INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Model EXP-14

Broadband Tribander 10, 15,

20 Meter

308 Industrial Park

Starkville, MS 39759 USA

Ph: (662)

323-9538 FAX: (662) 323-6351

Page CHAPTER

1..............................…………..….............................................................................................................1-1

General Description..............…..................................................................................... ................ ........1-1

Driven Element Description….…………………………………………………………………..1-1

Specifications .....................................................................................….................:................................1-2

CHAPTER 2......:...........:............................................:..............................................................................2-1

Preparation for Assembly ...................................................................…...............................................2-1

Option QK-710.......................................................................................….............................................2-1

Assembly of the Boom-to-Mast Brackets and Boom..................…......…...........................................2-2

Element-to-Boom Brackets.........................................................…...........….........................................2-2

Installation of Tubing Clamps ..................-..................-..-...........................…......................................2-4

Element Assembly ....................................................................--.-..................…....................................2-5

10-15-20 Meter Director Element.............................................…....................….................................2-6

Front Sleeve Element...............................................................….........................…...............................2-7

Center Driven Element..........................................................…................:............….............................2-8

Rear Sleeve Element........................................................…......................................…...........................2-7

10-Meter Reflector Element...............................................….....................................…........................2-9

15-20 Meter Reflector Element......................................................................................……............... 2-10

Element Alignment.........................................................--.............-......................................…............. 2-10

Final Assembly Para-Sleeve Driven Element System ............................................................……..... 2-13

Beta Match Assembly........................................................................................................................ 2-13

Para-Sleeve Spacer Assembly .......................................................................................................... 2-13

Final Assembly Rope Dampening................................................................................................... 2-15

Final Assembly Checklist.................................................................................................................. 2-15

CHAPTER 3..................................................--..........................................................................................3-1

Installation..............................................................................................................................................3-1

Installation on a Crank-Up Tower......................................................................................................3-1

Attaching the Antenna to the Mast ....................................................................................................3-1

Other Types of Towers.........................................................................................................................3-1

Lightning Protection.............................................................................................................................3-1

Attachment of Feedline .......................................................................................................................3-2

VSWR Curves........................................................................................................................................3-2

CHAPTER

4.............................……................................................................................................................4-1

Operation………..........................................................................................................................4-1

Maintenance .............................……............................................................................................4-1

CHAPTER 5............................…………................ ..................... ................. .....-5-1

Troubleshooting ..............................................................................................................5-1

CHAPTER 6........................................................................................................................................6-1

Service Information ........ ..........................-..-...--.............................................................................6-1

Parts List.............………….................................................................................................................6-1

Converting American Measurements to Metric...............................................................................6-3

-i-

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure

7

8

5

6

3

4

1

2 e

Overall View .....................................................................................................................1-1

Boom-to-Mast Bracket....................................................................................................2-2

Assembly of Boom ...........................................................................................................2-3

Element-to-Boom Brackets ............................................................................................2-3

Tubing Clamps ..................................................................................................................2-4

10-15-20 Meter Director Element.................................................................................2-6

Front Sleeve Element......................................................................................................2-7

9

Rear Sleeve Element .......................................................................................................2-7

Center Driven Element ...................................................................................................2-8

10 10 Meter Reflector Element ..........................................................................................2-9

11 15-20 Meter Reflector Element................................................................................~ 2-10

12 Element Assembly and Antenna Dimensions .......................................................... 2-11

13 Para-Sleeve Driven Element Connections............................................................... 2-12

Detail A

Detail B

14

Beta Support Clamps and Insulator Assembly ............................................ 2-12

Beta Shorting Clamp Assembly ....................................................................... 2-12

Para-Sleeve Spacer Detail..................................................................

Pag

2-14

Detail A 5/8" Clamp on Open-Sleeve Spacer Insulator................................................... 2-14

Detail B 11/4" Clamp on Open-Sleeve Spacer Insulator............................................. 2-14

15 Rope Dampening .......................................................................................................... 2-15

16

2 Attachment

VSWR Charts ...................................................................................................................3-

1 VSWR Record..............................................................................................................6-4

Insert Element Assembly and Antenna Dimensions

CHAPTER 1

General Description

The Hy-Gain Explorer 14 is a very unique 4-element, three band beam antenna designed for broadband, high performance, high efficiency operation on the Amateur 10, 15, and 20 meter bands. The boom length of 14 feet 11/2 inches

(4.17 m) and a longest element of 31 feet 6 inches

(9.6 m) combine for a modest 17 foot 3 inch turning radius, small enough for most city lots.

