Setup & Tune Shark Ham Sticks on The Chameleon Spider and Quad Dipole Ham Radio Antenna

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Gigaparts has created a Chameleon & Shark Hamsticks bundle: www.gigaparts.com/nsearch/?lp=JOSH use code JOSH for an extra 10% off.

[@BradenPitts_]

In your video you said if we use the link and add the two items there's a discount, and then there's an additional discount for promo code "josh". Neither of these are working for me. Both items are the same listed price, and the cart says "The coupon code "josh" is not valid." This only premiered 5 hours ago... I'd like to think I'm not too late?

[@HR4NT]

@@BradenPitts_ Same here.

[@pauls9082]

Same here. 😩

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

@@BradenPitts_ Try all capital letters?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

@@HR4NT I'm messaging Gigaparts now to see what is going on.

[@jptucsonaz8503]

Another great video Josh - thanks! 😀 2 suggestions: 1) store these in a tube for protection when not in use. A 2 to 2-1/2" abs pipe works well with a threaded cap. This will protect them from your other stuff as you're bouncing down the road/trail, etc. Also - put tags on the bases & stingers to keep them together as a set! 2) when working portable, etc.; where you put them up & take them down often... fine tune them once - - then... put a piece of heat shrink at the final adjustment spot. Then you won't need to retune after that; just slide the stinger to the heat shrink & it is ready to go! 73

[@cchalfantusa]

Seeing you tuned in the technician portion of the 10M band reminded me of how much I’d love to see someone do a POTA on the small portion of 10M where technicians can use SSB. Giving technicians a taste of the fun of HF POTA while studying for our general.

[@k5rpb]

Yes! This is what my brother is doing and has been bitten by the bug. He is taking his General class exam tomorrow because of his experience on 10m POTA hunting. So, if you activate POTA, please consider throwing out some love to the Techs on 10m!

[@cchalfantusa]

I got my general last summer and now I try to start the few POTA activations I’ve done using 10M. Did a 10M exclusive last time. Fun!

[@kayaluke]

As far as leaving this system up. Mine is on a tripod, 30 ft of pole on a tripod on a 1 story garage roof for over one year. love it

[@Pelnied]

I was rocking some hamsticks on a tripod out the window in my yard this winter over some icy rain and snow days. Seemed to work great!

[@denniscornell2747]

I also go to Ace Hardware and buy stainless steel set screws to replace what come in the ham stick antennas. The ones that come with the antennas tend to strip out because they are made with a softer metal than the stainless ones I replace them with.

[@khook100]

Just bought this set up a few weeks ago (wish I had your discount code then) - have a telescoping fiberglass pole that goes up to 50'. Have only been able to deploy it once so far, but had great reports from all contacts, including Japan and Canada from CO. One recommendation - I would buy the shark quick connects, it makes setup much faster and easier that screwing all 8 in every time.

[@potaactivator]

I use hamsticks often on POTA activations. They are great for "drive-by" activations. I freely admit that I "cheat" a bit. I don't really want to get out of my car and adjust the stinger length. I tune each hamstick for center frequency and use my tuner to even out the SWR. They hamsticks work fine. Josh, as always, thank you for the great videos.

[@kennethherring2918]

After multiple searches on how to tune hamsticks, this is the first one that was very informative. While I generally use my Alpha Delta Fan Dipole with my portable station in doors, I was looking for a portable solution for Field Day and other events. As a result, I'll be starting out with 20 meters to experiment with. I really enjoy trying new things with Ham radio which I can pass along to others.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks for watching!!

[@JediOfTheRepublic]

Thought you some how converted your car into a helicopter at first. I was like "Dang, this dude is the king prepper"

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

When I lived in an apartment in 1994-1995 in New York I used a 40m hamstick and a TenTec Scout and 25 watts to work the World on CW. I would put the hamstick out on a steel Wood Clamp on my Deck with 4 radials connected to the steel wood clamp and ran the radials under a piece of cheap outdoor carpeting on my upper floor deck. I had a table set up near the sliding glass door inside. I used RG58 as coax. I drilled a hole the size of the coax THROUGH the sliding glass door frame away from the glass on the stationary door (corner) then soldered on a nice PL259 and ran the coax to the clamp. The coax connected to an SO-239 mirror clamp that attached to the steel on the wood clamp. It worked great. Propagation was great in ‘94 and I worked over 100 Countries and countless states all with real QSL cards. I still love Amateur Radio. Great Channel Great Video. It brought back memories !!! 😍. 73 KB2QQM

[@doesstuffoutside]

Thanks Josh. I just picked up the 80-40-20-10 pack of Sharks at HRO and a tri-mag mount for a quick and dirty POTA option. I prefer a wire antenna, because building antennas is fun. But with two little kids, a rapid deployment option might be my only way to get things done sometimes. I appreciate the help getting them tuned.

