simple and fast to set up. What is particularly helpful is that the online manual is written clearly, well illustrated, presents multiple options for setting up the components, and makes the set up easy.
W1WRA Rating: 2017-05-07
Great antenna system Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The MPAS system is a great portable antenna system. Whether you deploy as a wire antenna or deploy the vertical mil whip this system is very versatile in the field.

I have also used the system for temporary stealth setups on apartment balcony. The flexibility this system offers cannot be understated. Build quality is excellent. Don't forget to read the manual for many deployment options.