Callsign	Required
Password

If you've forgotten and/or need to reset your password, please enter your Callsign and use the button below.

You *must* have a verified email address on the account.

If you are not a member of the eHam community

Please consider registering to e-Ham.

Manager

Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: CHA F-LOOP 2.0 (CHAMELEON ANTENNA)

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.

Review Summary For : CHA F-LOOP 2.0 (CHAMELEON ANTENNA)
	Reviews: 9	MSRP: 399.00
	Description: CHA F-LOOP 2.0 3.5-29.7 MHz The CHA F-LOOP 2.0 was designed with portability, ease of use simplicity, ruggedness and high performance in mind. Unlike any other similar antennas on the market, the CHA F-LOOP 2.0 is made with premium materials that are precisely manufactured and assembled in the USA! This is an exciting new product from Chameleon Antenna. Easily deployable HF magnetic loop antennas, also called small transmitting loops, have been routinely used for many years in military, diplomatic, and shipboard HF communication links, where robust and reliable general coverage radio communication is a necessity. These antennas have only recently become commercially available for amateur radio. The real practical advantage of the small loop, compared to a short vertical whip tuned against earth or a full sized vertical antenna, is the loop’s freedom from dependence on a ground plane and earth for achieving efficient operation; this unique characteristic has profound significance for portable or restricted space antennas. In comparison, the bottom of a vertically oriented loop does not need to be more than a loop diameter above ground, making it very easy to install in a restricted space location. There is no significant improvement in sky wave propagation performance when a small loop is installed high; all that matters is the loop is substantially clear of objects in the immediate area and oriented towards the desired direction of radiation. Field trials of the CHA F-LOOP 2.0 demonstrated that an indoor magnetic loop antenna was only around one to two S-units lower, on both transmit and receive, than an outdoor full size quarter wave vertical antenna. Remarkable for an antenna that is only less than three foot in diameter and covers 3.5 MHz to 29.7 MHz (80 – 10 meter ham bands)! The magnetic loop is different from typical antennas because it emphasizes the magnetic part of the radio wave (H field) rather than the electric part (E field) of the radio wave. It also has a high Q resonance of around 17 KHz on 40 meters, providing immunity from interference outside the bandpass. The CHA F-LOOP 2.0 Antenna was designed with weight, portability, versatility and cost in mind and is ideal for RV/camping, hotels, apartments, condominiums, homeowner’s associations, deed restrictions and CCRs (Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions), Shortwave Listening (SWL) and other places where it is not feasible to erect a multi-band wire or vertical antenna. We’re sure you will be amazed by the performance and agree that the CHA F-LOOP 2.0 is the most advanced portable magnetic loop antenna available today.
	Product is in production
More Info: http://chameleonantenna.com/
# last 180 days	Avg. Rating last 180 days	Total reviews	Avg. overall rating
0	0	9	4.6

KD2HPQ	Rating:	2023-02-28
great listening antenna?			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this antenna about a dozen times, mostly in places where I could not hang a wire (eg beaches). Total operating time about 25 hours. I do not believe I've made even 15 contacts with it. The few QSOs that did occur were laborious for all concerned, with so-so signal reports. During one excursion, in Myrtle Beach, I could hear a dozen stations operating a midwest QSO party, loud and clear, but made just one contact. Most recently I set it up in a hotel room and heard plenty of stations with very little noise, but no-one could hear me. Same for phone and CW. From all the good reviews I have to assume there was something wrong with the antenna when I bought it (used of course). I will give it a "poor" (and not "awful") rating because it's a decent listening antenna but given its poor performance (IN MY HANDS), at 20x the cost of an un-un and 66' of wire it's a very, very poor value. The other problem, well known with mag loops, is its excruciatingly narrow bandwidth. On 40m you think you have max noise (therefore "resonance" at some meaning of the term) but the SWR is still high, requiring ultra-fine tuning which is difficult to achieve with the provided tuning knob. I've also owned an Alex Loop with similar issues. Could be that propagation was bad every single time, or that I'm missing some operational nuance, but I doubt it. I've made more contacts stringing 33 feet of wire around some 10' high bushes and low wooden posts.