[@wecontrolthevideo]

You should be able to improve the bandwidth on 40 or 80 by getting two pair for the same band, 80 for example. Tune one pair lower in the band, and the other higher, the SWR curve would probably be like a "W" with a the match going up a little between the resonances of the two pair.

[@ericmattinen4728]

Note that when you set these up to make sure the metal whip part doesn't go into the area that have the tightly wound coil on the fiberglass part. I had to cut about 8 inches off the metal whip. If it goes into the coil it can have some seriously bad effects and can smoke the finals in short order. Eric W1ECM

[@forgetyourlife]

This is often not mentioned. It’s a big issue I bet with new users.

[@NorthCountryHam]

I have one of the Spider ASB, I won it from a chameleon giveaway last year, I really like it . worked very well at last years field day. I have 15, 17, 20, & 40M ham sticks right now

[@k2cjbradio]

I run 20 and 40m Shark ham sticks on my truck. They work great! I have had to repair the solder connection at the base of the 40m antenna though. But, for the price, they work fine.

[@kk7aagradio631]

I love my Shark Hamsticks. Right now, I have an MFJ TriMag mount on my Durango SUV, the coax goes under the garage door and straight into my 7300, so I am using a "mobile" antenna setup for base operations. The way is is setup now, these antennas have SWRs below 1.5 without using the internal tuner, with the tuner, they are 1.0 or 1.1. I got my general on Aug 30 2021. Since that time, tons of QSOs. I only use the radio for SSB comms. The only drawback to this setup is I have to go outside to change whips when I want to change bands. Spring Summer Fall, no problem, winter, not an impossible problem to deal with, but a pain. It does snow a lot here in Utah, our area is a ski resort, so take that for what it is. I purchased the Chameleon Antenna CHA QUAD ONE and I am going to mount that on my roof, circa 28 to 30 feet high. I plan to set that system up with 40 & 10 meter whips. I have a fan dipole that is 20, 17, and 12, setting both of those up will give me plenty of bands to work. Currently my 20 17 12 fan dipole is in the attic, but while it does allow me to get out with good distance, the receiving is horrific, I can barely copy most of the folks on the band. My attic is not a good spot because it really impairs the ability to receive. I live in an HOA. I think the headache is not the roof, but the stucco on the sides of the house, either way, bad reception elminates an attic dipole. I have a question for you, when you set up your QUAD, did you use a coax with a choke? I plan to continue using the LMR 400 I am currently using, just not sure if I am going to need a choke at the QUADs SO 239 connector or not. Currently the setup I have now does not have a choke on the coax. I have ferrites on my mics, headphones, and lines coming from the power supplies, but nothing on the coax cables. I am not sure when a choke on a coax is required.

[@joecuppko40uh29]

More knowledge to cram into my old head, thanks Josh.

[@X-OR_]

Putting the Spider Quad Dipole in the attic would make a great Stealth antenna for people living in HOA Developments.

[@david_W5QDF]

Been using the Shark & MFJ Hamsticks for years both mobile and on the peak of my roof at home with some radial wires. 📻

[@k5rpb]

Because of the high Q on 40 through 80 I use 20, 15, 10, and 6m hamsticks on my MFJ Octopus with great results. I reached Germany on 20m yesterday along with Puerto Rico and many POTA stations in the US. Quick work of setting up and getting on the air. I'm using a roof mount tripod mast holder with two 8' sections of top rail fence post for an overall height of 16 feet. I thought this height would have made it more of an NVIS config but the bands when I made my DX contacts. Next, I'm going to try my Octopus up at 50' height by using my push up pole.

[@Blue-Collar-Radio]

I've been considering running a dual hamstick for 20m at the qth. Great review Josh!

