SteppIR DB42 MonstIR PRO User manual

DB42 MonstIR PRO Installation Manual
SteppIR Antennas 2112 116th Ave NE #1-5, Bellevue, WA 98004 Tel: [phone] www.steppir.com
This assembly manual is intended to be
printed in full COLOR. If the manual is
printed in black and white, many im-
portant details could be lost.
REV 10.0
02/20/2013
Mikhail Mogutuv
DB42 4 stack

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Page 2
DB42 MonstIR PRO Specifications
Specifications DB42 Element Yagi
Boom length 42 ft 8 in / 13.0 m
Boom outside diameter 1.75 in—3 in / 4.45—7.6 cm
Longest element 49 ft / 14.9 m
Turning radius 29 ft / 8.8 m
Weight 238 lb / 108 kg
Wind load 19.9 sq ft / 1.85 sq m
Wind rating 100 mph
Adjustable elements 5
Power Rating 3000w Key Down / *1500w on 80m (option)
Feed points 2
Frequency coverage 6.8 MHz—54 MHz (*3.5MHz w/ 80m option)
Control cable 25 conductor shielded, 22AWG
Gain / Front to
rear
by band
Gain, dBi
Forward DIR
Front to rear,
db forward
Gain, dBi
Reverse DIR
Front to rear,
dB reverse
80M (option) 1.7 NA 1.7 NA
40M 8.0 25.5 8.0 23.2
30M 9.0 12.4 9.0 12.4
20M 10.1 22.0 10.0 23.2
17M 10.8 23.2 10.7 21.9
15M 11.0 25.7 10.6 20.0
12M 11.9 24.1 10.4 8.9
10M 12.2 20.0 10.5 11.7
6M 5.0 2.0 5.0 2.0
6M w/passive opt. 14.0 25.0 NA NA
DB42 with 6m passive option

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Page 3
DB42 TABLE OF CONTENTS (page 1 of 4) Page(s)
PREAMBLE 7—17
OK, NOW WHAT? Advice on what to do after you order your antenna
—by Jim Streible K4DLI
7—8
DB42 Bill of Materials (BOM) 9—14
A word about stainless steel galling 15
Preparing to build the DB42 Yagi 16
Element configuration drawing 17
CHAPTER ONE—BOOM ASSEMBLY 18—21
SECTION 1.0
Boom assembly overview 18
Boom bolt / EZ-Eyebolt drawings 19
SECTION 1.1
Measuring and marking the boom 20
Boom marking table 21
CHAPTER TWO—MOUNTING THE EHU’s ON THE BOOM 22—25
SECTION 2.0
Center-to-center spacing measurements 22
Section 2.1
Element housing unit (EHU) wiring overview 23
Wiring the EHU 24—25
CHAPTER THREE—DIRECTOR 1 EHU 36—38
SECTION 3.0
Director 1 EHU and return tube assembly drawing 26
Attach the element mounting plate to boom 27—28
SECTION 3.1
Element support tube (EST) mounting overview 29
Prepare the mounting plate for attaching the EST’s 30
SECTION 3.2
Attach the EST’s to the mounting plate 31
SECTION 3.3
Secure the Director 1 EHU to the mounting plate 32—33
SECTION 3.4
Install the CPVC inner-guide tubes 34—35
SECTION 3.5
Return tube assembly—Director 1 36 –38

