Check out the main review here: Product Review: LiJiANi RD-239S + W2. This post is some accumulated notes.
Antenna
The W2 repeater comes with a 4.2m antenna, terminated in a 3.5mm plug. The other end is terminated with an alligator clip that’s electrically connected to the antenna. This is interesting because the clip not only provides a mounting point end of the antenna, but also a convenient way to extend it.
If you want to make your own antenna with its own plug, check the diameter of the plug. There’s a rim around the W2 connector that might be too small to get the plug in. I’m using the supplied antenna and then clipping it on to whatever I’m adding.
Mast Antenna
This little experiment uses an aluminum sailboat mast as an antenna. I’ve used the mast antenna before in an experiment with another radio. In that video I had to keep the radio in a location in full sun within the length of my antenna lead, but with the W2, of course, the location of the radio is flexible. I can sit on a shaded bench and the W2 can be close to the mast.
It was fine for a lark, but setup is awkward and I have to be within range of the boat, which my house is not.
Porch Railing
This was a useful experiment. I hooked up the W2 and it didn’t connect and later it connected for a second and disconnected for a second. It repeated this. The W2 was about 130 feet away from the radio, and the signal had to go through 4 walls and a wooden desktop. That gives me an idea of what the limits are.
A further problem with this solution is that it is in direct sunshine half the day, and I’d be worried about it getting too darned hot.
Under the porch
Another related solution might be stringing the antenna under the porch. The advantage there is that it’s shaded from the sun and protected from the weather. The W2 can be mounted with a couple of screws 91.4mm on center. But before I install it, there is one bug to deal with.
So I installed theW2 under the porch. The connected antenna (not shown) is about 40 ft. long.
The challenge here is that I will need a ladder to change the battery. The batteries supplied are marked 3500mAh.
I tried it in the daytime on MW, but the orientation is suboptimal and the results were not great. The next try was on a spy number station from St. Petersburg Russia, broadcasting in CW. I switched to SSB and had a good result:
Enter the frequency 1 kHz low and choose upper sideband. The digital BFO adjustment sets the pitch for listening to CW transmissions.
Voice of Turkey on 11785 kHz. Strong signal.
MLA-30+
This one is a bit odd because the MLA-30+ is itself a noise reduction solution. For a number of years, I had this antenna mounted on my deck with a rather long coaxial cable routed through a window, across a room and located at a workbench where I listened to radio. I’m not going to test this one now.
Notes
Previous posts said the W2 antenna was 3m (relying on the W3 antenna length), but when I measured it, it was 4.2m.
One nice trick is to mute the receiver while waiting for the W2 to connect. The radio automatically unmutes when it connects.
I do need to experiment with battery life on the W2. I haven’t used it extensively, but it has been on standby mode for days and hasn’t required a charge yet.