Broadbanding is accomplished through the use of a monoband reflector on 10 meters, a duoband reflector on 15 and 20 meters and a very unique driven element system called the Para-Sleeve

Stainless steel hardware and clamps are used on all electrical and mechanical connections. Hy-

Gain's 50 ohm BN-86 balun and new Beta Multi-

Match are supplied. Add-on kits for a 30 or 40 meter driven element are available as option QK-

710. The antenna is designed to fit masts from 2" to 2 1/2" in diameter and can be rotated with Hy-

Gain's CD-4511 or Ham IV rotators.

Driven Element

The Explorer 14 utilizes a new concept in driven element design, called the Para-Sleeve System

(Patent No. 4,604,628). Basically, the design consists of on *open-sleeve dipole that has been optimized for maximum bandwidth and directivity within a Yagi-Uda configuration of parasitic elements. The open-sleeve dipole has evolved from the coaxial sleeve dipole; however, it is much easier to tune and exhibits less wind loading. The

ParaSleeve System consist of a trapped driven element for 15 and 20 meters, electrically connected to the balun and Beta-Match; and a set of two parallel sleeve element for 10 meters.

AO-3955-C-

Figure 1

Overall View

This driven element system allows half element lengths of 0.209 wavelength on 20 meters, 0.242

wavelengths on 15 meters and 0.241 wavelength on

10 meters.

* For more information on the open-sleeve dipole, see H.E. King and J.L. Wong, "An Experimental Study of a Balun-Fed Open-Sleeve Dipole in Front of a Metallic Reflector", IEEE Trans. Antennas Propagation,

Vol. AP-20,201-204, March 1972. Also see: Roger Cox, "The Open-Sleeve Antenna", CQ Magazine, Vol. 39,

CHAPTER 6

Preparation For Assembly

FOR OUR OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS: If you use the Metric System, see American-to--

Metric Conversion Table in the rear of this manual. The United States uses American units of weights and measures.

The assembly of this antenna will be easier if you read this manual completely through at least three (3) times before beginning assembly. Allow at least 5 hours for assembly.

Double and triple check ALL dimensions

NOTE: An extra Figure 12 has been inserted in this manual for use when assembling the antenna.

Choose a large, clear area to assemble the

EX14. The area must be at least 14' x 32' (4.3

m x 9.7 m). You may wish to use sawhorses or chairs to support the boom during assembly.

An alternate method involves driving a 5' (1.5

m) length of mast material into the ground and attaching the boom and boom-to-mast bracket to this mast temporarily during assembly. This permits eye level installation of parts and allows easy alignment of elements after assembly. If you assemble this antenna over a grassy area, precautions should be taken so that hardware is not accidentally lost during assembly. A concrete

Option QK-710

The Hy-Gain Model QK-710 is an optional kit that will allow you to add 30 or 40 meter operation to your Explorer 14 antenna. The kit supplies all the necessary hardware and instructions to add an extension onto the

Para-Sleeve driven element for either 30 or 40

If you anticipate adding this kit to your

Explorer 14, you may make the following adjustments before adding the QK 710.

- Disassemble the Para-Sleeve spacers from

the sleeve elements (FS-1 and RS-1). See

Figure 14. An extension to the spacers will be added.

Whenunpackingyou antenna, check inside of all tubing parts (traps, smaller tubing, etc.).

To conserve space, these smaller articles are sometimes put inside larger pieces. Check all parts against the Parts List to make sure no parts are missing. The hardware supplied with this antenna is bagged by thread size for

All tubing supplied with the EX-14 telescopes together. Make all measurements to the given dimensions, plus or minus, no more than 1/8 inch!

Increase the distance between the central driven element and both sleeve elements from 6" to 7". This will reduce the distance to the director and 10 meter reflector by 1" each. See Figure 12.

Increase the length of the DE-2 from

361/2" to 37 1/2".

Slide the 15 meter DE trap all the way into the DE-2.

Adjust FS-2 to 48" and RS-2 to

Remove DE-3 and the 1/2" element tubing clamps from the center driven element. Save the compression clamps.

Assembly of the Boom-to-mast Brackets and Boom

Element-to-boom Brackets

Select the boom-to-bracket clamp parts (Item

Nos. 2 and 3). Loosely assemble them on the boom ends (Item No. 20), as shown in Figure 2.

Line up the holes on both brackets and both boom ends. Secure the two brackets together with four (4) 1/4"-20 x 3/4" bolts, lockwashers and nuts. Secure the brackets to the boom ends using the 5/16"-18 x 2 3/4" bolts, lockwashers and nuts. Tighten these six (6) bolts securely.

