CHA MPAS LITE
Page 3
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing and using the Chameleon Antenna
TM
High Frequency (HF) Modular Portable Antenna
System Lite (CHA MPAS LITE). The CHA MPAS LITE is designed to be the most versatile, high performance, and rugged
portable / man-packable HF antenna available using the
“LEGO
®
BLOCK”
approach, as described by Survival Tech
Nord. The MPAS is a concept that allows the radio operator to configure and deploy the antenna system in a variety
of configurations.
The MPAS LITE version offers basic MPAS capability at a lower price for those operators that don’t
need the full capability of the military-style MPAS 2.0. The Chameleon Antenna
TM
MPAS series is the most popular
modular portable HF antenna system in the world!
The core components of the antenna system, see plate (1), are: a CHA HYBRID-MICRO matching unit and antenna
base, 60 feet of antenna/counterpoise wire, a 17-foot telescoping stainless steel whip (CHA SS17), an in-ground
antenna mount (CHA SPIKE MOUNT), and a coaxial cable with an integrated Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
choke. Available high-performance options
(sold separately)
include a counterpoise (radial) kit (CHA COUNTERPOISE
KIT), a versatile clamp-on antenna mount (CHA JAW MOUNT), and a heavy-duty clamp-on antenna mount (CHA
UCM). The components of the CHA MPAS LITE provide a continuum of portability and performance to meet your
communications requirements.
Plate 1. CHA MPAS LITE Components.
The integral broadband impedance matching
network transformer of the CHA HYBRID MICRO
allows broadband antenna tuning. The antenna will
operate continuously from 1.8
–
54.0 MHz (including
160m
–
6m amateur bands) without any adjustment
with a wide range antenna tuner or coupler (when
using the telescoping whip, the performance is
limited below 3.5 MHz). The CHA MPAS LITE is perfect
for Government, Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGO), and Emergency Preparedness and Survival
Communication. It is also the antenna for hams that
enjoy camping, hiking, biking or other types of
outdoor recreation which require communication
gear to be both effective and highly portable. The
CHA MPAS LITE is configurable to facilitate Near-
Vertical Incident Sky wave (NVIS) communication and
is totally waterproof. The CHA MPAS LITE requires a
wide range antenna tuner or coupler on some bands
and f. Antennas built by Chameleon Antenna
TM
are
versatile, dependable, stealthy, and built to last.
Please read this operator’s manual so that you may
maximize the utility you obtain from your CHA MPAS
LITE.
HF Propagation
HF radio provides relatively inexpensive and reliable local, regional, national, and international voice and data
communication capability. It is especially suitable for undeveloped areas where normal telecommunications are not
available, too costly or scarce, or where the commercial telecommunications infrastructure has been damaged by a
natural disaster or military conflict.
Although HF radio is a reasonably reliable method of communication, HF radio waves propagate through a complex
and constantly changing environment and are affected by weather, terrain, latitude, time of day, season, and the
11-year solar cycle. A detailed explanation of the theory of HF radio wave propagation is beyond the scope of this