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DB42 TABLE OF CONTENTS (page 2 of 4) Page(s)
CHAPTER FOUR—REFLECTOR EHU 39—41
SECTION 4.0
Reflector EHU and return tube overview 39
Secure mounting plate and EHU to boom—Reflector 40
SECTION 4.1
Return tube assembly—Reflector EHU 41
CHAPTER FIVE—DRIVEN ELEMENT 42—43
SECTION 5.0
Driven element assembly drawing 42
Mount the Driven element on the boom 43
CHAPTER SIX—DIRECTOR 2 44—45
SECTION 6.0
Director 2 EHU assembly drawing 44
Mount the Director 2 EHU on the boom 45
CHAPTER SEVEN—DIRECTOR 3 EHU 46—48
SECTION 7.0
Director 3 EHU and element return assembly drawing 46
Mount the Director 3 EHU on the boom 47
SECTION 7.1
Return tube assembly—Director 3 48
CHAPTER EIGHT—MAST PLATE AND DOUBLE TRUSS 49—57
SECTION 8.0
Mounting the mast plate to the boom 49—50
SECTION 8.1
Secure the mast plate to the boom 51
SECTION 8.2
Attach the truss mast 52
SECTION 8.3
Attach the truss mast plate to the truss mast 53
SECTION 8.4
Attach the truss boom to the truss mast plate 54
SECTION 8.5
Phillystran truss assembly 55—57

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DB42 TABLE OF CONTENTS (page 3 of 4) Page(s)
CHAPTER EIGHT (continued) - MAST PLATE AND DOUBLE TRUSS 58—60
SECTION 8.6
Double truss overview drawing 58
Phillystran double truss installation 59—60
CHAPTER NINE—OPTIONAL 6M PASSIVE ELEMENT KIT 61—62
SECTION 9.0
Mounting the 6m passive element kit 61
SECTION 9.1
Attacch the 6m passive elements to the boom 62
CHAPTER TEN—COAX SWITCH HOUSING 63—66
SECTION 10.0
Mounting the coax switch housing 63
SECTION 10.1
Coax switch wiring 64
SECTION 10.2
Sealing and securing the coax switch housing 65
SECTION 10.3
Attach the coax jumpers and feed line 66
CHAPTER ELEVEN—WIRING THE CONNECTOR JUNCTION BOX 67—75
SECTION 11.0
Mount the connector junction box onto the boom 67
SECTION 11.1
Wiring the connector junction box 68—70
Connect the cable from coax switch to the connector junction box 71
SECTION 11.2
Connect the control cable to the dSub splice 72—73
SECTION 11.3
Wiring Test 74—75

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DB42 TABLE OF CONTENTS (page 4 of 4) Page(s)
CHAPTER TWELVE—ELEMENT SUPPORT TUBE (EST) PREPARATION 77—82
SECTION 12.0
Prepare the telescoping poles for the 40/30 loop elements 77—78
SECTION 12.1
Attach the couplers to the sweep tubes 79—80
SECTION 12.2
Mount the fiberglass spreaders on the sweep couplers 81
SECTION 12.3
Attach foam plugs to the non-loop telescoping poles 82
CHAPTER THIRTEEN 83—85
SECTION 13.0
Prepare the CPVC inner-guide tube and diverter cone 83
SECTION 13.1
Attach the EST to the EHU 84—85
CHAPTER FOURTEEN—40.30 ELEMENT TRUSS KIT 86—89
SECTION 14.0
Installing the truss support mast 86
SECTION 14.1
Attach the truss couplers 87
SECTION 14.2
Routing the Dacron truss cord 88—89
CHAPTER FIFTEEN—SECURE CABLES & MOUNT DB42 ON TOWER MAST 90—92
SECTION 15.0
Secure the cables onto the boom 90
SECTION 15.1
Mount the DB42 onto the tower mast 91—92
Last steps—read before attaching antenna mast tower mast! 92
CHAPTER SIXTEEN—TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS 93—96
SECTION 16.0
Troubleshooting tips 93—94
Warranty Information 95
SteppIR Contact information 96