To save time, loosely assemble all of the elementto-boom brackets and their appropriate hardware before beginning further installation of the antenna. See Figure 4. The different size 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.

Assemble the two cast aluminum brackets (Items

No. 1) on the mast at the desired height above your tower. Secure the two brackets together using the two (2) 5/16"-18 x 3" bolts, lockwashers and nuts. You may wish to drill a hole through your mast so that a 5/16"-18 x 3

1/2" bolt may be inserted through the cast brackets and the mast and tightened. This bolt will prevent the antenna from twisting on the mast in high winds. See Figure 2. The four (4) 5inch bolts will be installed when the antenna is installed on the mast.

2-2

NOTE: Bracket size #14 is used on the center driven element. Bracket size #13 is used on the driven element sleeves and on the director and

15/20 reflector. Each size number is stamped into the surface of each bracket.

At this time, slide each element-to-boom bracket over a boom end and position all of the brackets close to their final attachment points. See Figure

3 and Figure 12.

Hand-tighten the hardware on each element-toboom bracket to prevent losing small parts, and to prevent bracket movement on the boom.

Ite

No.

1

2

3

Description

Bracket, Cast Aluminum

Bracket, Casting-to-Boom

Clamp, Boom-to-Bracket

5 or

Item

No.

20

24

Description

Tube, aluminum, 2"x 83

Caplug, 2", black

Figure 3 Assembly of Boom

4 or

25 or 28

48

Item

No.

4

5

6

25

28

Driven/Sleeve Detail Reflector/Director Detail

NOTE: The #4, # 13 and # 14 brackets use the same size bolts, lockwashers and nuts - in identical locations.

Description

Bracket, Element-to-Boom, #4

Bracket, Element-to-Boom, #13

Bracket, Element-to-Boom, #14

Insulator, Front & Rear Sleeves, 5/8" I.D.

Insulator, Driven Element, 11/4" I.D.

Item

No.

43

44

48

49

50

Description

Bolt, hex head, 1/4"-20 x 3/8", stainless

Bolt, hex head, 1/4"-20 x 3/4", stainless

Lockwasher, internal, 1/4", stainless steel

Nut, hex, 1/4"-20, stainless steel

Nut, square, 1/4"-20, stainless steel

Figure 4

Element-To-Boom Brackets

2-3

Installation of Tubing Clamps

Select the proper size tubing 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 5.

After adjustment of the tubing length, tighten the clamp with a 5/16 inch nut driver, socket, or open end wrench until the tubing will not twist or telescope DO NOT overtighten

MA-0000-A-

Element Assembly

Because of the broadband nature of the EX-

14, it is supplied with only one setting for use on all modes on all of the 20, 15, and 10 meter bands. If assembled and installed correctly, the VSWR should be below 2:1 on any frequency on these bands.

The following steps will be in singular form.

Do each element assembly step, first for one side of the boom and then for the other side.

The dimensions shown in Figure 12 are in

American units on the right side and Metric on the left side.

The elements may be assembled indoors, perhaps in the garage or basement work area, especially if the weather is cold, wet or windy outside. Take your time, and recheck all element dimensions. The elements should be attached to the boom outside, at a location near your tower.

After each element is assembled to the boom, tighten the eight (8) 1/4"-20 x 3/4" bolts. After all elements are assembled, make sure that they all lie in a horizontal plane at 90 degrees to the mast, then securely tighten the two (2) anchor bolts on each element.

10-15-20 Meter Director Element

Assemble the 10-15-20 meter director as shown in Figure 6 and 12. Use trap part numbers 878749 and 878694 and install with the tubing slots and trap drain holes facing the ground and the labeled trap ends toward the boom. Use Figure 6 and Detail "A" as guides. Tighten all element tubing clamps d h k ll di i

NOTE: Make sure that all trap caps are firmly seated while measuring dimensions.

16

17

Item

No. Description

Tube, aluminum, 11/4" x 48", D1

Tube, aluminum, 11/8" x 30", swaged, D2

Figure 6 10-15-20 Meter

Director Element

Dimensions Measured as

Detail A Trap Detail -

Measuring Point

AO-3955-B-

Front Sleeve Element

Select the FS-1 section (5/8" x 48") and a small driven element insulator (Item No. 25). Slip the insulator on the unslotted end of the FS-1 section, completely.

Install a #6 tubing clamp on the slotted end of the FS-1 section and insert one end of the FS-2 section (7/16" x 53") to the dimension shown in

Figure 7. Tighten the tubing clamp securely and recheck the FS-2 dimension.

Figure 7

Front Sleeve Element

Item

No.

