Products & Product Reviews

New Product Spotlight: Chameleon CHA RXL Receive Loop Antenna and Upgraded F-Loop 3.0

DX Engineering carries a wide array of high-performance products manufactured by Chameleon Antenna for effective operating on the go or when space is limited at home, from the MPAS Portable HF Backpack System to its EMCOMM-III Portable HF Antennas, CHA-LEFS Lightweight End-Fed Sloper Antenna to the 40/20M Fan Dipole.

Here’s the great thing about the hams at Chameleon—they’re always at work thinking of news ways to make your amateur radio experience more convenient, handier in the event of an emergency, and more entertaining when you’re the station operating from a park, island, or summit.

Keeping You in the Loop

Today we’re featuring details on a recent addition to the Chameleon lineup, the CHA RXL Receive Loop Antenna, plus welcome news on an upgraded version of one of its signature products, the F-Loop Portable Antenna.

Whether permanently mounted outside on a mast or set up on a tripod for use on a balcony or by your RV, the CHA RXL Receive Loop Antenna’s highly directional and wideband design (low, medium, and high frequency) offers benefits for SDR radio and panadapter users, shortwave and AM broadcast band listeners, and just about any ham in the market for a small (36″ diameter), reliable receive-only antenna from one of amateur radio’s most innovative companies.

The CHA RXL covers all frequencies between 137.5 kHz and 30.0 MHz. Why not become a WSPR Reporting Station on the new 2200 and 630 meter bands and join the fun! The stealthy navy-gray antenna comes with tuning box, Bias-Tee, 12V power supply, bracket and hardware, and tabletop feet. Required 5o-ohm coax with BNC connectors not included.                          

CHA F-Loop 3.0 Portable HF Magnetic Loop Antenna

Portable operators know the value of traveling light. When packing for a trip up a mountain, if the item isn’t essential to the operation, it stays home. And every ounce and pound that you’ll be toting in the heat or cold makes a difference, especially in rocky terrain. With this in mind, the team at Chameleon introduced an updated design of its popular CHA F-LOOP 2.0 Loop Antenna, making it even smaller, lighter, and more compact. Manufactured and assembled from premium materials in the USA, the rugged 3.0 version combines portability, versatility, and cost into an antenna ideally suited for deployment in a variety of locations and situations: RV/camping sites; hotels; apartments; condominiums; HOAs; areas with deed restrictions and covenants, conditions, and restrictions; shortwave listening stations; and other places where it is not feasible to erect a multi-band wire or vertical antenna. 

This easily deployable HF magnetic loop antenna offers practical advantages over a short vertical whip, such as being independent of a ground plane and earth for achieving efficient operation. Further, the bottom of a vertically oriented loop does not need to be more than a loop diameter above ground, making it easy to install in a tight space. Operators can enjoy its high directionality, quick and easy setup, quiet receive, and effectiveness without need of a tuner.

Covering 80 to 10 meters with power handling of 25 watt SSB and 10 watt CW, the CHA F-Loop 3.0 BASIC model comes with a 34 inch LMR-400 coax cable radiators, a second coax loop extension, dual female connectors, proprietary solderless aluminum coupling loops, a three-section collapsible portable mast, 12 feet of RG-58 feedline with integrated RFI choke, user guide, and shoulder bag.

The CHA F-LOOP 3.0 is also available in TOTAL and PLUS versions. The PLUS model includes a super high-efficiency two-piece rigid aluminum radiator loop, while the TOTAL version comes with a larger 48 inch diameter booster flexible loop and coupling loop to improve performance from 4.0-23.1 MHz (40 through 15M).

For many more details on CHA F-LOOP Portable Antennas, visit DXEngineering.com.

Leave a Reply