Chameleon Ecopmm-II and Indoor use in an apartment

[W8JJB]

Greetings all,

I am using a Chameleon Ecomm-II end fed multiband antenna in my apartment due to extensive restrictions. I have the antenna running around the bedroom ceiling of my second floor apartment. It is a big compromise, but gets me on the air.

The length of the antenna is a bit too long to avoid overlapping itself around the ceiling. To address this, I am running the antenna into an "L" shape to include the ceiling of the entryway of the bedroom. I know this layout is less than idea.

Any other thoughts on how to improve my setup? Should I be angling the antenna slightly downward before the overlap along the four walls, creating a gap of 6" or so before crossing the beginning of the antenna? Is there a better way to lay out this antenna?

I'm a new ham and appreciate the experience and expertise.

73,

Jorddan W8JJB

 

[prcguy]

That's a tough one for sure. A wire antenna in an attic with wood shingles and no metal in the walls or roof can actually work ok, but your situation usually produces a grim outcome. Besides bending up the antenna where it can cancel some radiation, you have wiring in the ceilings and walls running all around the antenna that will cause all kinds of problems. Does your building have stucco or any metal lath or foil covered insulation in the walls?

Your particular antenna is also known for very mediocre performance at best. Put it outdoors side by side to a 63ft long half wave resonant end fed and on 40m you will see about one "S" unit of improvement by going to the resonant EFHW. An inherently low performing antenna folded up inside a building with wiring makes for a very frustrating ham radio experience.

Is there any common area you have access to outside? Some people are getting very good results from antennas like a mobile screwdriver attached to a balcony railing with some ground screen. Anything you can do to get the antenna outside will make huge improvements.

Greetings all,

I am using a Chameleon Ecomm-II end fed multiband antenna in my apartment due to extensive restrictions. I have the antenna running around the bedroom ceiling of my second floor apartment. It is a big compromise, but gets me on the air.

The length of the antenna is a bit too long to avoid overlapping itself around the ceiling. To address this, I am running the antenna into an "L" shape to include the ceiling of the entryway of the bedroom. I know this layout is less than idea.

Any other thoughts on how to improve my setup? Should I be angling the antenna slightly downward before the overlap along the four walls, creating a gap of 6" or so before crossing the beginning of the antenna? Is there a better way to lay out this antenna?

I'm a new ham and appreciate the experience and expertise.

73,

Jorddan W8JJB

 

[nanZor]

Wow, that's a tough install for sure! But congrats on not giving up!

One thing is for sure - although they say the antenna does not need any radials, that is only because there is a *hidden* radial / counterpoise built into the system - the shield of your coax!

At the very least I'd do two things - use an inline choke just before the rig (MFJ 915 for example - many others chokes are available...) and also run some sort of radial wire around your baseboards, usually a quarter wave for the bands you operate on. Some have used computer ribbon wire for this purpose to get a multiband radial system going. I believe that transformer has a ground lug for that purpose. Or, if it is so close to the radio with a small jumper, you could use the radio chassis ground for that if it was more convenient.

I've been there - a veritable rat's nest of wires indoors. Just keep your expectations in line and strive for safety. Still, the radials should provide some sort of improvement. If you are running more than qrp, be sure to space the ends of the wires (both antenna and radials) a few inches away from the walls just in case things get "hot" with rf voltage.