Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop (CHA TDL) Antenna Review - Ham Radio Q&A
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- The Chameleon CHA TDL Tactical Delta Loop antenna is a portable multi band portable HF antenna designed for operation on the 80 through 6 meter bands.
The Tactical Delta Loop antenna is comprised of two 17-foot telescoping whip antennas, a matching transformer, a 25-foot loop wire, a ground spike mount, a “V” coupling, and 50 feet of coaxial cable. Antennas built by Chameleon Antenna are versatile, dependable, stealthy, and built to last. Please read this operator’s manual so you may obtain the maximum utility from your Tactical Delta Loop antenna.
Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop Field Test:
• Chameleon Tactical Del...
Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop Antenna
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Convert your MPAS 2.0 into a Tactical Delta Loop:
Chameleon SS17 Stainless Steel Whips
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Chameleon CHA TDL Hub Kit
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Timestamp
00:00 Open
00:38 Chameleon CHA TDL Tactical Delta Loop
01:03 What is a loop and Delta Loop antenna
01:46 What's included with the Antenna
03:02 Chameleon Hub Kit MPAS 2.0 Conversion
04:02 Deployment Options
05:28 How to Set up the Antenna
06:22 SWR Test
07:22 Antenna Directivity
08:07 40/80 meter performance
09:53 20 meter and up performance
10:26 My rating of the Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop
13:09 Who is this antenna good for? My impressions
15:24 Closing
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#ChameleonAntenna #TacticalDeltaLoop #PortableAntenna #ProductReview #POTA #SOTA #ParksontheAir #FieldAntenna - Наука та технологія
Thank goodness I subscribed to your channel Michael, this is yet another fantastic video with great information.
Chameleon makes nice antennas. I have the MPAS first version and it is well made, durable and modular. True, they are expensive, but I enjoy the variety of options for portable use. Enjoyed the review!
He who dies with the most antennas wins.
best comment i saw all week.
I picked one up, along with their backpack, just recently. I haven't tested it yet, that will be this weekends project. It will make a good addition to my CHA ENCOMM IIIp antenna, which I also throw in the backpack along with my IC-705 and LDG tuner and Power Film LightSaver Max solar panel/battery. That combination will give me a ton of options in the field in one "grab and go" backpack.
Thanks for this review. I know it's a lot of work to index, too. I truly appreciate it! 73
Looks very cool, price is too high for me, but very cool.
Thanks for the review man.
Merci pour cette présentation détaillée
Best regards
73's from France
I have been using this antenna as my primary POTA/portable antenna for about 6 months. Expensive, but effective. Have worked dxcc, WAS POTA hunter, and more. Setup in less than 10 minutes. Have only used it as ground mount using spike mount. No matching device used with better than 1.7:1, which gets plenty of power to the antenna. Using CW, SSB and digital.
Only problem is the hub threads have begun to become buggered up a bit.
I have great confidence in the antenna
As the bands have been improving, I really enjoy using it. I recently did an update to my original review: ua-cam.com/video/cD6brjjz27U/v-deo.html
Well done! Thanks for the info!
Thx for another neat product info! 73's & happy wednesday de Your Friend Uncle Guenter
I've been subscribed to your channel
Great review. This antenna clearly shines when it comes to portability and ease of setup. I agree with you and think the specifications of 80-6 are a little overstated. In fairness to Chameleon, they do admit the antenna is most efficient 30-6 so I don't personally think they are misleading customers.
To anyone that thinks the price is too much, try building your own. I'd love to see the video.
I think that's a fair assessment and like I mentioned, Chameleon is upfront with the low band limitations in the documentation; so I don't believe they are misleading customers.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Agreed. I always feel your reviews are honest.
Last week was the first time taking the TDL with me on vacation (FL panhandle beach) and also setting it up in an elevated position. It works pretty well spiked into the ground (with a tuner) but, for me, it was truly a different antenna with the elevation. I used the temporary clamp that you've shown here before (the one that can be oriented for vertical of horizontal clamping) and had the TDL set up on the top of our travel trailer ladder...up top where the ladder rail turns horizontal. So, the TDL was about 11.5 FT up at the base. It loved 40M and 20M with easy tunes and low SWR. 17M required a tune but landed at 1.2-1.4. 10M was pretty well resonant but nobody was there. I was able to make a nightly check-in on 3965 without a problem. Several contacts made into Eastern Europe on 20M...as far as Sarajevo, Bosnia. 40M was hitting WA, CA, AZ, etc. I'll be taking that with us on the next trailer trip as it's much easier than setting up a temp sloper. Thanks for your review.