4Z4DR	Rating:	2020-03-28
Awesome			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live on the 9th floor of a 30 story rebar reinforced concrete building so my options for antennas are extremely limited. I purchased the F Loop for my FT818 xcvr. Put the antenna on the balcony on a plastic table and the radio inside the living room about 4m away. 1st QSO was [Tel Aviv] to Serbia (3000km). Got a 59 report and he was flabbergasted to hear that I was QRP (6W). Tuning by ear only and watching the SWR. Ordered direct from Chameleon - great service. Only complaint is that they don't offer the aluminum hi-efficiency loop any more. Would love to have the remote tuning option as well (sigh). Waiting for an opportunity to try SOTA with this combo.

KK7SS	Rating:	2018-05-26
Best of the Breed			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the F-loop 2.0 Plus. First of all I must say the build quality is superb and very professional. I watched the videos on how the 36 inch diameter Aluminium loop is formed from 1" diameter tubing. and the CNC machining used to get consistent precision connections. This convinced me that this was the loop for me. Although I will not be back-packing I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the heavy duty bag supplied that holds everything (except the 2-part loop). The tuning unit is in a very solid plastic molding and has connections for both the aluminium and the co-axial loops. The base plate has pre-threaded holes for 1/4" and 3/8" for mounting on a tripod or other support - I'm using a small DSLR tripod in the house. The tuning knob is nice - large enough for my hands - and the reduction gearing makes it easy to tune and gives a nice smooth tactile feedback. I use it in the house and in the back yard connected to an mcHF SDR radio. Note: It is not weatherproof!. I was pre-tuning the antenna for a noise peak and then fine tuning using an antenna analyzer (the FG-01A) so that the antenna system is resonant for the chosen frequency, but now I just do the pre-tuning with the analyzer - no ATU in circuit so as to try to maximize power transfer. My home-brewed testing showed the F-loop bandwidths agreed extremely closely with the published data by Chameleon and by KP4MD which both showed that it is a very high-Q antenna. No unjustified hype herer by the manufacturer. Directivity is in the plane of the loop with nulls broadside which gives the ability to try to null directional noise/interference. It is much quieter than my HF6V (about 25 ft between them). The 2.0 Plus uses a telescoping support for the coupling loop. The coupling loop is fabricated from 1" wide flat Aluminium stock with an SO-239 socket for connecting the feedline. Chameleon was very responsive to my email questions - great customer service. I shall be adding the remote tuning and rotating (CH-RTRR) accessory in the very near future which will give me "armchair" operability with the F-loop up to 20 ft away.. ATTN: Do not touch the loop when transmitting.. small transmitting loops can invoke extremely high RF voltages.. ---------------------- Earlier 5-star review posted by KK7SS on 2018-05-25 I have the F-loop 2.0 Plus. First of all I must say the build quality is superb and very professional. I watched the videos on how the 36 inch diameter Aluminium loop is formed from 1" diameter tubing. and the CNC machining used to get consistent precision connections. This convinced me that this was the loop for me. Although I will not be back-packing I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the heavy duty bag supplied that holds everything (except the 2-part loop). The tuning unit is in a very solid metal casting and has connections for both the aluminium and the co-axial loops. The base plate has pre-threaded holes for 1/4" and 3/8" for mounting on a tripod or other support - I'm using a small DSLR tripod in the house. The tuning knob is nice - large enough for my hands - and the reduction gearing makes it easy to tune and gives a nice smooth tactile feedback. I use it in the house and in the back yard connected to an mcHF SDR radio. Note: It is not weatherproof!. I was pre-tuning the antenna for a noise peak and then fine tuning using an antenna analyzer (the FG-01A) so that the antenna system is resonant for the chosen frequency, but now I just do the pre-tuning with the analyzer - no ATU in circuit so as to try to maximize power transfer. My home-brewed testing showed the F-loop bandwidths agreed extremely closely with the published data by Chameleon and by KP4MD which both showed that it is a very high-Q antenna. No unjustified hype herer by the manufacturer. Directivity is in the plane of the loop with nulls broadside which gives the ability to try to null directional noise/interference. It is much quieter than my HF6V (about 25 ft between them). The 2.0 Plus uses a telescoping support for the coupling loop. The coupling loop is fabricated from 1" wide flat Aluminium stock with an SO-239 socket for connecting the feedline. Chameleon was very responsive to my email questions - great customer service. I shall be adding the remote tuning and rotating (CH-RTRR) accessory in the very near future which will give me "armchair" operability with the F-loop up to 20 ft away..

