Hy-Gain DIR-73 User manual

DIR-
73
K
Discoverer 73 Director
40-Meter Kit for DIS-72
Instruction Manual
308 Industrial Park Road
Starkville, MS 39759 USA
PH: 662-323-9538
FAX: [phone]

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
General Description ...............................….............................................................................1-1
Specifications …......................................................................................................................1
-
1
CHAPTER 2 - PRE-ASSEMBLY
OAO 21
Preparation for Assembly .....................................................................................................2-1
Discoverer 7-2 Disassembl
y
Information .............................................................................2-1
CHAPTER 3 - ASSEMBLY
Assembly of the Boom-to-Mast Brackets and Boom.........................................................`..3-1
Element-to-Boom Brackets.....................................................................................................3-1
Assembly of the Driven Element...........................................................................................3-3
Installation of Tubing Clamps ................................................................................................3-5
Assembly of the Reflector Element .......................................................................................3-7
Assembly of the Director Element.........................................................................................3-8
Driven Element, Reflector and Director Linear-Loading Wire Assembly.......................... 3-11
Beta Match Assembly.......................................................................................................... 3-14
Lightning Protection............................................................................................................ 3-15
Attachment of Feedline ...................................................................................................... 3-15
Boom Support Assembly...........…....................................................................................... 3-15
CHAPTER 4 - INSTALLATION
Installation............................................................................................................................ 4-17
Installation on a Crank-Up Tower........................................................................................ 4-17
Attaching the Antenna to the Mast ...................................................................................... 4-17
Other Types of Towers ........................................................................................................ 4-18
Operation ............................................................................................................................. 4-19
Maintenance....................................................................................................................... 4-19
VSWR Calculations .......................................……………………………………………...4-19
CHAPTER 5 - SERVICE
Service Information ............................................................................................................. 5-21
Attachment .......................................................................................................................... 5-22
Parts List.............................................................................................................................. 5-23
Convertin
g
En
g
lish Measurements to Metric..............…………………………………......5-25

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Fi
g
ure Pa
g
1 Assembl
y
of Boom Tubes to Castin
g
-to-Boom Bracket
and Boom-to-Bracket Clam
p
........................................................................... 3-2
2 Element-to-Boom Brackets .................................................................................. 3-3
3 Assembl
y
of the Driven Element.......................................................................... 3-4
4 Tubin
g
Clam
p
s...................................................................................................... 3-5
5 VSWR Charts ....................................................................................................... 3-6
6 Front-to-Back Ratios ............................................................................................ 3-6
7 Assembl
y
of the Reflector Element ..................................................................... 3-7
8 Assembl
y
of the Director Element........................................................................ 3-9
9 Overall View of Antenna .................................................................................... 3-10
10 Linear-Loadin
g
Wire Assembl
y
.......................................................................... 3-11
11 Attachment of Linear-Loadin
g
Wire Assembl
y
Near Insulator....................... 3-12
12 Identification of Linear-Loadin
g
Wires
(
LLW
)
................................................. 3-13
13 Beta Match Assembl
y
......................................................................................... 3-14
14 Boom Su
pp
ort Assembl
y
.................................................................................... 3-16
15 Attachin
g
Boom-to-Mast Bracket............................................................................ 4-18

CHAPTER 1 GENERAL
INFORMATION
General Descri
p
tion
The Hy-Gain Discoverer 7-3 Director Kit
contains all of the necessary parts and instructions
to convert the Hy-Gain Discover 7-2, 2 element,
40 meter beam into a Discoverer 7-3, 3 element,
40 meter beam.
The Discoverer 7-3 features stainless steel
hardware and clamps on all electrical and most
mechanical connections. It also features a dual
wire boom-support system which gives both
lateral and vertical su
pp
ort and stabilit
y
.
The Discoverer 7-3 incorporates the principles of
linear-loading which results in lower loss and
greater radiation efficiency than is possible with
loading coils when used in shortened elements.
The Discoverer 7-3 also features a low voltage
feedpoint that eliminates insulator failures and
assures full power capabilities.
WARNING
When installing your system take extreme care
to avoid any accidental contact with power lines
or overhead obstructions. Failure to exercise this
care could result in serious or fatal injury.