[@kylezeringue5673]

Wow, Josh, I just saw this video link. About 6 hours after I popped in to gigaparts and bought the spider and some ham sticks. oops ;) I needed something to use while some house remodeling is about to get going. Plan is to hoist these babies about 20 feet above a deck while waiting to run the new dipole. As always,, a well done video. 73

[@RichardHopkinsLobosSolos]

Check to see if they'll back time it for you. The worst that they can do is say no.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Very cool. Having some ham sticks on hand is always a good idea.

[@Screamingtut]

Hey Kyle, while watching the video a few weeks ago. I got on the phone with my friend Dallas at Gigaparts and ordered it. They were at my door in 2 days & I'm in Oregon now. I am going to get the 6M & 15 M ones too.

[@AI5HV]

I really like your video. I tried to use the link to go to Gigaparts however it doesn't appear that the Chameleon Spider or Quad is available. I also checked DX Engineering but to no avail. I even checked Chameleon Antennas website but cannot find the item anymore. Do you know if they are still making it and where I might be able to purchase ?

[@RhettSparrow]

Same here! MJF sells a quad still named 2100 something. About 130 bucks

[@AI5HV]

Thanks. I finally found that they had the MFJ 2104 in stock and ordered one.

[@RhettSparrow]

@ it says 75/40/20/15 but also says dual band 2m/440! Do we get a 15m antenna as well a dual-band? Or thats just an example. I am weighing if i shud get this or the shark antennas

[@alexiscapezza5643]

Good call, that's how I started HF mobile. Interesting question, for the high(er) Q sticks could you use multiples to broaden the bandwidth of the antenna as an array. Say 1 pair tuned to the higher end of 80m and the second pair tuned to a slightly lower portion ar would that cause issues??

[@greglawrencemusic]

Dude...this video rocks.

[@garyclark4930]

When I first became a General Class I was sent a Dipole Kit with 40 and 20 meter Ham Sticks. I made my first HF contact on 40 M from Oroville Ca to a station in Washington state. I have since made my own 2 band mount for Dipole antennas. I have used my Buddypole elements as well as Hustler Mobile Mast and Resonators to put together dipole antennas. The Hustler antennas are a bit on the heavy side so I use some paracord to add support. Gary KF6EWO

[@n7mky]

What tri-pod are you using? Looks very sturdy!

[@RelentlessHomesteading]

Great description. Had a few decades old Kenwood rig given to me, but not having the time for putting up large antennas that I would like here multiple acres on the side of a hill. Got my extra class a few years back but have not used it !! Seems there's never a good time. So the hamstick route seems cheap and quick and great way to get my off my keester and ON the HF Air !!! THankyou

[@AG7SM]

I wonder if you could take four pairs of 80m haystacks, tune them to different parts of the 80m band, and get full coverage of the 80m band with the spider? For me, getting something less than a complete compromise for 80m would be huge. My DXC gets me 40-10 easy, and tunes to 80, but it would be nice to have something that properly covers 80.

[@forgetyourlife]

I climbed 80 meter haystacks at a Halloween pumpkin patch maze once.

[@mjktrash]

Gigaparts doesn't seem to carry this anymore? EDIT: Hell, even Chameleon doesn't seem to have it. : (

[@hotforit]

I use a quad dipole setup from another manufacturer. Their stingers out of the box are very long and are meant to be trimmed when tuned. They mention that the stinger should not reach into the coil section of the mast or it can generate heat. Do the Shark brand stingers have that issue where the stinger could reach into the coil section unless it is trimmed?

[@roberttosa2560]

Great video, Josh. Thanks, as always. 73!

[@DK5ONV]

That's definitly my next antenna I want to give it a shot on my portable trips! Nice docmentary. 73's de Yopur Friend Uncle Guenter from the German Frontier

[@KREllis-vr1ix]

Hamsticks are fine alternatives when there's no option for bigger antennas. For the money, I'd rather get a fiberglass pole / tree / fishing pole and some wire for an EFHW. Cheaper, multi-band, and lower profile than this. One can easily be built for 40 bucks...no soldering needed.

