Instructions for the blind for the L D G Talking Watt meter TW 1. There is first a jumpstart section for operation, then a jumpstart section for setting up preferences, followed by the full instructions edited for the blind by Steve, K9DCI. Jumpstart operation IMPORTANT: The TW-1 is intended for indoor use only. The TW-1 requires 12 volts DC at 200 ma. Connect a suitable power supply using the provided 2.5 by 5.5 mm jack coaxial power connector (center positive). 1. Attach the RF input jack (connector in center of back) to your transmitter. 2. Attach your antenna to the RF output (left connector when viewed from back). 3. Connect a 12 volt power supply capable of delivering 200 ma to the 2.5 by 5.5 mm coaxial power jack (center positive). 4. While transmitting RF, press and release the left-hand button. The unit will speak the forward power level. Adjust the volume to the desired level. 5. While transmitting RF, press and release the center button. The unit will speak the reverse power level. 6. While transmitting RF, press and release the right-hand button. The unit will speak the S W R. 7. For tone tune-up mode, hold the desired button in, until the beep. 8. The unit will turn itself off after use. Jumpstart setup Hold these buttons during power up for setup: For English, FORWARD Left Button. For Spanish, REVERSE Center Button. For German, S W R Right Button. For Terse speech, REVERSE Center and SW R Right Buttons. For Verbose speech, FORWARD Left and REVERSE Center Buttons. Full instructions: Introduction Congratulations on selecting the LDG TW-1 talking wattmeter. The TW-1 is a breakthrough product, providing accurate and precise RF power and S W R readings aurally, by synthesized voice over a self-contained speaker. It is ideal for situations when you need to watch something else while making an adjustment, or for visually impaired hams. LDG pioneered the automatic, wide-range switched-L tuner in nineteen ninety five. From its laboratories in St. Leonard, Maryland LDG continues to define the state of the art in this field with innovative automatic tuners and related products for every amateur need. Specifications ? 0 to two thousand watts, auto-ranging ? plus or minus 5 percent accuracy (10 percent on 6 meters) ? 1 watt or 1 percent power resolution ? Adjustable volume ? Verbose or terse speech ? Tone mode for continuous feedback ? Speaks in English, Spanish or German ? Size: 5 by 4.5 by 3 inches ? Requires 12 volts at two hundred milliamps, with a 2.5 by 5.5 millimeter jack, center positive Getting to know your TW-1 Your TW-1 is a quality, precision instrument that will give you many years of outstanding service; take a few minutes to get to know it. On the front panel, there is a volume knob and three pushbuttons: ? Volume: adjusts the volume of the synthesized voice ? Forward: measures forward power in watts (FORWARD Left Button) ? Reverse: measures reverse power in watts (REVERSE Center Button) ? S W R: measures the standing wave ratio (S W R Right Button) Readout resolution is 1 watt or 1 percent of the reading, whichever is larger. For example, if the reading is 75 watts, 1 percent would be 0.75 watts, so the achieved resolution would be 1 watt. The readout would go from "Seventy Five Watts" to "Seventy Six Watts" as you increase power. At a reading of 245 watts, 1 percent would be 2 watts (rounded off), so the resolution would be 2 watts; the reading would go from "Two Hundred Forty Five Watts" to "Two Hundred Forty Seven Watts". There is no range switch; the TW-1 auto-ranges from 0 to 2,000 watts. There is no On/Off switch; the TW-1 automatically turns itself on during use and off after use. On the rear panel, there are two SO-239 RF connectors. The right-hand connector, in the center, is the RF input (labeled Radio) for connection to your radio, and the left-hand connector is the output to your tuner or antenna (labeled Antenna). The 2.5 by 5.5 mm jack coaxial DC power connector is on the right. Setup Full set up instructions Setup options are selected by pressing and holding buttons or combinations of buttons while you apply DC power. The simplest way to apply power for setup is to unplug the DC power plug, wait 10 seconds, then re-insert the DC power plug from the back of the TW-1, but you could also turn the DC power supply off then on again. Setup options are retained indefinitely, even if DC power is removed. Setup Language Your TW-1 will speak in English, Spanish or German; the default is English. To set the language, press and hold a button while connecting DC power: FORWARD Left Button: English REVERSE Center Button: Spanish S W R Right Button: German Setup Speech mode Your TW-1 will speak in one of two different modes: Verbose and Terse. In Verbose mode, the TW-1 speaks in full sentences, as in "The forward power is ninety seven watts". In Terse mode, only the numerical value is spoken, as in "ninety seven". The default is Verbose mode. After you become accustomed to your TW-1, you will likely want the shorter readouts, without all the extra chit-chat. "Terse" mode, press the REVERSE center and S W R right buttons together while you apply DC power. Thereafter, on pressing a button when RF is present, only the numerical value will be spoken. To return to "Verbose" mode, press the FORWARD Left and REVERSE Center Buttons together while you apply DC power. Operation Volume Simply adjust the volume control to the desired audio level as you use your TW-1. Speech Operation Spoken readouts are available on demand; the readout is spoken on button release. There is