*Gain and front-to-back figures verified by
computer modeling using the MININEC-3
and NEC computer codes along with actual
measurements on Hy-Gain's antenna range.

CHAPTER 2 PRE-ASSEMBLY
INFORMATION
Pre
p
aration for Assembl
y
FOR OUR OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS: The
United States uses American units of
measurement. If you use the Metric System,
see "Converting American Measurements to
Metric" in Chapter 5.
Choose a large clear area to assembly your
antenna. The area must be at least 36' x 46'
(11 m x 14 m). If you assemble this antenna
over a grassy area, precautions should be
taken so that hardware is not accidentally lost
during assembly. A concrete driveway is an
excellent area for assembl
y
.
after assembly. Check the tightness of ALL
hardware after assembl
y
.
If you have already assembled the Discoverer
72, and are now adding the Discoverer 7-3
Director Kit, allow at least 2 hours for
assembly. If you are assembling the
Discoverer 7-3 from scratch, allow at least 5
hours for assembly.
Discoverer 7-2 Disassembly
Information
If you are assembling the Discoverer 7-3
from scratch, skip this section and proceed to
Cha
p
ter 3, "Assembl
y
".
TOOLS: The following tools are required for
eas
y
assembl
y
of the Discoverer 7-3. If you are adding the Discoverer 7-3 Director
Kit to a previously assembled Discoverer 7-2,
then follow these instructions.
The Discoverer 7-2 must be at ground or
rooftop level to work on it. DO NOT try to
modif
y
it while on
y
our tower.
The following parts may be disassembled and
discarded, as they will be replaced by new
parts in the Director Kit. (See Figure 14,
Boom Support Assembly, in the Discoverer 7-
2 Manual.)
NOTE: When unpacking your antenna, check
inside of all tubing for parts (smaller tubing,
etc.). To conserve space, these smaller articles
are sometimes put inside larger pieces. Check
all parts against the Parts List and illustrations
to make sure no parts are missing.
All tubing supplied with the Discoverer 7-3
telescopes together. Make all measurements
to the given dimensions, plus or minus (t), no
more than 1/8 inchi The assembly of this
antenna will be easier if you read this manual
completely through at least twice before
beginning assembly. Double and triple check
ALL dimensions
The turnbuckles (Item No. 57) will be used in
a later assembl
y,
do not discard them.
The chain links (Item No. 58) and mast
clamps (Item No. 60) and all hardware should
be saved for the Discoverer 7-3.

The casting-to-boom bracket and boom-to-
bracket clamp (Item Nos. 2 and 3 of Figure 1
in the Discoverer 7-2 manual) with their
hardware should be loosened and the two
5/16"-18 x 2 3/4" bolts (Item No. 25) removed
from this assembly. The center boom sections
(Item No. 51) can then be removed from the
casting-to-boom bracket and boom-to-bracket
clamp (Item Nos. 2 and 3).
The driven element-to-boom clamp should be
loosened so that the driven element can be
removed from the boom end. The element-to-
boom clamp and beta match assembly should
be disassembled and saved for later
reassembly. The length of the driven element
will be adjusted in a later step.
The reflector element-to-boom clamp should
be loosened so that the reflector element can
be moved to 12 inches from the boom end
(measured to the center of the element). Posi-
tion the reflector element and tighten all
hardware while ensuring the element will lie
in the same horizontal plan as before. The
reflector element length will be adjusted in a
later step.