[@southjersey10]

KR, do you have a source for building a no solder multi-band EFHW for 40-20-15-10 that is good being outside permanently? The HF kits EFHW costs about $70 from the ARRL; 12 meter spiderbeam fiberglass pole is around $120. Thx. Mark

[@KREllis-vr1ix]

@@southjersey10 LDG makes baluns and ununs that are 29.99 and rated to 100w. You can further weatherproof these if desired. Tons of plans online if you want to solder that are as cheap or cheaper. You can buy cheap fishing rods, hang wire from a tree, or use other alternatives to get the wire as high as the antenna referenced in the video. I like spiderbeam poles but they are not required unless you're wanting to get 30 feet or higher up. But my solutions aren't as marketable.

[@southjersey10]

@@KREllis-vr1ix Dear KR, this is why I love the amateur radio community. Building antennas is becoming a new passion and really appreciate the benefit of your experience. Time for me to expand my experience. 😀

[@stuartmccloud307]

1:20 You said first thing you gotta do is get far away from any metal. Here's me thinking you were going to set it up in the hills to test it. Proceeds to carry antenna 2 ft to the right. lol

[@MrHampilot]

Thanks Josh. The information was really helpful and I think Im going to go get me that spider deal.

[@MrHampilot]

Well, maybe not ...third time in 2 weeks I have tried ordering something from them and they seem to be out of stock on everything.

[@mikez484]

Can’t seem to find these chameleon quads anywhere. Did they quit making them?

[@barntt]

Interesting antenna! What happened? nobody sells the Chameleon Spider? Thanks

[@kayaluke]

I have watched many of your videos. Love them. I purchased the spider and shark sticks last year. Can you do a video on using a "rig expert" and show how to make all the numbers work? ((SWR, Z, and how to use the rest of the info provided. Thanks again. (also waiting for the last part of the stepper IR)

[@thewind-ne8rh]

Josh if i wanted to use a pair of them for like 4724Khz set frequency on receive will a 75 meter set of sticks stretch that far again for receive only

[@elkabong6429]

Nice video, Josh! Word to new hams: be sure to raise the ham sticks (or any similar antenna system) up in the air above eye level after you set them up, or someone will get their eye poked out! 😉

[@allocca2]

Have you tried using 4 hamsticks of the same frequency such as four 20 meter hamsticks for an omnidirectional antenna?

[@denniscornell2747]

Don't forget not to put to much of the stinger in the body of the antenna. As you insert the stinger to change the frequency, if you end up with more than say 2" or more you need to cut the stinger so you don't insert more than a couple inches into the body.

[@gary6212]

The spider and quad mount are impossible to find now - discontinued... :-(

[@cheech1557]

Josh buy invertedly throughout the cheat sheet for the antenna length for my 20 and 40m antenna s. Can you share a copy of the 20 & 40m measurements ofyours with me?

[@TheMrDrMs]

Couldn't use the bundle + your coupon. But thank you! however removing their bundled coupon and using josh results in a $13 larger discount, so anyone looking for these - use that.

[@americaswayout4489]

Are these the mini or the full size, whatever these sizes mean? The longer the better of course. I did call the Shark folks asking about a longer version to use nonmobile, with their multiband mounts so maybe the full size is something newer. don't know, but do know I am not likely to buy the shorter version, but of course, do not expect to go mobile so the longer the better? Does the stinger holder have 3/8 X24 threads like some ss whips sometimes come with? I have two other brands of these style whips but desire a lower Q version.

[@tomtrafalski2005]

So this was reviewed a year ago, it seems like this would be a great solution for Ground radial challenged locations. But seems Chameleon is out of them or not making them anymore Or not sure what the situation is... If it's a great antenna & sold out, I'd think they's make as many as they can. is this not a great antenna ? Josh any more info on this ?

[@jeffmay1024]

Hello. I really enjoy your KZbin videos. I just can’t find the quad mount for the ham sticks. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[@johnkemas7344]

Josh,, are there two types of Shark Hamstick dipoles?? A short version and a long version?? I though I read somewhere there are two variations of them.

[@n1kkri]

Did you notice as you tuned the antennas it altered the tuning you did on the other bands? Years ago I had something similar for a mobile setup that Hustler sold. It worked well but tuning did effect the other bands so it was a back and forth tuning to get everything the way I liked it.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

A little bit. The most evident would be 80 & 40 meters.

[@TheZolon]

Will your code and bundle still be around when the Chameleon is back in stock?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yes. I think so.

[@raymondwells5807]

Could one use say 2x20 meter stick sets and 2x40 meter stick sets and tune one set on each band for voice and the other set for CW? And serve just two bands ie 20/40.

