High-performance products from the portable operating specialists at Chameleon Antenna have been a fixture in the DX Engineering Amateur Radio Products Catalog for years. Everything from the MPAS Portable HF Backpack Antenna Systems to EMCOMM Portable HF Antennas are prominently featured in the catalog’s Wire & Portable Antennas section.
The 2024 DX Engineering catalog—available next month—includes the addition of several new products from Chameleon, all currently available at DXEngineering.com. Here are a few:
Antenna Winders
These specially shaped plastic tools are ideal for winding up wire or rope, letting operators enjoy simplified wire antenna deployment and tear-down. With a few holes, a slot for setting each end, and a flexible elastic cord to secure the antenna, these winders are a “must have” for portable wire antennas. Available in packs of four in your choice of green, tan, orange, or yellow.
Counterpoise Kits
Ideal for portable antenna deployments during POTA, SOTA, and Field Day activations, these counterpoise wire kits work with many portable vertical antennas to create the required ground plane radials for improved transmitted and received signals. Each wire is terminated with a 3/8-inch ring terminal that attaches to the base of the Chameleon Hybrid MICRO, Hybrid MINI, Chameleon Jaw Mount, or other vertical antenna bases with 3/8-inch screw terminals for radials. Two kits work better than one. Spread radial wires out evenly, using as many as practical, for best results.
Kits contain:
- Four lengths of 25-foot tinned copper wire with KEVLAR PTFE (Teflon) jacket
- Four isolating O-rings
- Plastic wire winders (your choice of yellow, orange, green, or tan)
- Steel tent stakes
Lightweight 4010 End Fed Halfwave Slopers
Chameleon Antenna Lightweight 4010 End Fed Halfwave Slopers are four-band HF antennas for use on 40-10 meters without the need for a tuner (30, 17, and 12 meters is possible with the help of a tuner). Near-Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) communication is possible but dependent on the configuration of the antenna when installed.
Thanks to it minimalistic design and lightweight components, the CHA-LEFS-4010 (below) is a trail-worthy antenna ideal for backpackers, hikers, bikers, campers, and survival communication. The built-in line winder with its integral high-efficiency 49:1 impedance matching transformer and ultra-thin 20 AWG PTFE antenna wire enable extremely portable four-band operation without the extra bulk of an antenna tuner.
With the addition of user-supplied antenna wires that have been cut to length for the desired band of operation, two insulators and support rope, the CHA-LEFS-4010 antenna can be converted to a standard or inverted-V dipole antenna. The antenna is available in two configurations:
CHA-LEFS-4010: With 65 feet of 20 AWG tinned copper PTFE antenna wire and carrying pouch
CHA-LEFS4010-316: With 65 feet of 20 AWG tinned copper PTFE antenna wire, 25 feet of RG-316 coaxial cable with RFI choke, and carrying pouch
See all Chameleon Antenna products available at DXEngineering.com.
