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Reviews For: LDG IT-100

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG IT-100
Reviews: 68MSRP: 180
Description:
The LDG IT-100 is the new tuner for your IC-7000. It replaces the venerable AT-7000, adding push button control, LED status indicators and faster, quieter tuning.
Specifications:
* 1 to 125 watt power range (SSB and CW), 100W on 6M
* 2000 memories for instantaneous band changing.
* Power rating 6M (50 to 54 MHz): 100 watts
* Controlled from Icom Tuner button on radio.
* Compatible with any Icom radio that is AH-4 or AH-3 compatible.
* Compatible with: 7000, 706 (all), 703, 718, 746 and 756 (all).
* Tuning time: 0.1 to 6 seconds full tune, 0.1 seconds memory tune.
* 1.8 to 54.0 MHz coverage. Built-in frequency sensor.
* Tunes 4-800 ohm loads (16-150 on 6M), 4-3200 ohms with optional 4:1 Balun.
* For Dipoles, Verticals, Vs, Beams or any Coax Fed Antenna.
* Ready to use with included 1 foot radio interface cable and 1 foot coax jumper.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com/products.php?cID=1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00684.6
W3RXO Rating: 2010-03-05
Terrific!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought my IT100 in April 2009, when they had first come out, from AES Las Vegas. For what it is, it is a fantastic tuner. I wish it were capable of more radios and higher power. It is nice to push a button, and KNOW it will tune whatever I have up in the air. Fast, reliable and ALWAYS tunes up. I use it on my IC 7000, and love it. I wish it would work with my TS 480HX, my Drakes or other radios I could purchase, and I really wish it would handle full legal limit. But, it's difficult to make one that does everything, and still does it well, in a reliable manner. This is efficient and reliable. I LOVE my Palstar AT4K, when I run my ALpha, or my L-4B, or even just the TS 480HX, but, it's nice to fire up the 700, push a button, and KNOW, it's gonna find tune.
Only legitimate complaint, is it's noisy.
VK3NCR Rating: 2009-09-20
Great Job so far! Very happy Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received my IT-100 a few days ago and fitted it to my IC-706MKIIG in my 4WD.. (for mobile use)
Only had one small problem which I reported to LDG, who replied with a very honest answer.

The small problem is that the Din Connector that plugs into the tuner case, did not fit into the hole, the plug dia was a little large for the hole, so after a little bit of grinding I reduced the plug dia and it fitted fine.

From the comments returned from LDG, they had known of the problem and had since rectified it.


After setup, turned it on and it worked perfect, have only used on 80M so far, but it is giving me around 1:1.

I am using the tuner with a Australian Made HF (80M, 40M, 20M, 15M, 10M) whip called a Famparc. Great whip. Great price.

So far very very happy.

Great job LDG and the team.. Good service to.

VK3NCR Australia.
NZ0T Rating: 2009-09-16
Works great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this to use mobile to extend the range of my Pro-Am whips. It does a great job with my 706 MKII and is easy to use. I also have been using it at our lake cabin with my MKIIG and it tunes a Windom and CF ZEPP (160 dipole fed with ladder line thru and LDG 1:1 current balun)to flat or nearly flat on all bands. I owned the original Z-100 at one time and it did do nearly as well at the cabin.
W7CNK Rating: 2009-09-04
I’m impressed!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, I’m impressed!!! Very easy to install, just connect the two supplied cables to your IC-7000 plus connect your antenna the IT-100, power on the radio and press the TUNE button. Every antenna I’ve connected has tuned below 1.3 to 1. I’ve been at this stuff for over 54 year so I do not get to excided about any gear but this thing really works well.
N8FXH Rating: 2009-05-08
Easy to Use Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After a couple days of use, I like this tuner. It is a little noisy but it tunes a windom well something the Icom At 180 could not. Works very well with my Icom 718 from the tune button on the rig. Also works well with the tune button on the tuner. Will let you know what six months of use is like. Easy to use. Plug it into the radio. Change the internal setting (per Icom Owners Manual) to the AH 4 and away you go.
W3ZDF Rating: 2009-04-10
Great Tuner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received the IT-100 Tuner today, coupled it up to my IC7000 and an HT 18 Hy-Tower antenna and
Voila... it works great, tunes 160 thru 10 meters. No problems, the little box sits under the IC 7K and the pair looks great together. One has to get used to the clicking of the relays while it it tuning, but my IC 7K loves it!! So do I.
WA2LNC Rating: 2009-02-25
Does A Great Job Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Not sure what was going on with the last review, but this tuner works as specified with absolutely no problems. I have used the AT-7000 with my Icom 7000 and had no problems -- worked flawlessly.

Now I am using the IT-100 with my Icom 7200 and it works just as expected. Tunes my shortened dipole with no issues and always as close as possible to 1:1

Finally, the quality and support has been excellent from LDG. I highly recommend this product.
PHILIP_EX_KC7FWB Rating: 2009-01-23
First impressions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using an end-fed wire with an AH-4 Icom antenna tuner with my IC-7000 until recently.

I decided to move to a fan dipole. This works fine at and around the point of resonance, but the IC-7000 reduces output considerably as soon as you move away from the resonant point. So an antenna tuner is required. The AH-4 is not suitable for coax fed dipoles.

I have a Palstar ATU on order, but it is going to take some time, so decided to try an LDG auto tuner. I was going for the AT-7000, but found that it had been replaced by the IT-100. This seems to be essentially the same, but with some manual control available on the front panel.

I have an LP-100 between the IC-7000 and the IT-100, so get a pretty accurate reading of the final SWR.

The first impression is that in a lot of cases the IT-100 doesn't end up with as good a match as the AH-4 did. It seems happy with anything around 2:1.

For example, on 40m at 7.07MHz the dipole has an SWR of 2.5:1 (R=21.5, X=1.2, Phase=3). I would expect to be able to bring this down to pretty low levels from that starting point. The IT-100 actually achieves 2.01:1.

Maybe with the low reactance here I am expecting a bit much.

In other respects it seems to work well. It integrates with the IC-7000 as well as the AH-4 does. Initiating the tune via the IC-7000 front panel button, the IT-100 front panel button or via CI-V (HRD) all work exactly the same way.

About the only thing that had me confused for a couple of minutes was the front panel green LED. The documentation says this illuminates to indicate that an acceptable SWR has been found. What it doesn't say is that once tuning is over, this LED goes off again. I was expecting it to stay on, and when it was going off, I was left thinking that no good match had been found. What the documentation should say is that it illuminates for A FEW SECONDS at the end of a tuning cycle to indicate that a good match has been found.

I gave it a 4 rather than 5 only because I think it could do slightly better on some matches.