no need to set the power range; your TW-1 auto-ranges from 0 - 2,000 watts. With RF present, press and release a button to produce the following spoken readouts: FORWARD Left Button: forward RF power (Verbose mode example: "The forward power is ninety seven watts") (Terse mode example: "ninety seven") REVERSE Center Button: reverse RF power (Verbose mode example: "The reverse power is three watts") (Terse mode example: "three") S W R Right Button: S W R (Verbose mode example: "The S W R is two point one") (Terse mode example: "two point one") Your TW-1 works best with a constant RF carrier. Using a voice mode (SSB for instance) would require you to talk and listen at the same time. Tone Operation When adjusting a manual tuner or vacuum tube transmitter or amplifier, it is often desirable to have a continuous readout of power or S W R. Your TW-1 provides this by playing a tone whose pitch goes up and down with the power or S W R. To place your TW-1 in Tone mode, simply press and hold any of the three buttons for more than three seconds before applying RF. The TW-1 will beep to indicate it has changed to Tone mode; release the button when you hear the beep. When you apply RF, the TW-1 will emit a continuous tone who's pitch is proportional to the power; the higher the power, the higher the pitch. You can select either Forward (FORWARD Left Button) or Reverse (REVERSE Center Button) power for tone readout. You can also select S W R for tone readout, as above (S W R Right Button). The pitch of the tone is proportional to the S W R; the higher the S W R, the higher the tone. If the S W R is above about 3 to 1, the tone will pulse to indicate that the S W R is excessive. After 30 seconds with no RF present, the TW-1 automatically reverts to Speech mode (verbose or terse, whichever you have set). You can also manually reset it to Speech mode by pressing and releasing any of the buttons. The TW-1 will beep to indicate that it has returned to Speech mode. Application Notes The TW-1 is primarily intended for visually impaired hams, and those of us more "experienced" hams who must resort to bifocals, making small meters hard to see at any distance. The TW-1 is also very useful for special situations when you need to "watch" more than one meter, as when you are tuning the output stage of a vacuum tube transmitter or amplifier. With your TW-1 in Tone mode, you can easily watch the plate current meter on the transmitter or amplifier while listening to the power output on your TW-1 in Tone mode. The TW-1 is perfectly suited to mobile use. Simply install it in a convenient location near your operating position, and provide 12 volts DC through a fused line (fuse not included; LDG recommends a 2 amp fast-blow fuse). S W R Tone mode is especially useful when tuning a "screwdriver" antenna while watching the road. LDG strongly recommends pulling over to a stop before adjusting your antenna, but we realize that not everyone does this; you know who you are. Care and Maintenance Your TW-1 tuner is essentially maintenance-free; just be sure to observe the power and voltage limits discussed in this manual. The outer case may be cleaned as needed with a soft cloth slightly dampened in a mild household cleaning solution. As with any modern electronic device, your TW-1 can be damaged by temperature extremes, water, impact or static discharge. LDG strongly recommends that you use a good quality, properly installed lightning arrestor in the antenna lead. You should never have to remove the cover, but if you do, be sure that no wires are within 2" of the S W R sensor or the SO-239 connectors when you reassemble the unit. Technical Support We are happy to help you with your TW-1. Telephone technical support is available at 410-586- 2177 weekdays from 9 am to 5pm Eastern Time. Inquiries by Fax at 410-586-8475 are welcome, and prompt e-mail support is available at ldg@ldgelectronics.com. Warranty and Service Your TW-1 is warranted against defects in parts or workmanship for two years from purchase. The warranty does not cover damage due to abuse or exceeding specifications. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only; it is not transferable. A copy of the receipt showing the purchaser's name and the date of purchase must accompany units returned for warranty service. All returns must be shipped to us pre-paid; we will not accept units with postage due. A return form is provided on our web site for your convenience. If you need to return your TW-1 to us for service, package it carefully, keeping in mind that we will re-use your packaging to return the unit to you. A self-addressed return-shipping label, while not required, will help insure speedy and accurate delivery of your repaired unit. Include a full description of the problem, along with your name, address and a phone number or e-mail address where we can reach you with any questions. Repairs average about 3 to 6 weeks. We will be glad to service your TW-1 after the warranty period has ended. We will notify you of repair charges by phone or e-mail, and bill you after repairs are completed. Feedback If you have an idea to improve our software or hardware, please send us a description. If we incorporate your idea in the TW-1, we'll send you a free upgrade as a thank you. We encourage everyone who uses the TW-1 to contact us (card, letter or e-mail preferred) telling us how well it works for you. We are also always looking for photographs of our products in use; we frequently place such pictures on our Web site (w w w dot l d g electronics dot com).