[@AlpineWarren]

I would love to see that in an inverted V setup.

[@don_n5skt]

Nice review Josh. I surprised you did not show the SWR sweep feature on the 705 to sweep the band. The way I tune my hamsticks from MFJ is a bit different and after struggling with tuning the first couple I bought, my method is to do exactly what the instructions the MFJ sticks give. That is to push the stinger in about 4" and then begin tuning. It is usually pretty close for most bands. Beware the "short" versions of the ham sticks with shorter stingers. And, Ham Sticks work really well if you want to get up and running on 60m. I ran a ham stick dipole on 60 for about a year until I put up an EFHW that covers the band. The Ham Sticks worked very well. MFJ sells a relatively inexpensive ($36) dipole set that can get you a single band dipole very easily. And also, Ham Sticks on my van are my primary POTA antenna because they are so quick to get me on the air.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I wanted to use the swr meter like most people have on their radios versus use the screen.

[@bas6601]

That RUN SSB t-shirt is awesome.

[@timmanwell2538]

Josh. Great vid as always. You mentioned gettting them away from metal for tuning etc., but I see at the start of the vid they're *pretty close* to your vehicle. Question, ... what are your thoughts about trying to deploy a simple dipole arrangement mounted [somehow] to a triple mag mount on the roof of my Subaru? I already have the Subaru and triple mag mount... 🙂 73.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I do a lot of pre work before going live. So while I was close to a car, I already worked out where I wanted the antennas and I try and relay best practices when I can. As for the dipole on a car? Idk, I’d say just get a few ham sticks and swap them out to change bands. Easy. Is this for when you are driving?

[@timmanwell2538]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse nope not driving. Stationary ‘rapid pota’ deployment.

[@tglenn3121]

I wish this video had been done a few months ago. I have this spider and some hamsticks. Even with a comet antenna analyzer, I never could get these stupid hamsticks to tune. I finally just took the whole thing down last week. Oh, you might want to check the harmonic warnings for these hamsticks. As far as I know, Chameleon suggests to not use certain hamsticks for a specific band with other hamsticks of harmonics on another band.

[@midnightsunfilmspr2545]

I bought a 2dn hand octopus antenna but no papers of it. Do you have a copy of the stricker of the lengh to tune the antenna? thanks WP4QYN

[@denelson83]

Could the 40m hamsticks also work on 15m?

[@bookie60]

how would something like this compare to a end fed half wave wire? as in performance that is, not ease to set up or any of that.

[@Stewart0494]

Just saw that the Chameleon Spider was discontinued... Just like the Yaesu FT-857D... I guess I waited too long to get into HAM. LOL

[@MAV8865]

Josh - what was the performance like on the bands?

[@dannystephens7246]

I have a 40M ham stick dipole up about 45' on top of my house and it works good most of the time. Very narrow banded but it works for CW fine and has a little less noise than my EFHW. Biggest problem with the dipole is in the winter time when it gets ice and snow on it the SWR goes really high and it becomes unusable till it thaws out. And it was a P-I-T-A to initially tune.

[@greg5929]

lol - thought you mounted the ham stik on the nissan...that would be a neat vid.

[@norrinradd8952]

Hosh, my man. Great video but opportunity lost, no adidas track suit to go with that shirt? no fedora? lol I was wondering how well this system worked. Thanks for taking the time to show us BEFORE we buy! :)

[@kk7aagradio631]

Josh, LOVE the show, this is the perfect sertup for me. I am alreading using the Shark Hamsticks to transmit, but these are on my Durango, coax under the garage door and into my 7300. I purchased the CHA Quad after watching your show. I want to permanent mount two of these, one with 20 &17, and one with 40 & 10. My question is, since these are omnidirectional verticals, set up horizontally, what height should I put these at? Also, what type of mast would you use to keep it in place. I assume that these do not need too much height because the clamps allow for a 1.75 in diameter mast, I assume these are placed at a max of 15. Not sure if there is a solid mast available, but at that diameter anything past 12 is going to be questionable when it comes to surface area and wind tolerance.