WA9VFD	Rating:	2018-03-10
Believe The Hype (Follow Up Review)			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It is on rare occasion you should ever believe the hype. This is one of those occasions. Under the worst band conditions anyone has ever seen I have had QSOs in the EU and the outer islands of Wash state from my station in North Carolina. The HOA inspectors think it is just a Frisbee golf trainer. By now you've heard that Chameleon is a great company with excellent customer support. That hype is deserved as well.

AE5SN	Rating:	2018-02-03
Good loop, Great Customer Service			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Chameleon F-Loop works as advertised and their customer support is excellent. I had to get 2 very small brackets replaced and they were sent very quickly with no headache. Chameleon knew of the issue I had and didn't make excuses, just sent the replacement parts and it worked fine. I would add that they even offer operational advice/support and will take you through setup/operation if you're having any trouble or just need some help. The antenna is High Q (narrow bandwidth) but easy enough to operate - just read the instructions, put it together in the operational configuration you want, and you're off. My experience indicated the F-Loop Plus with the Aluminum element to performs well even in my home - the LMR type loop setup works well enough too but the aluminum wins out marginally. I also purchased the rotator with autotuner - the rotation works as advertised with a few shaky spots but easy enough to operate. It's expensive but it's solid (thick metal base - won't tip over)so you get what you pay for. The autotuner works very well (saves having to manually twist the capacitor when changing transmit frequency). Bottom line - a good small antenna with excellent customer support. I would buy from Chameleon Antenna again.

OH8STN	Rating:	2017-09-07
Awesome update			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've owned the original F-Loop for a couple of years now. I have the basic series and the plus version. I also have the RTRR remote control. The only thing I was missing from the original version, was a little smaller breakdown size. When I saw a video of the new F-Loop 2.0 on YouTube, I immediately ordered this antenna. To achieve this smaller breakdown size, and to make the magnetic loop easier to assemble/disassemble, is the telescopic mast. This is very similar to the latest P-LOOP 2.0, and also makes the accessories compatible across both Loop antennas. What this gives me is a very versatile magnetic loop antenna, which can be configured for the different types of operations I find myself in. My F-Loop 2.0 is the plus version, but when I take it out on trips or using it from hotels I usually use it with the double coaxial Loop for 80/60/40, the single coaxial Loop for 40-10 (I don't work 10/12 meters), or the Booster kit, for more efficiency on 40-15m. Finally, I have the power compensator allowing me to run up to 60 watts SSB through the loop. The F-LOOP 2.0 has three hardpoints on its base plate. 2x 1/4 threaded for a tripod, and 1x 3/8 untheaded hard point for other mounting options like on a balcony. I also have all of the accessories including the booster kit, the plus configuration, and the RTRR (which allows me to control it remotely). The tuning dial is located on the front panel of the magnetic loop. The only other controls are a switch on top of the housing to choose between 80 through 30 meters or 20 through 10. For those of you interested the loop also covers the 60 meter amateur band, MARS, and the 11 meters band. SWR of 1.1-1.5 is possible on all bands the loop covers. Although the telescopic mast can be used to adjust the pickup loop height on the Plus version, I have never seen any reason to use that feature, as the SWR is always low enough. The Q is quite high, which is normal on any good magnetic loop antenna. The pickup loop is a rigid design with an so-239 connector. There are a couple of different sizes depending on which main loop (outer loop) you're using. On the original version there was one pick up Loop, regardless of which outerloop you were using. Now the pickup Loop is tuned for the size and length of the main Loop. In August 2017, I used the F-Loop 2.0 in its Plus configuration to log into a WinLink gateway 2300km away to send and receive emails using Winmor through a ZLP MiniProSC audio interface. I connected with the station several times on 40 and 20 meters, despite QRM from stronger stations. I did this QRP (5w), using an FT-817ND. I've also use this Loop for casual SSB contacts while the loop was mounted in the Attic above my ham Shack using the RTRR remote control. Like all other Chameleon products, quality and attention to detail are above and beyond. It's definitely not a miracle antenna, but if you can't or don't want to be bothered putting up a full-size antenna, or if you're looking for a backup antenna to augment a full size antenna in a remote location, this is definitely worth considering for your ham radio tool box.

