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Chameleon Knowledge Base · The Complete Online HF Antenna Handbook

Chameleon Rybakov Antenna Handbook

Chameleon Antenna Field Knowledge System

One vertical. Five feed architectures. A complete field workshop.

Understand the Rybakov family, choose Chameleon components, control the RF return path, inspect band-by-band NEC behaviour and carry a documented plan into the field.

13 connected chapters26 engineering graphics80–6 m studyEvidence governed

Explore by objective

Choose your path

Open the chapter that answers your immediate question. Each route returns to the same controlled system model.

Start anywhere
01Understand the antennaLearn the complete system in five minutes, then continue into the full workshop.→ 02Choose a feed architectureCompare 4:1, 5:1, URT1 and radiator-matched 40 m coil paths without stacking networks.→ 03Select the RF return systemChoose wire, Counterpoise Kit, DIY, FSR or Stinger study options.→ 04Inspect every bandExplore modeled elevation patterns, takeoff angle and geometry-dependent behaviour.→ 05Plan a field missionBuild a guarded starting plan for POTA, SOTA, DX or emergency deployment.→ 06Compare antenna familiesUnderstand the trade against resonant, loaded, random-wire and EFHW systems.→ 07Deploy or troubleshootFollow a safe setup sequence and diagnose SWR, return-path and common-mode issues.→ 08Audit the evidenceSeparate NEC simulation, guide values, field references, measurements and inference.→

Complete-system thinking

The Rybakov in one diagram

Every column is part of the antenna. A good match cannot replace the radiator geometry or RF return path.

01 · RadiatorSS17 or SS25

Physical length and adjustment establish the current distribution and pattern. On the dedicated 40 m coil path, the radiator determines the coil.

02 · Feed strategy4:1, 5:1, URT1 or matched 40 m coil

SS17 pairs with CHA M-COIL; SS25 pairs with CHA M25-COIL. Choose one standard architecture and do not cascade matching networks.

03 · RF returnWire, kit, FSR or Stinger

The selected counterpoise or radial system completes the RF circuit.

04 · ControlChoke, coax, tuner and reference plane

Routing and measurement discipline keep the system repeatable and understandable.

Five mutually exclusive pathways

Choose the operating architecture

The matching device does not independently create the radiation pattern; configuration and geometry do.

CRY-01Classic 4:1

Closest to the commonly published historical arrangement; normally paired with a compatible tuner.

Inspect path →
CRY-02HYBRID-MINI 5:1

Rugged passive MPAS-derived path for portable broadband operation.

Inspect path →
CRY-03HYBRID-MICRO 5:1

Lower-burden passive option for portable and QRP priorities.

Inspect path →
CRY-04URT1 / URT1-MB

Automatic direct feed with the matching network placed at the antenna.

Inspect path →
CRY-05A / 05B40 m coil system

Direct-fed, radiator-specific path: SS17 + CHA M-COIL or SS25 + CHA M25-COIL.

Inspect path →

Evidence before claims

Open the engineering layers

Use these disclosures to see what each result can—and cannot—establish.

History and source control
Historical claims are ranked by provenance. Naming folklore and the reported 2003 publication remain attributed rather than asserted as settled fact. Open history →
NEC simulation
Calculated patterns describe declared models and assumptions. They are not field measurements and do not include every real feed-network or common-mode loss. Open the pattern lab →
Guide and field-reference values
MPAS Lite guide settings are manufacturer starting points. Bob's SWR curves are retained as third-party field-reference evidence, not controlled Chameleon specifications.
Measurements and inference
Controlled measurements require a stated reference plane, fixture, uncertainty and complete configuration. Engineering inference remains labelled separately from measurement.
Current validation boundaryThe historical architecture, Chameleon configuration family, first NEC pattern studies and realistic match profiles are established. Complete network-loss, common-mode, thermal, repeatability and field-strength measurements remain required before any configuration becomes an approved performance specification.

Revision: Published customer handbook, 7 August 2026. Engineering claims remain subject to the validation boundaries stated above.