13

14

22

25

Description

Tube, aluminum, 5/8" x 48", swaged, RS-1, FS-

1 Tube, aluminum, 7/16" x 53"

Caplug, 7/16", black

Rear Sleeve Element

Select the RS-1 section (5/8" x 48") and a small driven element insulator (Item No. 25).

Slip the insulator on the unslotted end of the

RS-1 section, completely.

Item

No.

13

14

22

25

Assemble the remainder of the Rear Sleeve

Element using a #6 tubing clamp and the RS-2 section (7/16" x 53"). Set it to the dimension shown in Figure 8. Tighten the tubing clamp securely and recheck the RS-2 dimension.

Figure 8 Rear Sleeve

Element

Description

Tube, aluminum, 5/8" x 48", swaged, RS-1, FS-

1 Tube, aluminum, 7/16" x 53"

Caplug, 7/16", black

2-7

A10-395S-C-

TUBING CLAMP SIZE N0. 6

TUBING CLAMP

SIZE N0. 16 SIZE N0. 10

N

00

Center Driven Element

Select the DE-1 section (11/4" x 83") and a large driven element insulator (see Figure 4).

Slip the insulator on the unslotted end of the

DE-1 section, completely.

Install a #16 tubing clamp onto the slotted end of the DE-1 and insert the unslotted end of the

DE-2 (1 1/8" x 42") to the dimension shown in Figure 9. Tighten the tubing clamp securely and recheck the DE-2 dimension.

Assemble the remainder of the center driven element in the same manner using dimensions from Figure 9. Use 15 meter trap Part Number

878637 in this assembly.

Item

No. Description

7

DE-1

Tube Assembly, aluminum, 11/4" x 83", R1,

9 T b l i 7/16" 3T' R3 DE 3

NOTE: ON ALL TRAPS MAKE SURE ALL DRAIN

HOLES ARE FACING THE GROUND, ALL LABELED

ENDS ARE TOWARDS THE BOOM AND ALL

INSULATORS AND TRAP CAPS ARE FIRMLY

SEATED. ALSO ON ALL TUBING ATTACHED TO

TRAPS, MAKE SURE ALL SLOTS ARE FACING THE

GROUND AND THE SMALL DRAIN HOLES ARE

ALIGNED WITH THE SLOTS.

Figure

Center Driven

Dimensions Measured as

Detail A Trap Detail -

Measuring Point

22

Ao-393S-c-016

10-Meter Reflector

Assemble the 10-meter reflector as shown in

Figure 10, using #6 tubing clamps. Tighten all element tubing clamps with the slots facing the ground and recheck all dimensions.

Item

No. Description

10 Tube, aluminum, 7/8" x 55", swaged, R2-

1

11 Tube, aluminum, 5/8"x 26", swaged, R2-

2

12 Tube, aluminum, 7/16" x 42 3/4", R2-3

22 Caplug, 7/16", black

Figure 10 10 Meter

Reflector Element

N

IL

15-20 Meter Reflector

Assemble the 15-20 meter reflector, as shown in Figure 11, using # 16, # 10 and # 6 tubing clamps. Use trap Part Number 878694 and install with tubing slots and trap drain holes facing the ground and the labeled trap end toward the boom. Use Figure 11 and Detail

"A" as guides. Tighten all element tubing clamps and recheck all dimensions.

Element Alignment

After all elements have been installed, align all elements in the horizontal plane at 90

° from the mast. Also, recheck all dimensions between element centers as shown in Figure

12. Securely tighten each set of eight (8) 1/4"-

20 x 3/4" bolts on every element-to-boom bracket, then tighten both anchor bolts on each bracket. See Figure 4. The anchor bolts should be tightened flush to the al uminum bracket.

Item

No.

7 8

9 22

65

Description

Tube Assembly, aluminum, 11/4" x 83", Rl, DE-

1 Tube, aluminum, 11/8" x 54", swaged, R2

Tube, aluminum, 7/16" x 37", R3,

DE-3 Caplug, 7/16", black

Figure 11 15-20 Meter

Reflector Element

Dimensions Measured as

Detail A Trap Detail -

Measuring Point

*NOTE: THESE MEASUREMENTS ARE

LONGER THAN THE MEASUREMENTS

OF THE TUBE ITSELF DUE TO THE

DEPTH OF THE BOOM-TODRIVEN

ELEMENT INSULATORS.

