don't forget, this is just one guys opinion.  So take it with a large pinch 
of salt or what ever you use to balance subjective opinions hi hi.
You may get better results than I did, or those who I know who have tried 
the Chameleon.
But one of my friends did install his on an apartment roof top, and has had 
no success with it either being able to tune it on any band, or being able 
to make any contacts on it either locally, or dx.
We tried it with the balun, without the balun, with balun and counterpoise 
wire, and without balun with counterpoise wire...pretty much the same result 
everytime.
I think we did manage to tune the antenna on 20M using the balun and the 
counterpoise wire, but again, no contacts were made, though we did try hard.
Like tom says, if it's free, take it.  Maybe try it out yourself in a 
controlled environment and see what you think.
It can't hurt right.
If nothing else, it makes a pretty impressive looking mobile antenna lol.

73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Dane" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: CHAMELEON antenna:


> Colin:
>
> Thank you very much for the review, and sharing your first hand experience
> with the Chameleon.  This is what I was looking for when I threw it out to
> the "Blind Hams Think-Tank" where great minds reside! ;)
> We have wire, as well as verticals at several sites and a great array of
> working antennas on the mobile unit.
> The Chameleon, if it was installed, would have gone on the roof top of an
> office building to be used as a backup, not a primary antenna system.
> Saves me the hassle of sending one of my sighted team members up there to
> install a "dummy load" on the rooftop. Lol
> Thanks again,
> 73,
>
>
> Michael Dane:
> W7ALx:
> Director of Emergency Communications:
> {City of} Depoe Bay:
> Mobile Emergency Operations.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of colin McDonald
> Sent: Monday, August 06, 2012 7:48 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: CHAMELEON antenna:
>
> I've used the camelion.
> I've done side by side tests between a camelion, a hussler hamstick, and 
> an
> MFJ hamtenna, which is basically a hamstick slightly altered.
> In every test, on 40M, 20M and 15 and 10M, the camelion was an average of 
> 2
> to 3 S units (about 6 to 9 DB) deafer on receive, and seemed about the
> same, on average, on transmit.
> A hamstick or hamtenna is about 1, perhaps 2 S units less than a typical
> wire antenna like a G5RV or mono band dipole...at least in my experience.
> So, a camelion would probably be around 3 to 4 S units, or 9 to 12 DB,
> perhaps more on the lower bands, worse on both receive and transmit than a
> regular wire antenna...and at least 2 S units or 6 DB worse than a regular
> hamstick type antenna.
> It's pretty much useless on 80M and is a terrible antenna, not even as 
> good
> as a quarter wave, on VHF and UHF.
> The local ham store here was convincing everyone to buy one for a
> while...but at $300 it's a complete rip off, and the antenna doesn't work
> worth crap with, or without the 9 to 1 balun they supply, or the counter
> poise wire.
> No Configuration at all seems to make that antenna work...yes, it'll tune,
> but so will a dummy load....
> A friend who is a new ham, got conned into buying a camelion when he first
> got his license.
> And he figured it was great because it did all bands etc...what he didn't
> realize is that it's a truly awful antenna....even if it was a 50 dollar
> antenna, it would still be awful...but it's very high priced.
> Your far better off with a collection of ham sticks, or a multi-band wire
> or even a nice ground mounted HF vertical.
> I did give the chameleon a fair chance in the test, but over an entire
> weekend of tests with many different stations, I found what I mentioned
> above.
> It's not even a decent CB antenna, and that's saying something.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Dane" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2012 9:16 AM
> Subject: CHAMELEON antenna:
>
>
>> Good morning everyone,
>> I'm wondering if anyone here on the list has used or any information on
>> the
>> Chameleon v11 antenna?
>> From what I've been told, it is a HF/VHF/UHF vertical. Any info on this
>> product would be much appreciated.
>> Thanks, 73:
>>
>>
>> Michael Dane:
>> W7ALX:
>> Director Of Emergency Communications:
>> {City of} Depoe Bay:
>> Mobile Emergency Operations.