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Reviews For: LDG Z-11Pro Memory Autotuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG Z-11Pro Memory Autotuner
Reviews: 80MSRP: 179
Description:
The return of the popular Z-11 in a Pro version with increased RF power capacity and more memories. 0.1 to 125 watts (100W on 6M). 8000 3-D memories store up to 4 antenna settings per frequency, SWR indicator, internal battery capable, latching relays, SSB tuning and 160 thru 6 meter coverage.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
14804.2
K3USS Rating: 2022-12-01
So far so good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the first auto tuner I've ever owned. Running it with a mobile Yaesu 891 into Hamsticks. Mine seems to work as it should as I'm looking at the tuned SWR on a Daiwa 901H, it's like magic.
One thing I really like is the battery compartment. With 8 AA cells reported to last about a year the unit is self contained. If I could change one thing I'd add a small on/ off toggle switch to the front.
NO9E Rating: 2020-12-08
A reliable friend for years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I used this tuner with IC-7000 and then IC-891 portable countless of times in many countries. Press a button and it always finds a good match fast for anything half decent, i.e., at least 1/8 wave total wire length. No problem in > 10 years. Light but still with buttons for fine adjustments when needed.

I also have LDG RT21 that does not require a control cable with Yaesu radios and is lighter than Z-11Pro and waterproof, but tunes slower.

Old review

This tuner pretty much matches everything. Two things to look for.

1. It searches for match endlessly when the voltage is < 8.2 V. With built-in 6 AA batteries, this is half-full (or half empty). No low-battery warnings.

2. Can overheat (but returns to normal) when running in a contest on a half-wave antenna.
KT4WO Rating: 2020-12-08
I like it. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
1st- Read all about L-Network tuners and understand the pros and cons BEFORE you buy any LDG tuner!!!
IF folks did that I think these bad reviews would not be here.
I have a 2000+ watt home brew L tuner and it can have the same issues. With that said the LDG Z-11P is a GOOD buy. I have two of them and they work like a dream(within their limits!).


SP9HZX Rating: 2020-06-29
Great Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've been using Z11Pro for a few months.
It works great with my mobile and portable antennas.
KF8KL Rating: 2017-07-14
Worthless Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the Z-11 ProII a few years ago and it has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust. It would not tune up on any band--I have an inverted V up about 30 feet with 61 ft. on each leg. I called the service department and was told there was nothing wrong with it which kind of amazed me since the guy wasn't here to actually witness the unit continuing to whirr and whirr but unable to come up with a setting less than 3 to 1. I loaned it to a friend who also has an inverted V and he couldn't get it to tune either. My friend told me he had heard a few similar stories but I can't confirm them. In any case I cannot recommend any LDG product because of the total lack of quality control and the total lack of customer service. Other than that the unit sucks...
VA3KAI Rating: 2016-11-03
Seems to work better with non-tuned antennas! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned and used my Z-11 ProII for several years and used it on different antennas - both at the shack and remotely. I had it for a while on one of my 2 OCF dipoles (270') and it was okay but wanted re-tune occasionally, even when a match was good. Currently, it is used to remotely (connected to a 7.2AH 12v battery) to tune my 44' sloping-dipole and ~25' of 450 ohm ladder-line via a 4:1 current balun and short coax jumper. It tunes 30M thru 10M without fail, every time - the only time it gets messed and locked up is if I QSY to multiple bands repeatedly. I then walk out, de-power for 10 secs and restart up. It auto-tunes on both cw and ssb at 100W, no problems. The remote tuner is grounded to a 4' rod via copper strap and I use a lightning arrestor in the remote box. RG-8x 45' feeder to rig(s). What I try to do is use my internal TS2000 tuner for most fine tuning on the OCF's and my LDG Z-11 Pro for non-tuned antennas such as the 44' dipole and my 130' inv-L - it seems to work better in these situations. Just my non-technical observations. Happy with my purchase.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by VA3KAI on 2011-06-27