REAR SLEEVE ELEMENT

DO NOT INSTALL THE ANCHOR BOLT,

ITEM 43, AT THIS LOCATION

AO-3955-0-006

Final Assembly Para-sleeve Driven

Element System

Select the two (2) 1 1/4" aluminum tubing clamps, four (4) 5/8" aluminum tubing clamps, two (2) 1/4"-20 x 11/4" bolts, two (2) 1/4"-20 hex nuts, six (6) 1/4" lockwashers, four (4)

#10-24 x 1" bolts, and four (4) # 10-24 hex nuts. Assemble the two (2) 11/4" tubing clamps onto the center driven element and the four (4)

5/8" tubing clamps onto the sleeve elements as shown in Figure 13. Tighten these clamps

Select the two (2) boom jumper straps, four (4)

# 10 lockwashers and four (4) # 10 hex nuts.

Assemble these straps to the sleeve elements as shown in Figure 13. The front boom jumper strap is installed below the boom, and the rear boom jumper strap is installed above the boom. DO NOT allow these straps to short out against the boom. Tighten the hardware

Select the BN-86, 50 ohm balun, U-bolt, four

(4) 7" pigtail wires and associated hardware and assemble as shown in Figure 13. Tighten all hardware securely. The balun should slope down towards the rear end, when installed, so that water may drain out during rain showers.

Beta Match Assembly -

NOTE: The Beta Match Assembly is not used in the 40-meter conversion of the Explorer 14, therefore, it need not be assembled if you plan to add 40-meter operation. Also, the two pigtail wires going to the Beta Match need not be installed for 40 meters.

Select the two (2) beta match tubes (3/4" x

60"), beta support clamp, beta support insulator, beta top insulator, and associated hardware and clamps, as shown in Figure 13 and Details "A" and "B". Assemble as shown in Figure 13 and Details "A"and "B".

The shorting clamp should be flush with the ends of the beta match tubes. The opposite ends of the beta tubes should be even with the front edge of the center driven element-toboom bracket. Tighten all hardware securely.

2-

Do not allow the pigtail wires to touch either the boom or the element-to-boom bracket.

Para-sleeve Spacer Assembly

Select the remaining four (4) 1 1/4" aluminum tubing clamps, four (4) 5/8" aluminum tubing clamps, four (4) sleeve spacer insulators, four

(4) 1/4"-20 x 1 1/4" bolts, four (4) 1/4" lockwashers, four (4) 1/4"-20 hex nuts, four (4)

#10-24 x 1" bolts, four (4) #10 lockwashers, and four (4) #10-24 hex nuts and assemble as shown in Figure 14. The sleeve spacers should be installed near the ends of the FS-1 and RS-1 sections. Tighten all bolts securely.

NOTE: If the QK-710 option is used, do not attach the spacers to the sleeve elements until the extension is added.

AO-395$-A-011

3

1

AO-3955-A-012

Detail A 5/8" Clamp on

Open-Sleeve Spacer

Insulator

Detail B 11/4" Clamp on

Open-Sleeve Spacer

Insulator

Item

No. Description

7 Tube Assembly, aluminum, 11/4" x 83", R1, DE-

1

29

30

13 Tube, aluminum, swaged, 5/8" x 48", RS-1, FS-1

14 Tube, aluminum, 7/16" x 53", RS-2, FS-2

Insulator, Open-Sleeve Spacer

Cl T bi 11/4"

Item

No. Description

45 Bolt, hex head, 1/4"-20 x 11/4", stainless steel

48

49

52

Lockwasher, internal, 1/4", stainless steel

Nut, hex, 1/4"-20, stainless steel

B lt h h d #10 24 1" t i l t l

Figure 14 Para-Sleeve

Spacer Detail

2-19

Final Assembly Rope Dampening

Select the dampener rope and cut it into two equal lengths of six feet each. Slip a rope into the end of each 10 meter reflector element.

With about a 1/2" of rope extending from the element end, separate the fibers and fold them back over the element end. Refer to

Figure 15. Now slip a 7/16" caplug over the element and rope. The rope inside the element will dampen vibrations caused by low wind speeds. Place a 7/16" caplug on each end of the trapped elements. Select the 2" caplugs and place one on each boom end. Check all element spacings and dimensions and tighten all of the bolts before continuing.

AO-395S-A-019

Final Assembly Checklist

1. - Check the distance between elements, 58

1/2", 6", 6", 69" and 24". (Distances will be 57 1/2", 7", 7", 68" and 24" if option QK-710 is used.)

2. - Check the exposed element lengths against the dimensions shown in Figure

12. Check both sides of each element.

Ensure that the trap caps are firmly seated. (Note differences if option QK-

3. - Check the tightness of each element tubing clamp. You should not be able to turn an element that is securely clamped within a larger element.

4. - Check to ensure all elements lie in the same plane and will be perpendicular (at

90

°

) to the mast when installed.