Forgot to mention...that was with a Yaesu 991A, barefoot/90W and a 50Ft RG8X.
Others have reported that elevating this antenna makes a big difference. I'm glad to hear its working well for you. Now that that the upper bands are better, I may revisit it.
Thanks Michael!! Nice representation with useful details!!👍 What do you think (experience?) of use that antenna for mobile operation??? Stay well!
with antennas it would be nice to see an ft8 psk report or a wispr report
Hola buenas tardes, a modo de consulta el centro de alimentación como está construido ? Y brazos laterales en vez de aluminio pueden ser sustituidos por fibra de vidrio?
KB9VRB thank you very much for sharing this antennas very interesting really nice very easy to assemble everything's there I'm really starting to like chameleon I like your stuff and thank you for sharing it I really appreciate that this is probably on my wish list most definitely thank you again 👍👍👍👍👍 great platform and great video you have 😎
I would love to know how this would perform about 15 feet off the ground on a mast because this might be just the thing I need to use in my limited space situation as a fixed setup
I wonder if you used a longer wire between the radiators - tossing it over a tree branch and making a cubic loop instead of a delta loop, if that would improve radiation on 80 and 40? 🤔
I'm really interested in this antenna, but I think I'll stay with my packtenna EFHW and arbelest line and beanbag. I also have a MFJ fiberglass portable mast I can throw up if need be. 73 de AI5DD
This antenna piques my interest. I will have to look into this one for my travels.
Another fine video. How do you think the TDL compares performance wise to the MPAS in vertical configuration? To put it another way, if I already have the MPAS, what do you think the use case for adding the TDL would be? Thank you.
That's a good question, the two things that pop in my mind is that the TDL offers directivity; you can swivel the antenna so it favors a particular direction. The 2nd is that the TDL is horizontally polarized versus the vertically polarized MPAS. This really helps if you are looking for NVIS capability on the lower bands.
Hey Michael it's pretty cool antenna I hope you're not too expensive for amateur operators
This antenna costs around $360.00 US. I had one and it is not worth the money!
Nice antenna, but still needing a tuner means more weight for hiking.
Never fold a telescopic pole from the top!
I need 160m
de AA4PC
Michael, can this be set up as a vertical with only one of the whips?
Yes you can. One of the deployment options listed in the documentation is to use a single whip in vertical position. You will need a counterpoise. If you don't want to invest in the Chameleon counterpoise kit, I'd recommend a 26 foot piece of wire with a contact ring on the end that you will attach to the spike.
Nice..........
Do they make a version shifted to accommodate 160m frequencies? Everyone leaves off top band, darn it!
Unless you raise the antenna tremendously above ground level - you’ll get WAY TOO much noise!
Will Yeasu 991a internal tuner be sufficient for this antenna or will an external tuner be required ?
It should be. The internal tuner has a 3:1 limit, but on most of the bands this antenna fell within that limit. If you find the rig having trouble getting a good match, I'd increase the ground network by adding more radials, or try elevating the antenna.
Great review, I've been eyeing this for a while to add to my MPAS 2.0 kit. Keep up the great reviews, thank you!! VE6GTX
Mike I have a cha mpas 2.0 kit it has a hybrid micro coil, would that couple good with this loop kit, or would the mini be a better match? Thanks for your videos.
The MPAS mini and micro coils are functionally the same. The only difference is their power handling capability. You can use the micro coil with the delta loop. You just need to stay within the power limits of the coil.
@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks Mike
I am looking for an antenna for POTA and I am crossed between this and a wolf river coil. Weight is not an overall concern for me. Which would you recommend for someone getting into POTA?
I'd lean towards the Wolf River Coil, especially if you want good 40m contacts. Both will work equally well on 20 meters and above, but when you get to 40 meters and below, the NVIS qualities of the TDL really start to hurt it. I talk more about that phenomenon in this video: ua-cam.com/video/T20u7JSAtOY/v-deo.html
@@KB9VBRAntennas thanks so much for your reply. Your videos are definitely helping me
Excellent review. I am afraid that the performance on 40 and 20 meters is not ideal. Those are my go to frequencies. I think a resonant 20 meters might be a better performer. You seemed to hedge your bets on everything except 17 meters and above. I do salute your review however. There are expensive antennas that I rely on others to use and review for me before I dump monies into only to discover that they don’t work very well, such as the Wolf River Coil. Even with a antenna analyzer I have yet to get it tuned!