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Page 7
OK - - - NOW WHAT?
(Sage advice from Jim Streible, K4DLI—SteppIR Technical Support Guru)
PREAMBLE
You have ordered you SteppIR Antenna and are
waiting for delivery. What do you do in the meantime?
1. Go to the SteppIR web site at www.steppir.com and download the latest manual for your antenna,
and also the Operators Manual for the controller.
2. Read the manuals from cover-to-cover ---TWICE! Don’t just read them –Study them, so you are
familiar the terminology used about the antennas and have a good idea of how the antenna is as-
sembled and where the various parts go.
3. As you go through the manuals make notes of any instructions you may not clearly understand,
then call or email for clarifications. It is better to have it all sorted out before you start assembly.
We don’t mind answering your questions beforehand.
4. Now, wait for notification your antenna is being shipped.
Your antenna has arrived!
What is the first thing to do?
1. If the antennas is to arrive on Wednesday----DO NOT plan an antenna party for Saturday
2. Even if you plan to install the antenna weeks later, the first thing to do is to unpack the antenna
and do a complete inspection. Make sure nothing is missing or has been damaged in shipment.
3. Do a complete inventory of every part, nut and bolt. Yes it takes time, but it also allows you to noti-
fy SteppIR if anything is missing and allow time to get it to you before you start assembly of the
antenna. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing that something is missing, just hours be-
fore you want to install the antenna.
4. Go back to the SteppIR website and download the latest manual. SteppIR constantly is improving
and adding to the manual, so even though your paper instruction manual is going to have all the
data you need, it makes sense to check for the latest updates online. This is especially true If you
purchased the antenna and a period of time has passed between arrival and install dates.

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Page 8
OK - - - NOW WHAT? (continued)
(Sage advice from Jim Streible, K4DLI—SteppIR Technical Support Guru)
PREAMBLE
5. Take the controller and power supply out of their wrappings and connect them. The controller does
not have to be connected to the antenna in order to familiarize yourself with it. In fact, it is best to
get familiar with the controller when it is not connected to the antenna. Turn on the controller and
read through the Operators Manual again while operating the controller in all it modes. Go through
the menus so you know what each does and how to navigate through the various menus and func-
tions.
6. When you have finished working with the controller be sure the display indicates “Elements Home”
and the controller has been turned OFF. When the controller is connected to the antenna and the
controller is turned back on the next time, it will immediately tune to whatever position the con-
troller was left in last time you were using it, so you want to be sure that position is HOME.
7. Once the antenna is completely assembled and ready to mount on the antenna tower, use an an-
tenna analyzer, if you have one, to test resonance of the antenna.. If you don’t have an analyzer,
try to borrow one. It will save you a lot of time and worry. Check the antenna on each band for
some sign of resonance within the frequency range. Leave the antenna on the default frequency
and tune the analyzer to see where the dip occurs. It will be somewhere below the lower band
edge on each band with the antenna 3 or 4 feet above the ground on sawhorses. Also, don’t ex-
pect to see a 1:1 SWR here, just look for a good indication of resonance.
Once it has been determined this part of the antenna is working correctly do the following: Select
the lowest band and establish the dip condition by tuning the analyzer. Do not touch the analyzer
again. Retract the elements and then reselect the same band. The antenna should come back the
very near the same setting. Do this 2 or 3 times on each band. Also, try going from the band being
tested to any other band and back again and observe that the antenna comes back to the same
resonant point. Now you know the antenna is tuning correctly from band to band and is consistent.
8. When you are ready to use the antenna, be sure to “enable” the DB42 in the controller menu, or
your antenna will not work properly on 40m and 30m. If you purchased the 6m option, be sure to
enable that in the “options” menu of the controller. When done enabling, save and then turn the
controller off, and back on again.
9. Enjoy the antenna!
73
Jim Streible—K4DLI

