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Reviews For: LDG AT-11MP Autotuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG AT-11MP Autotuner
Reviews: 99MSRP: 239
Description:
Automatic antenna tuner kit
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15994.7
WB4DLD Rating: 2004-06-22
Processor Upgrade Cost Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have the AT-llMP and have to agree with the high marks on E-Ham. However, the Processor upgrade cost as indicated on the LDG Website is very confusing. Here is the scoop.
3 Ways to upgrade:
1-Remove Processor and send to LDG and get new version for 20 bucks.
2-Send 35 Bucks and LDG will send a new Processor and a Pre-Paid Mailer.
3-Send in the Tuner for upgrade for 45 bucks.

I chose the 35 buck route since I did not want to be out of the tuner for a couple of weeks. I received the upgrade Processer very quickly and installed and shipped back old one to LDG in Mailer they provided.

Here is the grind..I was expecting a credit of the difference less shipping. Nope.. no credit. The Website does not actually say credit. But, you take a look and decide if you think a credit should be given for returned Processor.
I sure thought I should receive on.

Upon calling LDG I was told no credit for chip...sending it back was only to hold the cost down.

Not good enough for me....you decide for yourself.
N0PWZ Rating: 2004-05-20
Does What It's Supposed To Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this unit from the time it was new three or four years ago. First of all, it tunes very nicely with an FT-100 here in the shack. Before the latest CPU upgrade it took a little longer to accomplish, but it still tuned up just fine. When the unit went back in to LDG to get the CPU mod it came back with the OTT unit I ordered as well. Everything worked just fine and the tuner is really fast now. It was so fast, due to the memories, that I first thought there was something wrong. Not the case at all. The unit's memory was just taking care of business a lot faster than it used to. Sweet!

Noisy? Well, it might have been before it was modified, but it is hardly a problem now. Personally, I didn't think it was very noisy before. I mean, what do some people expect? It's a !!TUNER!! for heaven's sakes!

Tuners tune.

When they tune, they make noise.

Well, I won't say anymore about that. I really don't care if it's noisy or not, as long as it does what it's supposed to do when I push the button. It's a piece of equipment that has always worked, so I really can't ask for more from a component.

The LDG folks are great to work with. One of the best in the industry when it comes to responding to the customer's needs. The AT11MP is no longer manufactured, but LDG still supports it.

I'm happy with the tuner.
K9YC Rating: 2004-05-20
Tunes quickly, easy to use, excellent support. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought the AT11MP used on EBay last fall, and have used it with three different radios that lack tuners -- an Omni A, Omni V, and FT-100D. It works fine with all of them (the W4RT one-touch tuning adapter helps with the 100D). I immediately liked it a lot.

A month ago, I upgraded the ROM to the latest software that memorizes your last 200 or so tunings so that it tunes a lot faster. The upgrade took a few minutes, and LDG was beautiful to deal with.

This is one of those products that works so well and is so simple to use that it's hard to say much about it. There is a dual-needle SWR readout, and there are manual controls for inductance and capacitance if you want to tweak the tuning better than what the software does on its own. I've rarely found the need for it. In normal operation, it will automatically try to retune if the SWR is greater than about 1.5 to 1; push the tune button

The tuning range of the AT-11MP is quite good. It tunes almost anything I've tried to load, including some random wires on 160. I haven't tried it on 6 meters, but the specs say it works there too.

KC7NOA Rating: 2004-03-01
I just love this thing Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Just did the software upgrade.... and i love it.

Really inproved the speed of tuneing ... and isnt as loud (wonder why about that one) ...

Was 1.4 Version .. now it is V1.6 ... 200 Mem's as im sure you've already read....

Was easy to pull the old processor and the additional cap on D5 went easy...

These AT-11MP have been discontinued, so if u see one that works... grab it faster than the other guy.

Wish it handeled more power... but not manny HF rigs output more than 100W stock anyways!!!!


Might get a Z-100 for my mobile.... !!!

Mike -- KC7NOA
FORMER_HOLDER_K8YK_BK Rating: 2004-02-21
It's a keeper !! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great tuner period . Some have said it's a bit loud when it tunes , hogwash . You tune the load and then you talk , done . The tuning "noise" might be objectional if say , you were using it next to a sleeping baby .It's small, light, and works like a charm .
K9XYZ Rating: 2004-02-13
Excellent tuner just got better! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using the AT-11MP for a while now with different rigs. The tuner is an excellent match with the FT-897. I have NEVER had to decrease power to 10 watts in order to tune, not even with my version 1.5. I just upgraded to version 1.6, it was easy to change the chips, and now I have 200 memories and the tuner tunes faster than ever. Certainly worth the $35.00. LDG makes excellent tuners, and this one seems to be a great match for the 897. I am going to get the new Z-100 soon also, but for now I'll continue to enjoy the AT-11, it's fast, nice looking, and will tune anything!!
Find one quick as they have been discontinued!!
W5SSG Rating: 2004-02-09
great tuner! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well to start off it's noisey, but it will tuner just about everything. The one touch tune on the IC-706 is great when you DX hunting and going from band to band it a life saver.

will update when I get the processor upgrade.

Jim
w5ssg
KD7PNY Rating: 2004-01-13
Worth every penny... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I thought this little unit would make a fine replacement for my MFJ tuner, and boy was I right. Not that the MFJ tuner was bad, it performed just like it was supposed to. The AT-11MP is user friendly, since all I have to do is provide a low power carrier and it does the rest. I have found that the tuner doesn't like to tune initially when I provide less than 20 watts, and like the instructions indicate should be tuned with less than 100. Time for tuning varies with the bands, and I have found that 15 meters can be a little slow to find on my G5RV. As far as tuning up my vertical, 10-15 tunes up nicely, but 20 is reaching. I think on some of the slower tunes the time frame is all of 5 seconds, but not too much more. During the last rain squall and blow I had kept the tuner in the automatic mode versus semi, this led to some noisy tuning during a qso but was brief and soon remedied by the auto tuner and I switched it to semi, monitoring changes to my antenna on the cross needles. I can't wait to install the upgrade, the memory capability will come in nicely during the twilight hours when I go from 40 to 80. I can't say anything bad about this little gem other than she's a noisy little worker.
73's from the Oregon Coast
KD7PNY
NZ8J Rating: 2003-12-13
Processor Upgrade - Awesome!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The LDG AT-11MP is a great autotuner as it originally came from the factory. However, the new factory microprocessor upgrade that adds memories increases it's usefullness 10 fold!! It is very simple, just pop in the new processor and solder one capacitor and you are in business. After a few memories are programmed, all you have to do is hit the key or talk into the mic and it is INSTANTLY tuned... Do yourself a favor and upgrade your AT-11MP, you'll be glad you did. By the way, there is an upgrade chip for the Z-11 also. Check out their website for more details and pricing.
Tim
NZ8J
LNXAUTHOR Rating: 2003-10-02
Excellent Autotuner! A+ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
- i'll skip over the details about this tuner, but simply point out that one of its greatest features is the saving of time...

- many of us don't have as much time to spend on our hobby as we like... i tried manual tuners, which offer the advantage of no power requirement, portability, and generally good reliability... but in the end, i went with this LDG tuner for it's no-muss, no-fuss operation...

- tuning is fast and convenient - which is what i was looking for in a tuner... no dial settings to memorize, no fiddling or fine-tuning... this tuner just works!

- if you don't have a lot of time and want a worry- and hassle-free tuner, don't mess around - get the LDG AT-11MP - you won't be sorry, and you'll have the additional benefit of excellent support for a product in today's market in which such support seems lacking from most manufacturers...