N2LRB	Rating:	2017-09-03
Excellent Product			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my CHA F-Loop 2.0 antenna less than three weeks ago and I was highly impressed with all aspects of it. The antenna is built with quality in mind, and is very easy to setup/put together. It tunes on all the bands it advertises it will tune on. Even from inside a typical New York City steel and concrete building! I have made contacts into ILL, GA, MO, KS, and OH with the coax outer loop and into MI with the metal outer loop. I have also successfully made WSPR contacts of over 2,000 during times of bad propagation. I made all the above contacts with just 20 watts output power. Before obtaining the CHA F Loop 2.0 I was making my own magnetic loop antennas. But they do not compare to this antenna. Creating my own magloop has taught me a lot. But when getting on the air and making contacts is important, I use the CHA F Loop 2.0. It's a pleasure to look at, put together and work, both indoors and outdoors.

W7SEN	Rating:	2017-09-01
Wow. Great antenna.			Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought the F-LOOP Plus last winter (2017), and used it primarily in my apartment to listen-it excels in reception, and listening is my primary mode of operation. I've also used it in the field, usually while camping. Even with the high efficiency loop, it's very convenient to use-I often leave it assembled and just slide it onto the bed for quick deployment. Using it while backpacking is pretty easy as well. I leave the high efficiency loop at home and use the flexible loop made of LMR 400. It all fits in a sturdy bag (included) that attaches to my pack with Molle straps, and isn't so heavy that it's onerous to carry. On 25 March 2017 I made a 20m contact using 15W to Urbana, Illinois from Casper, Wyoming-with the F-LOOP sitting in my living room. On field day 2017, I made numerous contacts on 20m, this time with the F-LOOP on my front porch on 15W. This a great antenna-very well built, durable enough for portable work, and easy to set up and use. I'm very happy with it, and recommend it without reservation.

K1DOS	Rating:	2017-07-09
Outstanding Antenna!			Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have all three of Chameleon's antennas (F, Pv1.0, and Pv2.0). All three work great and are well built. I use them all the time for QRP digital ops (Pactor) and have never had a problem finding a tuning solution. If you do field ops check out one of these antennas.

Category:

Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

Product:

CHA F-LOOP 2.0 (CHAMELEON ANTENNA)

Summary:

Rating:	Time Owned:
Great! Good OK Needs Help Poor Awful!	0 - 3 Months 3 - 6 Months 6 - 12 Months More than 12 Months

Remarks:

Describe your experience with the CHA F-LOOP 2.0 (CHAMELEON ANTENNA) and tell us why you give it the rating you did (required). Other useful information would include your experience with similar products, infomation on a product that you would purchase instead of this one, and so on.