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Page 9
PREAMBLE
DB42 BILL OF MATERIALS
CONTROLLER & VOLTAGE SUPPRESSOR
QTY PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION
1 71-0020 DB42 Instruction manual
1 71-0010 SDA 100 Instruction manual
1 NA SDA100 Controller; INCLUDES *Advanced Lightning Protection (ALP)
1 20-8033-01 Power Supply 33v 100 watt, external
1 21-6005-71 24 WIRE CONTROL CABLE_____________ FT
SDA100 OPTIONS:
1 01321 *Transceiver interface
1 01322 *Tuning relay
1 01324 **Remote driver board
Voltage Suppressor (lighting arrestor) OPTION
1 20-8052-51 16 pin voltage suppressor
1 20-8052-41 8 pin voltage suppressor
It is important that you do an inventory of the items that were shipped to you. Nothing is worse than
discovering a day before a planned installation that there are missing parts! We do our very best to en-
sure that you receive everything needed for construction of your antenna, but better to be safe than
sorry—inventory your parts well in advance of your installation. The items in blue represent options
available for the DB42 Yagi—you will need to check these items off only if you purchased them.
*Note: The following items will arrive pre-installed in your SDA100 Controller:
Advanced lightning protection (ALP) - STANDARD
Transceiver interface—OPTIONAL
Tuning relay—OPTIONAL
**If you order the remote driver board option, the ALP board will NOT be mounted inside the SDA 100
controller. In this situation, the ALP board is then part of the remote driver board.

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PREAMBLE
DB42 BILL OF MATERIALS
ELEMENT HOUSING UNIT (EHU)
QTY PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION
2 70-3422-01 REFLECTOR EHU, DIRECTOR 3 EHU
1 70-3412-01 DRIVEN ELEMENT EHU
1 70-3409-01 DIRECTOR 1 EHU
1 70-3408-01 DIRECTOR 2 EHU
16 60-1006-22 QUICK DISCONNECT BOOT w/SS HOSE CLAMPS
5 10-1502-12 NEOPRENE GASKET FOR EHU
1 10-1501-23 BOTTOM LID w/drain hole FOR DIRECTOR 1 EHU
MISCELLANEOUS
QTY PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION
1 20-6208-01 25 PIN DSUB SOLDER TYPE CONNECTOR
1 20-6209-01 25 PIN DSUB BACKSHELL
1 70-2038 CONNECTOR JUNCTION BOX W/ MTG PLATE
1 60-0117 ADHESIVE CABLE CLIP
1 70-3001-01 COAX SWITCH BOX W/ 3 SO-239 OUTPUTS
1 10-1619-01 COAX SWITCH BOX BRACKET
1 21-5001-01 65 FT 4 COND 22AWG CABLE (NEEDS TO BE CUT TO LENGTHS)
1 21-5013-01 40' 6 COND 22AWG CABLE (NEEDS TO BE CUT TO LENGTHS)
1 21-6301-80 8' COAX JUMPER CABLE (Used for D1)
1 21-6301-96 11' 6” COAX JUMPER CABLE (Used for DRV)
1 21-6301-98 15' COAX JUMPER CABLE (Used for D2)
1 10-1050-21 COUNTER WEIGHT, STEEL W/ POWDER COAT
4 70-1007-01 FOAM ELEMENT END PLUG ASSY
1 10-1028-21 ANTI-SEIZE STICK
1 72-0009-03 GLUE KIT, CPVC INNER GUIDE TUBE
1 09-0007 0.5” BLUE SILICON TAPE, POLE TIPS PREP
12 09-0013 GRIP TAPE, POLE TIPS PREP
3 09-0001 ELECTRICAL TAPE 66' X 3/4”
48 10-1059 CANUSA HEATSHRINK 1.5” x 3”
1 70-6010-01 25 PIN DSUB FIELD SPLICE ASSY
1 09-1025 STONE CHAMFERING TOOL, POLE TIP PREP
4' 09-1022 COAX Seal
1 10-1029-01 Connector protector packet
8 10-1510-01 Element Truss Clamp (halves)
3 72-0030-61 Sweep Hardware Kit
1 21-7002-01 95' OF 3/16” DACRON ROPE
1 21-8002 78 FEET OF 2100 PHILLYSTRAN