CHAPTER 3
ASSEMBLY
Assembly of the Boom-to-Mast
Brackets and Boom
Refer to Figure 1 and begin as follows:
Select the casting-to-boom bracket and
boom-to-bracket clamp (Item Nos. 2 and 3)
and loosely assemble them on the three (3)
boom sections (Item Nos. 67 and 70) with
the hardware shown in Figure 1. To easily
accomplish this, slide the 13/4" O.D. boom
insert (Item No. 70) into one of the 2" x 81"
boom sections (Item No. 67) and line up the
holes. Assemble these two boom pieces
loosely to the clamp and bracket (Item Nos.
2 and 3) with a single 5/16"-18 x 2 3/4"
bolt, lockwasher and nut (Item Nos. 25, 27
& 26) to keep the hole alignment. Slide the
other 2" x 81" boom section (Item No. 67)
over the boom insert (Item No. 70) and into
the clamp and bracket assembly. Line up
the holes and install the remaining 5/16"-18
x 2 3/4" bolt, lockwasher and nut (Item
Nos. 25, 27 & 26). Tighten all hardware in
the clamp assembly at this time.
Element-to-Boom Brackets
To save time, loosely assemble ALL of the
element-to-boom brackets and their
appropriate hardware before beginning further
installation of the antenna. See Figure 2. The
different sized brackets can be identified by a
number stamped into the surface of each
bracket half. DO NOT tighten the bolts until
instructed to do so.
Slide the large driven element bracket over
the front boom end to the location shown in
Figure 3. You may wish to assemble this
bracket on the boom at this location. The
center of this bracket should be 115/8 inches
in front of the edge of the boom-to-mast
bracket assembly. The remaining two brackets
should be slid over each boom end and
positioned. The reflector bracket will be 12
inches from the rear boom end and the
director bracket will be 14 inches from the
front boom end. Do not tighten at this time.
Attach the four remaining 2" O.D. boom
sections (Item Nos. 50 and 51) from the
Discoverer 7-2, and secure with the
hardware shown in Figure 1. Tighten all
hardware securel
y
.
If the reflector had been preassembled, en-
sure that the reflector element will be paral-
lel to the ground when installed. If not, then
loosen the anchor screws on the element-to-
boom bracket and turn the element to its
proper position. Retighten the anchor
screws.

Figure 1 Assembly of Boom Tubes to Casting-to-
Boom Bracket and Boom-to-Bracket Clamp

NOTE: ASSEMBLY HARDWARE FOR THE
DRIVEN ELEMENT BRACKET IS THE
SAME AS USED ON THE REFLECTOR
BRACKET.
DRIVEN ELEMENT DETAIL DIRECTOR/REFLECTOR DETAIL
Figure 2 Element-to-
Boom Brackets
Assembl
y
of the Driven Element
Select the parts as listed in Figure 3 and as-
semble them as shown in Figure 3. Before
ti
g
htenin
g
the hardware, make sure that:
NOTE: If you are adding the Discoverer 7-3
Director Kit to a preassembled Discoverer 7-
2, then you only need to readjust the DE5
section, "A"dimension, to that shown in Table
1 and position the driven element on the
boom.
DE1(Item No. 10) is inserted completely
into the driven element insulator.
DE 1 (Item No. 10) is positioned with the
small holes u
p
and down.
Tighten the anchor bolts on the element-to-
boom bracket (Item No. 28) last. This will en-
sure that the element will not slip on the
boom.
DE1(Item No. 10) is positioned at 90
degrees from the boom-to-mast bracket to
that the element will be horizontal when
installed on the mast.

Installation of
Tubing Clamps
Select the proper size tube clamp as shown in
the chart. When installing the clamps, place
the clamp near the tube end with the top of
the clamp over the slot in the tube as shown
in Figure 4.
After adjustment of the tubing lengths, tighten
the clamp with a 5/16 inch nut driver, socket,
or open end wrench until the tubing will not
twist or telesco
p
e.
Tighten these clamps securely after setting
Item Number 7 and 49 to their proper length.
Figure 4
Tubing Clamps
The Discoverer 7-3 is supplied with
dimensions for 3 settings within the 40 meter
Amateur band. The three settings are entitled
CW, MID, and PHONE. The CW setting is
optimized for operation from 7.00 - 7.20
MHz. The MID setting is optimized for
operation from 7.05 - 7.25 MHz, and the
PHONE setting, 7.15 - 7.30 MHz.
The VSWR and Front-to-Back Ratio curves
are shown in Figures 5 and 6. From this
information, choose one of the three settings
to use.
Set the length of the DE5 section (A) to one
of the len
g
ths shown in Table 1.

