New favorite deployment
This has become my favorite deployment! It would already be the best just by how fast and easy it is to deploy. Dropping down the strips is so much faster than laying out wire after wire, and the cleanup is faster too with no more slow, long wrapping up. I can get out into the field, knock the spike into the ground and get started in just a couple minutes! And the setup is so easy, too. I recently hosted a ham radio demonstration at a convention where I used this to set up the antenna in a local park. Even though the attendees were inexperienced with radio, they had no trouble setting this up super quick. But where this really REALLY shines is the versatility it offers for operators like me who really value resonance. I hate using my tuner, so I always aim for that super-low SWR in my setups. While PERformer antennas are great, the radials have to be cut just the right size, meaning you're stuck using one band in the field. Not with this. Ground-mount radials are much more forgiving when it comes to switching bands, and no radial system I've ever used has been as forgiving as this! In it's standard X-style layout, using a CH25 whip, I have no problem getting < 1. 1 SWR on 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, and 20m all just by adjusting the whip, no need to touch the radials at all. What's more, when I add a coil, I get the same super low SWR on 30m and 40m. But where this really knocked me for a loop was 80m. In the standard X-pattern, SWR was around 1. 6, not really great. But then I adjusted so that the end grommets were at the center making for 2 very long strips in opposite directions, and suddenly my CH25 with a coil got me a staggering 1. 02 SWR on 80m!! There is no other radial system I've ever used even close to this kind of versatility. Set this up in the field, and you can bounce around the HF bands to your heart's content, and even try out 80m if you're inclined. Absolutely one of the best Chameleon products yet!!