20 meter performance is excellent and I was surprised how it works on 17m. But I agree with you, good 40 meter coverage is important. With a delta configuration you are going to need more wire in the air for that to happen. I don't think every antenna is perfect for every situation and the skill of ham radio is picking one that fits the best use case for your situation.
In order to get GOOD performance in 40M & 80M NVIS - BOTH stations MUST have an NVIS antenna installation otherwise, a RX and TX mismatch will occur between both stations. Also, if a G5RV is installed at 25' to 30' above ground, the results on 40M and 80M will GREATLY differ from an antenna installed a ground level. But in the field, it should not be a problem as wave blockers aka: cars, larges structure, buildings, etc.. aren't present to prevent the unit to radiate properly on those frequencies. The usage of the CHA TDL has been documented by the military on the PDF document we've on our website: CHAMELEON ANTENNAS IN THE ARMY HF LOW POWER COMPETITION (QRPX) 2021
Is it possible to mount this on rooftop permanently?
I suppose it would be, but it is really designed for portable use as it utilizes clips and extendable whips. I think you would see long term maintenance issues putting it on the roof permanently
Thanks, but I prefer wolf coil, end fed, or G5RV. Not interested, but good review
All great choices. I've used them all and like to choose the best tool for the job.
Wolf coil is probably like my SuperAntenna MP1, another great antenna but constantly having to go over and back to the antenna, disconnect reconnect analyser etc gets old. I get great DX from the MPAS 2.0 with CAP HAT. Use the EFHW then if I want better NVIS.
The other issue if you want to call it that is to use 80m on the Super Antenna MP1 I had to add the 80m Coil, all this messing around can be a real pain in the ass, having said that I did make one 1000 mile contact with this config and stock radials.
Would Radials help?
Great question. Chameleon doesn't say anything about radials in their instructions, but a good ground network will never hurt.
Michael, how would you compare this to the Wolf River Coils TIA that you reviewed? Thanks for the review. 73 KO4NLJ
You can't really compare the two!
Wolf river coil is similar to the Super Antenna MP1, good antenna but you have to retune it for each band change and to work 80m you need to add the 80m coil, it's fine if you just want to stay on 1 band but sometimes you need to retune for the same band, this can become a real pain in the ass especially on 80m where bandwidth is low might have to retune 2-3 times. The advantage of course is that you don't need a tuner but you pay for that big time in having to retune it all the time which is the main reason I got the MPAS 2.0 with CAP HAT and the extra radial kit. Made a huge difference and it's a pretty good antenna especially on 20m, 17 and most of the lower bands more so than 80 and 40 though I've still got to North America on 40m and worldwide on 20m Summer evenings UTC.
A vertical antenna such as wolf river, super antenna won't provide good NVIS which I think the TDL is better at.
Man I'm looking for an antenna that you can set up with will give you a good standing wave ratio anybody can design that antenna and use a tuner I could hook my wire to a grain spelt with a tuner I don't see where it's any good why it cost so much they need to do like buddipole you can adjust your SWR you don't need it a tuner
I think this antenna offer a different use case over a loaded dipole like the buddipole. First off, band hopping is quicker, there is no need to change taps or fiddle with the antenna to find the resonant point. Second, the radiation pattern is different, and one style of antenna may give you a preferable radiation angle over another. I'm not saying one is better than another, but it is good to understand the limitations and choose the right tool for the job.
Compared to the other POTA alternatives:
Monoband or tapped coil whip
-needs taps changed per band and a tuner for true flat standing wave, and emits rf nearly straight up.
VariCapped and Coupled loop
-will need a motor box, or tweaking varicap for moving every few khz, but has some directionality endfire, no ground radials needed.
This has the match for 5:1 match, and a tuner at the radio fine tunes it for less squatting, except to get up and pivot it like a rudder for loop directionality, which may change between higher and lower bands, but still is there, and radiates at lower angles to horizon, no ground radials needed.
How would you compare this to using a dipole with a mast? It seems very pricy.
This seems to be a fair review. It is pricey, and does not perform well on 80 and 60. Those are negatives for me.