[@williammarkyounger3189]

In HOA restricted area - plan to use ham stick in attic or in yard vertically with ground plan on 10,11and 12 Meters. In yard have to be below 6 ft ideally( below fence) .. not sure in yard to go vertically with one ham stick with ground radials or dipole( 4 ham sticks) - any ideas would be great - also will be using magnetic loop(Tunable) in attic ... any ideas for a HOA prisoner would be appreciated. KIA40X

[@azl5226ff]

Awesome, one question for the Tech classmen here, Can you tune 10 meters on the 20meter ham sticks? I want to get the quad with 20 m and 6 m Sticks.

[@MicroOutdoors]

If someone is running this complete setup, what is the width or diameter of the largest span? Would like to run this in my attic, but I can't seem to find any specs on assembled size. Thanks.

[@mewrongwayKOCXF]

Anybody happen to know how many feet or how many turns of wire on a 80 meter ham stick? Thanks

[@FrostyDog9186]

Guess I haven't beaten this dead horse enough... 3:31 minimum VSWR and resonance are NOT the same thing.

[@rafkend1422]

Hi Josh, you keep enticing my brain to venture into more and more projects, thanks. I just wonder if there is a way to use the the Chameleon with two sets of let's say 10 Meter band sticks, one pair to be horizontal dipole and the other vertical. I'm thinking the way to mount would be to use a horizontal piece of mast mounted on a vertical main mast. What do you think?---KJ7YSW

[@cledusneighbor2630]

where can i find this

[@RideFishCQ]

Hi. You reviewed the mfj octopus and now the chameleon. Can you comment on which you felt was built better, or is of a higher quality?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Chameleon. No question.

[@Screamingtut]

Hey Josh, do you think they will give the discount if I order the 2 band dipole version from chameleon & get a pair of Shark antennas for 15m & 6m?? Also, Josh, you should get them to allow to have different bands like 17m, 15m, 12m, & 6m too.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I’d give them a call on that one.

[@mediocreman2]

Doesn't seem to be on their site.

[@FrostyDog9186]

10:47 A NanoVNA is less than $50 and works just great for this.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Indeed. But ham sticks are so easy to tune just with the swr meter.

[@FrostyDog9186]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse yes they are! I know it's pedantic, but it comes up in conversations about antennas so often and in many cases, the difference matters--though maybe not in this one. :) Either way, great video, I think I'm about to drop a few hundred bucks on some HAM sticks and one of those octopus mounts. I need something that works better than my full wave wire loop or my mag loop, both of which are in the attic. I can get this one outside and up if I get a mast too. :)

[@garyreed2679]

How would they work vert instead of hor ? Thats how some companies use them for hf outback contact with workers?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

You would have one or two on a mag mount or lip mount, I have a video coming up that talks about this.

[@raymondmartin6737]

I like ham sticks, but rather the Diamond HF series. I just received a 20 meter one from Waters and Stanton in Plymouth UK 🇬🇧😀 but the postage delivery was relatively high to the US. The stinger to adjust for resonance only need to loosen and tighten There is a knurled nut between the stinger and lower loading coil. Also these hamstick type whip antennas are not too long, and the 20 meter one I have works well on the band. Ray W2CH

[@johnlew5972]

Any suggestions for use on a car? You moved yours away from yours to test. Single stick configuration.(does that work?)

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yes absolutely. That’s how most signal sticks are used.

[@johnlew5972]

Im trying to copy the military whip used on vehicles.Then tilt for NVIS from my car.

[@johnlew5972]

Compared to Wolf river coils and the like.

[@johnlew5972]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thank you!

[@pale_2111]

How does the Q on the spider dipole compare to a magnetic loop antenna? I got an AL-705 magnetic loop with the Enhancement Kit. The Q is extremely narrow on 75/80m compared to other bands. A bit of a pain to tune at times, depending on the band.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The q on the ham sticks will be better. But the loops can be adjusted easier via the tuning capacitor.

[@pale_2111]

Good to hear. My magnetic loop is easy to set up, but hard to tune. The EFHW is a bit harder to set up, but I can work 4 or 5 bands without a tuner and a low Q. Been thinking of an antenna to meet somewhere in the middle for camping, POTA/SOTA and backyard operations. I'll keep my eyes peeled. 73, W4ISB.

[@potaactivator]

Josh, what tripod and mast are you using in this video?