5. -Ensure that all trap drain holes and all tubing slots will be facing the ground when installed.

6.-Securely tighten all bolts used in the element-to-boom brackets.

7. -Securely tighten all bolts used in the parasleeve and beta tube assemblies.

Figure 15 Rope

Dampening

2-15/2-16

Installation

IMPORTANT

The Explorer 14 is a moderately large antenna and requires some consideration as to how you are going to get it to the top of the tower.

Thoroughly read this section before beginning to install your antenna.

Installation on a Crank-Up Tower

Crank the tower down completely or as low as it will go, and block all sections from moving by using a 2" x 4" piece of wood or a solid iron bar for heavier towers. The block should be inserted through the lattice structure before the tower is completely down, then the tower can be cranked down until the block takes the weight off the winch.

Use a ladder to reach the top of the tower.

NEVER CLIMB THE LATTICE

STRUCTURE OF ANY CRANK-UP

TOWER! Attach the mast to the tower and rotator. (The cast aluminum boom-to-mast brackets should be installed on the mast as shown in Figure 2. See Chapter 2.) Attach a gin pole to the tower to assist in lifting the

Explorer 14.

Attach the lifting rope to the balance point of the antenna. Be careful not to damage the rear sleeve assembly next to the boom-to-mast clamp. The lifting rope should be fed through the gin pole or other pulley arrangement attached to the tower. The other end should be at ground level, available to the ground crew for lifting. Guide ropes may be loosely looped over the boom ends and used by the ground crew to guide the antenna away from the tower and ladder. Each guide rope's two loose ends should be held by the ground crew, so that the guide rope can be retrieved. Always use a nonconductive type of rope if working near power lines.

CHAPTER

Attaching the Antenna to the Mast

When the antenna reaches the mast bracket, the four (4) 5" bolts should be inserted through the holes in the mast brackets and secured using 5/16"-18 lockwashers and nuts.

Tighten all bolts securely. You may wish to use a deep well socket set to tighten these bolts.

Other Types Of Towers

When installing the Explorer 14 on a guyed tower, you may wish to use a different guide system. If you have insulators on your guy wires, you will need to keep the antenna away from the guy wires as well as the tower. You may wish to use two ropes attached together at the top of the tower and attached to the gound about 15 feet apart. These two ropes can then be used to slide the antenna on as it is also being lefted. The two ropes will need to be far enough from the tower base to allow some sag and still support the antenna away from the guy wires.

WARNING

Installation of this product near power lies is dangerous. For your safety, follow the instructions.

Lightning Protection

For proper lightning protection, you must ground your antenna supporting structure.

Grounding will ensure noise-free operation and low SWR. A proper ground consists of a

1/2" x 8" copper clad steel ground rod driven into the ground approximately 12" away from the concrete tower base. Connect the tower to the ground rod using #8 copper wire and commercial noncorrosive ground clamps.

Attachment of Feedline

Use a good quality 50 ohm coaxial transmission line such as Times Wire and

Cable RG-213/u or Belden 8214 (foam) or

Belden 8237, 8267 or 9251 (solid). Take extra care when soldering connectors to foam dielectric coaxial cable. Weatherproof all connectors which will be exposed to rain or ice, with Coax-Seal® or another similar substance. There is no need to make the feedline any multiple of wavelengths long.

Attach the transmission line to the BN-86 balun and tighten the connector securely. Tape the coax to the boom and mast to ensure good strain relief.

VSWR Curves

These VSWR curves are typical for this antenna mounted 70 feet above the ground, horizontally polarized. Similar curves can be expected for this antenna mounted between 30 and 100 feet above the ground. DO NOT TRY

TO TUNE THIS ANTENNA FOR LOW

VSWR AT GROUND LEVEL. Higher VSWR can be expected if mounted at less than 30 feet or above a roof or large metallic structure.

Forty (40) and eighty (80) meter wire dipoles should be kept at least 6 feet below this antenna.

Guy wires should be broken up into nonresonant lengths (less than 12 foot lengths) and insulated from the tower if mounted within 10 feet of the top of the tower.

Coax-Seal(R) is a registered trademark of Universal Electronics,

3-

CHAPTER 4

Operatio

Connect the other end of your transmission line to a good quality SWR meter or Thruline@ wattmeter and then to your radio. While using lower power (less than 200 watts output), check the VSWR across each band from 14.0 to 29.7

MHz. Record this information for future reference. See Attachment 1 on the last page of this manual. Check the VSWR periodically to ensure proper operation.

