I would certainly echo Ken's review of the W2. It is, as with all Elecraft products, a joy to build and performs very well. I really like being able to adjust the intensity of the LEDs. I noticed that the assembly manual mentions using flat head screws in beveled holes on the front of the bottom panel and the bottom of the front panel but the holes were not beveled in my kit. Pan head screws seem to work just fine and leave plenty of flat head screws for the other beveled holes.
I power the W2 from the RCA power connector on the back of the K3, along with my amplifier relay, and the 6 meter preamp. I just need to find a way to power these 3 devices off of the power jack on the back of the K3 easily. Todd, WA7U -------------------------------------------------- From: "Ken Kopp" <k...@rfwave.net> Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 10:50 AM To: "Edward Dickinson, III" <softb...@windstream.net> Cc: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Subject: [Elecraft] W2 review > I have mine ... with both HF sensors, 200W and 2000W. > > The kit is a quick build consisting of mechanical assembly, > just as with the K3. It took me about a half hour from start > to finish. The metal work and paint is the usual Elecraft quality. > > One of the end panels shows signs of hand finishing before > painting in that it appears to have perhaps been "touched up" > on a belt sander. It's NOT an issue ... a "personal" touch. (:-) > > There are four cover holes where you're instructed to remove > the paint from the area around them so the stand-offs can > make a good ground connection. The paint is tough, and > requires hard scraping to remove. A small scrap of masking > tape over the four areas before painting, as in the case of the > K2's panels, would have helped. In retrospect, I should have > used my Dremel tool to remove the paint. > > As always, read the instruction manual, as it makes reference > to flat-head screws which are replaced by pan-heads, and the > addenda sheet also points out the change. > > I have both power levels of sensors in use. One follows the > K3 and the other follows a seldom used amplifier. Both sensors > "control" the display's power range so that switching between > the two sensors automatically changes the power range of the > display. > > The AUTO ranging feature does not work smoothly on CW and > appears to be easily confused. I can't say how it behaves on SSB. > > A minor caution: Most will peek into the factory-assembled > sensor(s) ... of course you will! Note that the cover can be > put on in either direction. The label on the cover has the IN > and OUT labels, and therefore needs to be put back in the > correct orientation. (;-) BTW, there are no S/N's. > > My sensors were shipped a couple of days apart. The label > stickers appear to be printed on peel-off labels, and the first > has what appears to be "artifacts" that I would describe as > caused by dust on a copy machine's glass. The second > sensor's label is flawless. The second sensor one was nicely > wrapped in clear plastic. The first wasn't. This probably merely > reflects who packed the units and / or the elevated climate of > the move and getting the W2's out the door. > > The sensor and display are connected by a flat telephone-style > cable with RJ series connectors. They're far too long for my > needs and I'll be looking for or making a couple about 24" long. > I wonder how -long- an interconnect cable could be? > > If anyone's interested, Rose has a W2 cover in the works. (:-) > > 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP > elecraftcov...@rfwave.net > http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5 > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