Bought it primarily for portable contesting use for HF and 6M using my 100' inverted-vee wire antenna fed with 300 ohm twin lead, 1:1 choke balun and a short 8' length of coax. Solid auto-matches <1.5:1 each time after initially working my way up each band (80M thru 6M, including all WARC bands), on low power before QRO operating. I use car booster pack with 12V cigarette plugs for both my LDG Z-11 Pro II tuner and my Hamgadgets auto-keyer. Recently during FD, it stretched our club 80-40-20-15 fan/trapped dipole to full bandwidth across 80-6M FD bands (although I couldn't get it to match on 160M). Always grounded to radio and a ground rod of some kind. Works quite well, with minimal heat build-up, even when holding a contest frequency for 45-60 mins using full 100W -- works as advertised. I'm very happy with my purchase and got a free, promotional LDG balun to boot!
KF8RM Rating: 2016-11-02
Junk ! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
First the station: Icom 706Mk2 directly controlling the LDG Z11 Pro2 tuner feeding an 80 thru 6 meter OCFD with a 4:1 Guanella current balun, 44' short side, 89' long side with 24 mix 43 ferrite beads on the coax right under the balun and a CMC choke inside the shack consisting of three FT140-43 cores glued together in a stack and 11 turns of RG58 foam coax on it between the antenna feed line and tuner. Radio auto switches to 10 watts CW when pushing the tune button and returns to previous mode & power level after tuning.
First problem encountered with tuner: OCFD has a 2.4:1 swr where I normally operate on 75 meter phone chatting with some local friends. Using the LDG tuner would actually make the swr higher - about a 2.8:1 ! I could do the manual tune process and get it down to almost a 1.1:1 and sometimes the tuner would hold it and sometimes it would retune on its own to the 2.8:1. Only way to make sure it stayed tuned is to disconnect DC power after its tuned and let the latching relays hold it.
Second problem: The tuner would pass up a good match on several occasions during a tuning cycle and settle on something much worse while watching a known good swr meter while it was in the tune mode and also watching the swr meter on the radio. It would actually dip to almost no swr at all a couple of times and then settle on a 1.8:1 or something similar but never settled on the better match it had already found !
Third problem: LDG says if it doesn't find a match to suit you, you can use the manual tune buttons to scroll through the inductor and capacitor values to get a better match and then use the manual memory store to store those settings into memory. Well, sometimes the manual memory store works and sometimes it doesn't. Do the manual tune, then manual memory store, but then leave that frequency and come back later and you would think the tuner would use the settings you stored but it doesn't - just goes through the normal cycle and settles on something sub par and not the ones you stored and wanted it to use.
Fourth problem: Finally get the tuner to start acting somewhat ok and get a few frequency settings stored into memory, but it does fine when the radio is in the low power tune mode, but then the swr dances up and down after you return to normal power. All the LED indicators flash when it should be the green one only, and the external swr meter and the one built into the radio is dancing around. No relays are cycling when this is going on so the tuner isn't changing its settings, so I suspect something may be arching inside the tuner. And I know its not something in the antenna as a manual tuner will tune it to a very good match and it stays rock solid at full power too, so nothing arching in the antenna system itself.
KE7MU Rating: 2016-02-11
Warning of a real issue Time Owned: more than 12 months.
So I used mine and put up with odd behavior, often re-tuning its self even with a green indicator. I would deal with this behavior as all it does is interrupt my QSO.
Then I hooked up an amp to it, I would put it in standby and try to stop this problem, then it happened, it started re-tuning and it almost blew my AMP, it caused my Hi-Power tuner to arc as well. Never again, Unreliable, Unpredictable!
IT9AHH Rating: 2015-11-09
problems with 100watts cw Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
my experience with ldg z11 pro2 version:
with 100 watts cw this tuner goes always stby.
the user manual should indicate the real duty cycle limits per cw mode.
resold after less than one week.
it's good only up to 30 watts in cw.
be careful with this tuner and with your power output, especially in cw and over 30 watts.
franco.

ON4XA Rating: 2015-10-31
Magnificent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi all, I have 2 LDG Z11Pro2. First time to use it, yes it takes long time. But after that the tuner works in seconds. I tried even to tune my Hexbeam on 160m. And do you know what??? it was success. So, I use 1 of the 2 with my FT857D and original MTFT 9:1 balun (ZX Yagi 20 years old) and 16,20m wire. Manyb DX with it. And the 2nd with my fieldday and IRESC suitcase with multiband vertical Sigma antenna. No problem to tune on 1:1
73 Xavier