The front-to-back ratio may be checked by using a steady carrier transmitted by a local station (at least a half mile away). The front-to-back ratio may be affected by the proximity of metallic structures or guy wires less than 10 feet below the antenna.

This completes your installation of the Explorer

14. Happy DX'ing!

Maintenanc

The Explorer 14 antenna is designed to be relatively maintenance free. All hardware, except for seven (7) long bolts used in the boom-to-mast bracket, are made of passivated stainless steel.

The seven (7) long bolts are plated with a thick layer of cadmium with a protective coating of clear chromate. The internal tooth-type lockwashers used in this antenna are made of a slightly magnetic grade of stainless steel. The element tubing clamps are made of all stainless steel. All other metallic parts are aluminum. All insulators are made of either black polyethylene or black Cycolac®.

Hy-Gain now recommends genuine Penetrox-A© from Burndy Corporation for use as an antielectrolytic compound within element assemblies. This prevents aluminum oxide from forming on the aluminum surface, thereby maintaining high electrical conductivity between element sections, especially in coastal environments. No other type of conductive paste should be used. Penetrox-A© may be obtained from any electrical supply store.

A light amount of clear lacquer or an acrylic spray may be used to coat the exterior surface of the element assemblies if heavy oxidation is likely to occur. Do not use any coating on trap assemblies. Heavy oxidation of aluminum may occur if the antenna is installed within 5 miles of salt water.

When storing this antenna (or if awaiting installation), care should be taken not to damage any trap assembly or allow any dirt or insects to enter any trap assembly. Do not leave the elements in a grassy area, as wet grass will stain the aluminum.

Optional

If you use a 1500 watt continuous duty power amplifier or if you use RTTY at 1500 watts on this antenna, the BN-86 balun should be replaced with a suitable high power balun or RF choke.

Hy-Gain makes a new high-power current-type balun rated at 2000 watts continuous, Model

/BN-4000B for beams.

Thruline® is a registered trademark of Bird Electronics.

Cycolac® is a registered trademark of Borg-Warner.

Pentroz-A® is a registered trademark of Bumdy

4-1/4-2

CHAPTER 5

Troubleshooting

If you encounter problems with the operation of your Explorer 14, follow these steps to isolate the cause.

Usually you can isolate problems that occure in either your antenna or feedline/feedpoint.

If you experience high VSWR on all bands, your problem is probably in the feedline or balun. If you experience high VSWR on some bands but not all bands, look for problems in the antenna element lengths or traps or nearby resonant structures.

5-1/5-2

CHAPTER 25

Service

If you are unable to resolve technical problems, you should contact the Telex/Hy-

Gain Customer Service Department in

Minneapolis, Minnesota.

All requests, inquiries or warranty claims should be made to:

Amateur Department Telex

Communications, Inc. 9600 Aldrich

Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55420

Phone: (612) 884-4051 or (612) 887-

5528

You should fully research your problem by going through the Troubleshooting Guides in

Chapter 5 before you contact the Customer

Service Department. You should also record your VSWR across all three bands before calling.

You should retain your sales receipt or other proof of purchase for antennas that are still under warranty. (See separate sheet for Telex

Warranty.)

For ordering replacement parts,

Telex/Hy-Gain

Telex Communications, Inc.

8601 East Cornhusker

Highway P.O. Box 5579

Lincoln, NE 68505-5579

Item

No.

34

35

36

30

31

32

33

37

22

23

24

25

26

27

29

38

39

40

41

-42

55

56

57

58

51

52

53

54

47

48

49

50

43

44

45

46

Part No.

Qty

455644

455625

461057

465595

465600

470486

872222

168695

171329

170483

171077

171131

171162

177888

871508

878682

358756

358757

358758

541363

872224-1

500156

505266

506518

504098

505763

562961

554099

551367

872225-1

500160

504069

500159

500157

565697

554071

555792

506968

PARTS LIST (continued)

Description

Caplug, 7/16", black .......................................................................12

(NOT USED)

Caplug, 2", black............................................................................... 2

Insulator, 5/8", I.D., front and rear sleeves................................... 4

Insulator, beta support (bottom) ...................................................1

Insulator, beta support (top) ..........................................................1

Insulator, open-sleeve spacer ....................................................... 4

Parts Pack, 395S, Straps .....................................................................1

Clamp, tubing, 11/4 "

Clamp, tubing, 5/8............................................................................. 8

Strap, boom jumper.........................................................................2

Strap, boom-to-beta, 2" I.D. ...........................................................1

Sleeve, beta shorting........................................................................ l

Strap, beta shorting, 3/8" radius ..................................................... 2

Clamp, beta support ........................................................................1

