Subject: Icom W2A Mods >crisp@mips.com (Richard Crisp) writes: > >>I have gotten a very large and much appreciated response for the mods I >>requested. Many thanks to all that responded. > > I have recently got an IC-W2E, and I'd also appreciate > those mods, or even hints, where to look them for.. > > Thanks Here is a collection of the mods. Enjoy folks, and thanks for the help! For crossband repeat, just set up each band with the mode which you want to use, and then hit 2 ENTER - To cancel hit 2 ENTER again. -fred -- | Fred Lloyd AA7BQ ________________ This is less of a mod than it is a function. To expand the receiver frequency range of the new Icom IC-W2A to 118.00-170.00, 322.00-513.00, and 800.000-970.000, do the following: o Hold down the Light, B, and # keys while turning the power on. That's actually a four button sequence, since power on is controlled by a keypad button. -- 73, Paul _____________________________________________________________________ From the shack of Paul MacDonald! Packet Radio: WA1OMM@KB4N.NH.USA / / /\ / /~~/ /\/\ /\/\ /\ / /\ (~ / / / / /\ /\ / / / \/\/ /~~\ / /__/ / / / / ~ / V /~~\ ) /~/ /_/ /~~\, / V /~/ Internet: ...ubbs-nh!wa1omm!paul CIS: 70411,626 PLink: UPPERCRUST ________________ Modification Instructions for the IC-W2A Handheld Two mods, one for Cross Band Repeat and one for extended TX range Cross Band Repeat Function To access the cross-band repeat function, first perform the extended receive mod by holding down the Light/B/# keys while turning on the power. To enable cross-band repeat, set each band to the frequency and mode desired. Set the current band to VHF. Press (Function-2) (Function-Enter) and the little "L" indicator will flash. The radio is now in the cross-band repeat mode. Do disable, press (Function-Enter) again. Extended Transmit Mod Call the ICOM parts department ((206) 454-8155) and order a pair of MA133 diodes (P/N 1790000850). These are the three terminal surface mount diode packages. It is probably not advisable to substitute conventional leaded glass diodes here due to size restraints. The modification involves removing one surface mount component and installing two others. The working parts are extremely small and the mod should not be performed unless you are comfortable with working while using a loop eyepiece or other magnifying device. This is a "surgical" operation. Take all the usual precautions with respect to static electricity, etc. Remove 5 screws holding back on, and two screws on side of case below the PTT switch. Gently pry the unit apart. Inside the unit are two RF "stack" units. The complete RF "stack" is composed of two enclosed sheet metal boxes sandwiched together, about 1.5" wide, 2" tall and .5" thick. Each RF stack unit (one per band) is totally self contained, is about .25" thick, and plugs into the "motherboard" using connectors mounted on one end. First, remove the stack units. To do this, remove one screw from each side of the stack. Remove the single screw off the bottom end of the stack and gently remove the metal spring clip holding the stack together. Carefully lift each stack unit out by pulling it back and down. They should easily unplug from the upper motherboard. Set them aside for now. At this time the back side of the front panel is clearly accessible and the two CPU's are visible side-by-side across the top. Now refer to the following illustration: Top of Radio, Back side of Front Panel _____________________________________________________ | -------- -------- | | | | | |--- | CPU-1 | | CPU-2 | | | | | | | | P | -------- -------- | T | | T | -------- | | -------- |--- .<: <-D1 ---------- | .. | |fuse | | | D2-> V ---------- | .. | D3-> V | .. | V <-D? | | D1, D2 and D3 are locations on the board. Only D2 is installed at the factory. To perform the mod, you must do the following: Remove D2 Install D1 Install D3 The locations of D1 and D3 are clearly silk screened onto the circuit board and are easy to locate. Don't attempt to re-use D2. The periods (..) show the approximate location of the solder pads for the 2-legged sides of the diodes. Diode D2 may be removed by carefully heating the leads and prying it up using a sharp tool. Be very careful since it's easy to lift the solder pads. One method of installing diodes D1 and D3 is to use a very small drop of super glue to mount the part, and then use a soldering iron to tack down the pins. After the parts are installed, reassemble the radio. Although the manufacturer recommends that the microprocessor be reset after this mod, I have found it to be unnecessary. All memories retained their settings after the mod. Tests using a dummy load and a frequency counter showed TX ability on UHF from under 400MHz to over 490MHz. TX on VHF covers from 136MHz to 174MHz. -fred AA7BQ -- | Fred Lloyd AA7BQ ________________ Now for the added part - multi-digit entry for mhz After doing the above, REQUIRED!! select the VHF band as MAIN push F (above the PTT button) and SET (the 8 button) then using the ^/SCAN button make the lower right symbol of the band say PL rotate the right knob to set the display to 1,10, or 100 as desired 1 sets entry to single digits only 10 sets entry to 10's and single digits 100 sets entry to all digits hit PTT Now - repeat the above for the UHF band - Note It WILL NOT work unless you do it for BOTH bands. You now have a walkie that requires all the digits (assuming you chose 100) to program it's frequencies. /s/ Bob Gettys N1BRM ________________ Rupert, Here is more info on the the performance of the W2A after the mod. John. N0LHW Well folks I have had my IC-W2A for one week now & am,needless to say suitably impressed. But now my comments... Why did Icom have to change the DC input socket to what the W2A has. It is very