[@jrpefx]

Great stuff thank you, I use my Spider on a Swimming Pool Pole to get the elements up at 18 feet or so, and they work well, 73 de KM6LBW

[@paulaubuchon2336]

Great video...I have the MFJ versions and using as a single band dipole setup. The easiest and fastest running is my MFJ 259D..wasn't aware of the spider or the quad arrangement. Have HOA restrictions so have to be careful and kinda have to hide them..but overall they are quick and easy. Paul K1YOU

[@davemcmakin4852]

Any word on when anyone will get these back in stock?

[@TimRedman]

I've got the 8-way Chameleon, but only the pair of 40m sticks. This is a product that has possibilities, but I'm just trying to figure out how to make it work for me and the kinds of setups that I put together. Josh, any feedback on how well the lower mounting heights work? Those speaker tripods don't exactly reach high into the sky.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The higher the better as always. But aim for 1/4 wavelength above ground. Otherwise it will be a bit more NVIS.

[@Ezzell_]

How does the octopus not try to use all 8 sticks at the same time?

[@ljavtech1479]

How do these sticks handle constant wind movement over time if up 30’ in the air? Seems like a lot of movement just on the ground.

[@akademic2619]

Pity that Josh doe not talk up interaction between the different bands and how to tune each stick without de-tuning the others. The other missing feature is the right height above ground for each band. Generally hamsticks are convenient but very inefficient. Your 100W is really close to 30W due to coil heating. Add in a poor SWR and a long coax run and you are down to 10W output. I also don't know if there is an internal mixer toroid in the central spider which adds more issues.

[@k2icc]

I know there must be a way to just do one pair, for example the 80 meters one, then if what is needed such as counterpoises, coax length, height on pole, and how high, etc.

[@americaswayout4489]

Thinking about the idea of a longer version that has less Q meaning more bandwidth, taking a 20-meter version adding in a new section between the bottom and the section that has the coil-less Q might result if used on 40 meters. I don't do portable and realize a quick and easy solution for folks that don't or can't operate at home is where most are now using a great deal of the hobby, low power portable and they are happy. Being a set in my ways old guy that believes in resonant antennas with as little in shack tuner use is preferred and always wonder when someone says will tune this band or that band what they mean? I can with my old boat anchor tuners tune most anything most anywhere but know more of what goes out of the transmitter becomes a signal when it matches the antenna, I don't go with the idea an antenna tuner just makes a radio happy because the coax to the end of the antenna is the antenna, but heating up your tuner doesn't go as far as not having SWR in the coax?! The idea of a longer version has been on my mind ever since I saw the first homemade device to mount several of these HAM Stick-style antennas. Ham Stick was a brand name from a company that first introduced a version and like Coke, every soft drink was a coke for a while !! I guess what I need is a ridged FAN dipole?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yes, sounds like you need a fan dipole. 🤣

[@Yaegermeister163]

New Ham question here. How does the orientation of the ham sticks affect the strength of the band you are operating on? For example if the 20m sticks were facing North/South. 73!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The pattern of a dipole radiates on the roadsides. So you might get more west and East signals. Etc.

[@Yaegermeister163]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Great Thank you! I started working on tuning the 80m, 40m, and 20m sticks that I have. I have seen others discussing the longer the wire gets inside the stick that it will cause issues tuning. At what point should I consider trimming down the wire that is inside?

[@robb77536]

No part of this antenna system is in stock at Gigaparts and no backorders are being accepted.

[@JayN4GO]

Tnx josh

[@503Nick]

That looks awesome

[@Angel101nyc]

Hi is there a way to get a list of the stinger length for 10,20,40,80. I don’t have shark ham sticks I have Mfj

[@j.p.moriarty1941]

I’ve looked online everywhere and cannot find the lengths. The sticker that comes with the lengths don’t work.

[@ImHungryMK]

when this video started, I really thought this was mounted on your car... lol

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Oh lawd.

[@kennethherring2918]

This is my second time posting a question, so please bear with me. Recently I decided to experiment with a hamstick dipole, but given my inexperience with this type of dipole verses a standard wire dipole, I was wondering what was the final height you raised it to after tuning?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I put it up as high as I could get it. The higher the better.

[@paulshaffer9674]

I have just the 80 dipole up and it will load on all but 30 and 40 meters with my YAESU 450D. I was hoping for it to load on 160 meters. But no such luck. KG7IRJ Ohio

[@royceweslowski3730]

Good video thanks.