"Pigtail" wire, 7" ................................................................................ 4

Parts Pack, 395S, Clamps...................................................................1

Clamp, tubing #6, stainless steel ................................................. 14

Clamp, tubinyg #10, stainless steel .............................................10

(NOT USED)

Clamp, tubing #16, stainless steel................................................. 6

U-bolt, # 10-24 x 2 1/2" x 2 3/4" ......................................................1

Parts Pack, 395S, 1/4" Hardware....................................................... l

Bolt, 1/4"-20 x 3/8", hex head, stainless steel ..............................14

Bolt, 1/4"-20 x 3/4", hex head, stainless steel .............................. 56

Bolt, 1/4"-20 x 11/4", hex head, stainless steel ............................. 6

Bolt, 1/4"-20 x 11/2", hex head, stainless steel ............................. 2

Bolt, 1/4"-20 x 13/4", hex head, stainless steel ............................. 2

Lockwasher, internal, 1/4", stainless steel ..................................72

Nut, hex, 1/4"-20, stainless steel ...................................................

64

14

Nut, square, 1/4"-20, sstainless steel ............................................

Parts Pack, 395S, #10 and 5/16" Hardware..................................... l

Bolt, # 10-24 x 5/8", hex head, stainless steel ............................... 4

Bolt, #10-24 x 1", hex head, stainless steel ................................. 10

Bolt, # 10-24 x 11/2", hex head, stainless steel ............................ 2

Bolt, #10-24 x 2", hex head, stainless steel................................... 2

Lockwasher, internal, #10, stainless steel.................................. 28

Nut, # 10-24, hex, stainless steel .................................................. 24

Nut, #10-24, square, stainless steel............................................... 2

Bolt, 5/16"-18 x 2 3/4", hex head, stainless steel........................... 2

6-2

Item

No.

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

Part No.

500392

500349

564792

555747

873424

878637

878694

878749

850050

691138

PARTS LIST

Description Qt y

Bolt, 5/16"-18 x 3", hex head, stainless steel .................................. 2

Bolt, 5/16"-18 x 5", hex head, stainless steel .................................4

Lockwasher, split, 5/16", stainless steel....................................... 13

Nut, 5/16"-18, hex, stainless steel .....................................................9

Balun, BN-86 .................................................................................... 1

Trap, 15M, driven element................................................................ 2

Trap, 15M .........................................................................................4

Trap, 10M .........................................................................................2

Coax-Seal ©.......................................................................................1

Rope, 12 ft., black poly .....................................................................1

Converting American

Measurements To Metric

Use this scale to identify lengths of bolts, diameters of tubes, etc. The American inch (1 ") and foot (1') can be converted to centimeters in

1 inch (1 ") = 2.54 cm

1 foot (1') = 30.48 cm

Example:

42" x 2.54 - 106.7 cm

Coax-Seal® is a registered trademark of Universal Electronics Inc.

6-

VSWR RECORD

NOTES

Attachment

6-

hy-gains

LIMITED WARRANTY

by gain

Warrants to the original owner of this product, if manufactured by by gain and purchased from an authorized dealer or directly from by gain to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months for rotator products and

24 months for antenna products from date of purchase provided the following terms of this warranty are satisfied.

1. The purchaser must retain the dated proof-of-purchase (bill of sale, canceled check, credit card or money order receipt, etc.) describing the product to establish the validity of the warranty claim and submit the original or machine reproduction of such proofofpurchase to by gain at the time of warranty service. hygain shall have the discretion to deny warranty without dated proof-of-purchase. Any evidence of alteration, erasure, or forgery shall be cause to void any and all warranty terms immediately.

2. hygain agrees to repair or replace at hygain's option without charge to the original owner any defective product under warranty, provided the product is returned postage

prepaid to hygain with a personal check, cashiers check, or money order for $8.00

covering postage and handling.

3. Under no circumstances is property by the use of any hygain liable for consequential damages to person or hygain products.

4. Out-of-warranty Service: hygain will repair any out-of-warranty product provided the unit is shipped prepaid. All repaired units will be shipped COD to the owner. Repair charges will be added to the COD fee unless other arrangements are made.

5. This warranty is given in lieu of any other warranty expressed or implied.

6. hygain reserves the right to make changes or improvements in design or manufacture without incurring any obligation to install such changes upon any of the products previously manufactured.

7. All hygain products to be serviced in-warranty or out-of-warranty should be addressed to

hygain, 308 Industrial Park Road, Starkville,

Mississippi 39759, USA

and must be accompanied by a letter describing the problem in detail along with a copy of your dated proof-of-purchase.

8. This warranty gives you specific rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.