"It is pricey, and does not perform well on 80 and 60." You should investigate a little more about it and not refer your judgment on a single person experience. This is good with everything! It's not because one person doesn't have great success at using it on 60M and 80M in his backyard that the antenna doesn't work on those bands. Hundreds of those units have been sold already (probably one thousand units at the point) since its introduction last year. Those antenna are designed to portable and used where natural and/or artificial support aren't present.
The 80m net is statewide/regional, so I would make an assumption that most of the stations should be running an antenna with some amount of NVIS ability. But I would agree that out in the open, the antenna may perform differently than inside my city lot. I'm sure if all stations were running the same style of antenna, performance would be totally different.
@@carllavoie3804In the UK these things retail at over £400 which to me is stupid for what you actually get. I bought a Spiderbeam 12m pole, drive-on mast support and a MAT-40 ATU which I deploy portable for less money.
I am intrigued with the design so bought most of the parts to make a version of this including parts for the balun for less than £70. Granted it’s a roll your own but I enjoy messing with portable antennae. I just need to fashion a ground spike.
355$ only??
BTW: this is how they're made: ua-cam.com/video/Xhuf5NB3FDU/v-deo.html
Hi Michael, how much power do you find is needed for SSB contacts on the 891 when doing POTA?
It probably depends on the antenna and band conditions
I typically run 50 watts with my FT-891. I find that power level to be a good compromise between signal strength and battery consumption.
I like Chameleon's stuff...I just wish they weren't so spendy. :(
Well I can tell you the MPAS 2.0 with CAP HAT us definitely worth it. I get great DX performance from Ireland to North/South America as far as Argentina and Australia and 100 w FT-891. I added the radial kit which rose 40 M SWR but improved performance.
I have it set up permanently and take it down only to work portable.
be wary of channels deleting comments. specially in videos of reviews they get for free. just saying.
I welcome critical comments unless they are defamatory, profane, uncivil, or spam. Those will get deleted. Just saying.
I have a real issue with these kinds of antennas. They do work, but not as well as an EFHF, Silver Bullet or a Buddistick for example. Which cost less and are resonate antennas. They can be tuned for a very low SWR with no antenna tuner needed. If fast band changes are all you care about, then maybe the Chameleon will be your choice. If making better and more contacts is your goal, than I'd think twice about buying this antenna. I know as far as I am concerned, if I were to buy this, at some point not too far down the road I'd be wondering what I'm leaving on the table and the antenna would end up in the corner. For the easy to moderate contacts, the Chameleon is great, but band conditions are not always easy and pile up's just add to the difficulty in making the contact. I want the best signal I can put out with the type of antenna I need for the event or area worked. I don't want to have to repeat my call sign 5 times to make the contact go in the books. All portable antennas are a compromise antenna, some more so than others. Some require more effort to tune. To me it's worth it. I'd advise the new ham to think carefully and do research. Those with experience already know the pluses and minuses of different types of antennas and what to expect.....What will get us the most readable contacts and distance. There seems to be a trend to repackage old ideas that didn't work so well into "Secret" cylinders filled with magic and charge 5 times what they are worth, which at best is dishonest. Buyer Beware ! Thanks for the review Michael. You make the best effort of all the reviewers to give the facts, not just a glowing report and some easily made contacts. If I listened to all the reviews out there, I'd have 25 antennas in the corner and would be going back to the reliable proven designs. Slick marketing never has made any antenna perform better. 73
Not for $355
I see these comments about price and I know everyone perceives value differently. What would you believe a fair price would be for an antenna like this?
@@KB9VBRAntennas Closer to $150. Unfortunately,I'm not in the manufacturing process, so I don't know how it was made.
Knowing a bit about how small businesses run, and watching enough episodes of Shark Tank to understand; I believe at $150 they would have to keep their manufacturing and overhead costs under $75 as that would allow for enough margin to satisfy the retailers like DX Engineering and HRO. I'm not sure it could be offered at that price point unless production was completely offshored.
@@mrhowell6842 how did you come to that price point?
@@MrTonyd1954 Experience mostly leading to an educated guess. Most of the tech that is in the antenna is most likely off the shelf and not new. Cost of fabrication varies and my guess is that most of the cost is in paying for the equipment. Last thing is understanding what the market will bear. $355 is quite a bit of money, yet $150 seems reasonable in light of what most hams might be willing to pay. Know your market.