unusual & as far as I can find out, Icom are the only people who can supply a plug for it. I think they should have stayed with the more common 2.1mm DC jack as per the IC-32AT. I did some checks of the receivers using an IFR 500A signal generator & the following is what signal level I needed to get 1 "S" point on the W2A's S meters. At 70mhz, 1mV (milli-volts) 80mhz 0.5mV 90mhz 0.25mV 100mhz 75uV (micro-volts) 110mhz 1.5uV From here to 170mhz less than 0.2uV 173mhz 1.5uV 174mhz 75uV 200mhz 75uV 250mhz 0.5mV (whats going on here???) 275mhz 4uV 300mhz 1.5uV 320mhz 5uV (changed to UHF main VFO from here on) 400 - 450mhz less than 0.35uV 460mhz 0.75uV 465 - 510mhz less than 1uV 520 - 690mhz less than 2uV 700 - 999mhz varies from 7.5uV to 2uV, dips to 0.35uV at 900mhz. Quite impressive, but I would really like to get better sensitivity at the 70 - 80mhz end. Studying the circuit diagram shows bandpass/bandstop filters all over the show, so maybe its possible to modify a few to increase sensitivity here. I am gathering together the ciruits of the Icom IC-R1, IC-24AT & W2A to compare the front ends so we will see what comes of this experiment in the near future. One other worry was the on/off switch, how do you turn the set off when the battery is flat. I am concerned about running the battery to zero volts, hopefully this does not occur. I have been disconnecting the battery when charging to prevent anything funny happening. The antenna supplied with my W2A is an FA-1443BB, whats the difference between this & the FA-1443B, & the FA-4B supplied with an IC-R1. One more gripe, I dont like the plastic plug/covers over the DC jack, headphone, external speaker sockets, they should have been rubber as per the IC-32AT, as I can see already that they will not last very long after prolonged use. Boy what a moaner, you say, small complaints but this would really have made it the best. I wonder what Yaesu & Kenwood are going to do to compete with this??? Cheers C. Tetenburg (ZL1BQJ) Internet: charlie@mof.govt.nz Network Controller Ministry of Forestry Computer Centre Forest Research Institute Sala St. Rotorua New Zealand >From daemon Mon Jul 15 23:39:24 1991 Received: by violet.berkeley.edu (5.61/1.32) id AA03693; Mon, 15 Jul 91 14:39:02 PDT Date: Mon, 15 Jul 91 14:39:02 PDT From: admitq@violet.berkeley.edu (Graduate Division-Admissions) Message-Id: <9107152139.AA03693@violet.berkeley.edu> To: info-admin@infoac.rmi.de #Subject: Re: Request: rig; Topic: icom_ic_w2 Status: OR Thanks For The IC W2A Mods. The extended receive that HRO Oakland gave me differs slightly from the posted version...my display (sensitivity is another matter) indicated RX from DC to somewhere just below IR after: turn off simultaneously press-funct-3-B-# keys turn on (end of mod) It has been pointed out that only the funct is different from previously posted version, but I wonder. I get the feeling that there are many more hidden tricks to this rig that only ICOM knows about. I'd really be curious about any kind of data transfer/ cloning capabilities it may have, etc. -73 de Michael Dahl KC6UFR e-mail: admitq@violet.berkeley.edu A couple of weeks ago I posted an inquiry about bad transmit audio in a IC-W2 handheld. I would like to thank everybody who sent in their response. Some said their radios work well, one said his doesn't and one told Icom America had repaired similar symptoms in his friend's radio. A later comparison with a healthy unit confirmed that the fault wasn't between the operator's ears...:-) However, Jukka, OH2BUA, a good friend of mine happened to work me with his brand new IC-2SRE. He had audio characteristics astonishingly similar to my radio. As a result to my complaints he opened his radio and cured the problem. Last Monday I did the same job and here it comes: ---------------------------- W A R N I N G ------------------------------- Servicing your radio by yourself may void the warranty. The author takes no responsibility whatsoever of the possible hassles with warranty codes intended for technically non-experienced radio users. If you are not a qualified radio service technician on if you are not accustomed to work with extremely miniature surface-mount components, return your radio to the dealer with the following instructions. ---------------------------- W A R N I N G -------------------------------- Radio: IC-W2A/E, IC-2SRA/E, IC-4SRA/E Trouble: Weak transmit audio, deviation below the specifications, high end of the speech spectrum missing. Tools needed: A good soldering iron with a sharp tip, desoldering braid, solder, sharp-nosed pliers, small cross-point screwdrivers. Cure: 1. Open the radio case following the instructions in the owner's manual (p. 45). 2. In radios fitted with the UT-63 board, pull out the board. 3. Unscrew the two small screws holding the tin plate against the bottom ends of the band modules. Pull out the plate. 4. Pull out the band modules. 5. Now you see the microfone fitted to the mother board. It should fit neatly against the inside of the fascia panel. If it doesn't, carry on. 6. Unsolder the microphone leads from the mother board. BE CAREFUL not to overheat the board and the wire insulation. 7. Pull out the microphone and the rubber gasket. 8. Re-install the gasket. Pull in the microphone so that it fits inside the gasket well and press it firmly to the end. 9. Re-solder the mic wires. 10. Install the band modules, the tin plate and don't forget the screws. 11. Replace the rear panel. 12. Tighten the 7 screws. 13. Test the audio response. (c) OH2BUA and OH3BK, 1991. Unlimited reproduction allowed. -- Richard Crisp crisp@mips.com MIPS Computer Systems !decwrl!mips!crisp 928 Arques MS 5-07 (408) 524-7250 Sunnyvale, Ca 94086 Copied from the QRZ! Windows Ham Radio CDROM