Assembl
y
of the Reflector Element
Select the parts listed in Figure 7 and
assemble them as shown. Before tightening
the hardware
,
make sure that:
R1 (Item No. 10) is inserted completely into
the element-to-boom brackets.
R1 (Item No. 10) is positioned with the small
holes u
p
and down.
R1 (Item No. 10) is positioned so that the ele-
ment will be horizontal when installed on the
mast.
Figure 7 Assembly of the
Reflector Element

Tighten the anchor bolts (Item No. 28) last.
This will ensure that the element will not slip
on the boom.
Refer to Figure 4 for compression clamp iden-
tification and assembly information. Tighten
these clamps securely after setting Item Num-
bers 6 and 7 to their
p
ro
p
er len
g
th.
Assembl
y
of the Director Element
Select the parts listed in Figure 8 and
assemble then as shown, Before tightening
the hardware, make sure that:
D1 (Item No. 10) is inserted completely into
the element-to-boom brackets.
Set the length of the R5 section ("B") to one
of the lengths in Table 2. The reflector and
driven element must both be adjusted to the
same settin
g
for
p
ro
p
er o
p
eration.
NOTE: If you are adding the Discoverer 7-3
Director Kit to a preassembled Discoverer 7-
2, then you only need to readjust the R5
section, "B" dimension, to that shown in
Table 2, and position the reflector element on
the boom.
D1 (Item No. 10) is positioned with the small
holes u
p
and down.
D1 (Item No. 10) is positioned so that the ele-
ment will be horizontal when installed on the
mast.
Tighten the anchor bolts (Item No. 28) last.
This will ensure that the element will not slip
on the boom.
Refer to Figure 4 for compression clamp iden-
tification and assembly information. Tighten
these clamps securely after setting Item Num-
bers 6 and 7 to their
p
ro
p
er len
g
th.
Set the length of the D5 section ("C"
dimension) to one of the lengths in Table 3.
The reflector, director and driven element
must all be adjusted to the same setting for
proper operation.
*Measured from boom edge to element tip.
Table 3

Figure 8 Assembly of the
Director Element

Figure 9 Overall View
of Antenna

Driven Element, Reflector and Director
Linear-Loadin
g
Wire Assembl
y
Select the parts listed in Figure 10. Assemble
the linear-loading wire assembly as shown in
Figure 10 for each half of the driven element,
reflector and director.
Start assembling the LLW sections to the ele-
ment, beginning at the 40 meter insulators.
Position the tubing clamp (Item 42) as close as
possible to the 40 meter insulator as shown in
Detail A, Figure 11. Other clamp and wire
positions will depend upon the final assembly
of the linear loading wires.
Refer to Figures 11 and 12 for assistance in
identifying and assembling each assembly.
Ite Item
No.
8Description Tube, Element, DE3, R3 & D3,7/8" x 55" No. Description
9 Tube Element DE2 R2 & D2 1" x 51" 22 Lockwasher, internal, ' #6
11 "Hairpin", LLWI, 69" 29 Bolt, hex head, l/4"-20 x
12 "Hairpin", LLW2, 28" 32 Lockwasher, internal, 1/4"-20
13 "Hairpin", LLW3, 631/2" 34 Nut, hex, 1/4 -20
15 "Hairpin", LLW5, 631/2" 36 Bolt, hex head, #10-24 x 1/2
20 Bolt, round head, #6-32 x 2" 38 Nut, hex, #10-24
21 Nut, hex, #6-32 40 Lockwasher, internal, #10
47 Insulator, Rod Su
pp
ort
Figure 10 Linear-Loading
Wire Assembl
y
NOTE: If the Discoverer 7-2 was previously
assembled, you need only to assemble the
linear loading wires on the new director
element.

Figure 11 Attachment of Linear-Loading
Wire Assembly Near Insulator

Figure 12 Identification of Linear-Loading
Wires
(
LLW
)