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Reviews For: LDG Z-11 Automatic Antenna Tuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG Z-11 Automatic Antenna Tuner
Reviews: 41MSRP: 179.00
Description:
QRP (30W Max) Automatic Antenna Tuner with latching relays for zero power draw once tuned.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00414.9
KA3ZKE Rating: 2002-03-06
Great Tuner - perfect w/ 817 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought the Z11 as a companion to my Yaesu FT817 and MP-1 antenna.

This is a GREAT (!) compact tuner for your QRP adventures. I've tuned several antennas with it (at home and at the club shack) with great matches each time.

Quick, simple, and it works. Tops in my book.

As I mentioned, this tuner is a 'must-have' with the FT817 IMHO. Hope to see y'all down the log.
WA9GQT Rating: 2002-03-02
Great autotuner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased a LDG Z11 and am very pleased with it. I have a Elecraft K2 and do not have the K2 autotuner. I was never able to load antennas on 160 meters, but now can use my W5GI 20mtr 3 half waves in phase fed as a marconi. The Z11 usually autotunes most antennas but it is very easy to use the toggles for fine tuning swr.
I also plan to use it with my K2 when I get the 100 watt module for it. I am told that the Z11 will take up to 60 watts on CW. LDG certainly has impressed me.
W5OMG Rating: 2002-03-01
Outstanding Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been using this work of magic with my 817.
I've used it with the (soon-to-be-famous) Buddipole portable dipole AND my own coathanger 2M 1/4W groundplane (which is in the attic).
My 1st contact just happened to be with the designer of the buddipole (W3FF) via the coathanger-TX to Northern California QRP on 17M.
With the dipole I've worked most everyone I can hear-great product!
K2KOH Rating: 2002-01-01
QRP Refined! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Couple this tuner with the Yaesu FT817, a portable dipole antenna, and you're ready to go! What a neat tuner...I think it could tune a tree to work on 160-10! I am using it now with a sixty foot dipole, and it tunes everything from 80 to 10 without one squawk. I can't wait for Field Day!
K6SBA Rating: 2001-12-29
Great Tuner - Fantastic Customer Service! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have purchase three products from LDG and have been rewarded with super results each time. (BTW -- what is wrong with MFJ; can't they build and/or fix something that they can take some pride in?).

Anyway, decided to build a Z-11; couldn't get it to work, and Dwayne spent 1/2 hour on the phone with me trying to troubleshoot it. Had to send it back to have my terrible solder joints rennovated. Cost $20 and well worth it, and a two-week turnaround.

A month later, I must have lost my ability to distinguish red from black and reversed polarity on the tuner. Pow!! I fried the processor. Talked to Dwayne, sent it back; again $20 and two weeks.

Now friends, considering that all these screw-ups were my fault, I have nothing but praise for LDG products AND their customer service.

YMMV....73 de K6SBA (David in Santa Barbara, CA)
KF4VRB Rating: 2001-12-29
Great QRP Tuner, terrible customer service.. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
As far as the Z-11 is concerned it is a great tuner once you get one that works. I purchased one from another vendor and it didn't work. I contacted LDG several times with both phone calls and emails, nothing heard until the 5th time I did this. It was an email that said nothing but OK! So I sent the Z-11 to LDG for the under warranty repair that was supposed to take 2 to 3 weeks. After the 3rd week I was wondering if they had ever got the Z-11 so I emailed them, and got some lame response about it is due to be shipped out in a "few weeks". I really feel that the customer service department needs an attitude adjustment. Great tuner but God forbid you should have to send yours in for repairs...

As for the tuner it tunes just about anything you can throw at it. I use it with the Yaesu FT-817 and the W4RT OTT option! I really do love the way this thing works. My rating is a 3 not because of the tuner but becuase of the cold shoulder treatment I got from the warranty repair service...
WB8THR Rating: 2001-12-04
Great product! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I got this tuner as a companion for the FT-817 (and IC706 which I'm know I'm gettinhg for Xmas!) and have found it to be highly reliable and simple to use. Being the busy person I am, I purchased the assembled form. It's been able to tune up anything I've used for an antenna (long wire, home-made wire vertical, various odd-length dipoles) and I swear it'd tune up a window screen If I'd ask it to. The noise of the relays finding the proper match is a bit weird at first (sounds like the rattlesnake I stepped on about 20 years ago). The autotune feature when I switch bands is just wonderful. I'll probably buy the Z-11's big brother, AT-11 before they're all gone for higher output power, but I figure as long as I don't push the Z-11 too hard with the 706, I'm golden. Thanks, LDG, you make very good products!
K0KAV Rating: 2001-12-01
They're the best!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I owned the predecessor (QRP Tuner) and the Z-11 is even better. I use it at home and on the road. Doe's a terrific job. I also own the AT-11MP. The products and company can't be beat.
W1WOW Rating: 2001-12-01
Better then my SGC Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hello Folks,

Purchased the LDG Z-11 (new version 60 watts max) for use with my new FT-817. What a wonderful tuner! Matches in seconds and really works slick. No hang ups like the SGC-237. The Z-11 is small, light and very easy to set up and use. I really can't recommend this tuner thus earning a 5 point score. I am 100% pleased...

Jason
W1WOW
G3WGV Rating: 2001-10-23
Impressed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wow, straight 5's - the first time I ever saw that on any e-Ham review.

Looking for something to go with my FT817 on mountain climbing trips, I stumbled across the Z11 through e-Ham, saw the straight fives and decided to go for one. In the UK (AFAIK) you can only buy the ready built version and it costs close on GBP200! I decided to buy the kit directly from LDG.

Kit construction is easy. Everything is supplied and the instructions are excellent, in colo(u)r, concise and accurate. Every time there could be any doubt there is a detail picture showing everything you need to know. A multimeter is useful as the resistor colour bands are hard to see on such small components and the capacitor markings are, as usual, somewhat confusing.

Anyone who has a bit of homebrewing experience can build this kit easily. It took me about 5 hours to build, taking my time over it. The trickiest bit is the winding of the toroidal inductors which are a bit fiddly.

Switched it on, and hey presto! it worked first time. The alignment is trivial, requiring only a voltmeter, a dummy load and 5W or so of RF.

I tried some random bits of wire and it tuned them all. With the cover off the Z11, RF got into the "works" and confused the poor thing but that was only with the antenna wire draped right over the PCB and it was completely fixed by putting the cover on.

Of course the real test will be when I get it out in the mountains. I'll post the results here.

So does it get a straight five from ol' WGV? You bet!

73, John.