Chameleon MPAS Lite
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| Frequency | 1.8-54 MHz (160-6 m) with a wide-range tuner; no-tuner operation on 20-6 m by adjusting the whip and using a 25 ft counterpoise |
| Bands | 160m, 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m |
| Power | With the standard CHA Hybrid-Micro feedpoint (a 5:1 UNUN): 100 W SSB phone, 25 W CW, 25 W high-duty-cycle digital. The optional Hybrid-Mini feedpoint raises this to 500 W SSB, 100 W CW, 50 W digital. (Some dealer listings quote 50 W CW for the Micro; the manufacturer's current figure is 25 W CW.) |
| Modes | modular portable HF/6 m antenna system (broadband UNUN feedpoint + whip or wire, many deployment shapes) |
| feedpoint | CHA Hybrid-Micro 5:1 broadband UNUN with an SO-239 (a BNC option is offered); a 3/8-24 stud accepts the whip on top |
| system | Includes a 17 ft collapsible stainless 'SS17' whip, a 60 ft tinned-copper Kevlar/PTFE radiator/counterpoise wire, a ground spike, a 50 ft coax with built-in RFI choke, a wire winder and stainless hardware |
| power req | Passive antenna; no power. A wide-range antenna tuner is needed for full 160-6 m coverage; on 20-6 m it can be set up for no-tuner use with the supplied 25 ft counterpoise. |
Remarkable flexibility from one light kit: the broadband feedpoint plus whip and wire can be thrown up as a vertical, sloper, inverted-L, NVIS or man-pack antenna, covering 160-6 m with a tuner and even tuner-free on the higher bands. It packs small, includes everything needed (whip, wire, spike, choked coax, winder), is built from rugged stainless and Kevlar/PTFE materials, and slots into Chameleon's wider modular system.
It relies on a wide-range tuner for full coverage, and like any short portable antenna it is a compromise - especially on the low bands, where a 17 ft whip is electrically tiny and a good counterpoise/ground matters a lot. Standard power is modest (100 W SSB, just 25 W CW/digital) unless you buy the Hybrid-Mini feedpoint, and getting the best results takes some practice with deployment and counterpoise placement.
The Chameleon MPAS Lite is a light, do-everything modular portable antenna: one broadband feedpoint, a whip and a wire that deploy as a vertical, sloper, inverted-L, NVIS or man-pack antenna across 160-6 m with a tuner. It belongs in a SOTA/POTA, travel or emergency kit for operators who value versatility and packability over maximum efficiency; those needing more power can step up to the Hybrid-Mini feedpoint or the full-size MPAS 2.0.
The Chameleon MPAS Lite is a lightweight 'modular portable antenna system' - a kit of parts that an operator can configure into many different antennas depending on the site, the band and the mission. It is the smaller, lighter sibling of Chameleon's popular MPAS 2.0. At the center is the CHA Hybrid-Micro feedpoint, a rugged broadband 5:1 transformer (UNUN) with an SO-239 connector and a 3/8-24 stud on top. Add the supplied 17-foot collapsible stainless whip, a 60-foot Kevlar/PTFE wire, a ground spike and 50 feet of coax with a built-in RFI choke, and you can build a vertical, sloper, inverted-V, inverted-L, NVIS, balcony, stationary-vehicle or man-pack antenna from the same small bag.
With a wide-range antenna tuner it covers 160 through 6 meters continuously. On 20 through 6 meters you can skip the tuner entirely: extend the whip to suit the band (17 feet for 20-17 m, about 12 feet for 15-10 m) and lay out the 25-foot counterpoise, and SWR averages around 1.5:1. For everything down to 160 meters a tuner is needed because the radiator is electrically short there.
Power handling depends on the feedpoint. The standard Hybrid-Micro is rated 100 watts SSB (25 watts CW or high-duty-cycle digital); buyers who want more can choose the Hybrid-Mini version, rated 500 watts SSB. The whole thing packs small and light, which is the point - it is aimed at SOTA and POTA activators, travelers and emergency operators who value versatility and packability over the raw efficiency of a full-size antenna. It sells for around $385.
It is the take-along companion to the full-size Chameleon MPAS 2.0, and competes with other compact field systems such as the Wolf River Coils Silver Bullet 1000.