{"id":21997,"date":"2016-11-01T07:25:21","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T11:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=21997"},"modified":"2016-12-03T08:03:23","modified_gmt":"2016-12-03T12:03:23","slug":"a-review-of-the-lnr-precision-ld-11-qrp-transceiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/a-review-of-the-lnr-precision-ld-11-qrp-transceiver\/","title":{"rendered":"A review of the LnR Precision LD-11 QRP transceiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following review was originally published in the October 2016 issue of The Spectrum Monitor magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"ld-11-npota-pk01\"Anyone who knows me knows that since I was licensed nearly twenty years ago, I\u2019ve been a fan of low-power (QRP) operations. There\u2019s just something inexplicably fun in being able to talk to the other side of the world using very low wattage. In a sense, I\u2019ve always felt that, in the world of ham radio, QRP is truly the province of the magician.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s for this reason that I\u2019ve owned, operated, reviewed, and beta-tested a number of QRP transceivers over the years. What I look for in a QRP transceiver is quite different than what I\u2019d look for in, say, a base station or mobile transceiver. The glory of QRP gear is that it\u2019s more portable than its \u201cfull gallon\u201d cousins in the transceiver world, allowing for radio communications on the go. QRP rigs tend to be more compact, lighter in weight, easier on batteries, less expensive, and provide built-in features to support field operation–even winter glove operation.<\/p>\n

Of course, however, there\u2019s typically compromise in smaller packages; neither would I expect a modest QRP transceiver to perform like a full-size base station. But I do expect it to perform well enough to satisfy my needs in the field or the shack.<\/p>\n

Introducing the LD-11<\/h2>\n

\"lnr-precision-ld-11-am-mode-voice-of-greece\"<\/p>\n

LnR Precision, Inc.,<\/a> is a North Carolina-based company that specializes in antennas, straight-keys, and last but not least, QRP transceivers. The company has produced a number of innovative QRP transceivers over the years, and for many of these years, I\u2019ve been admiring these from afar. But earlier this year when the company announced their latest QRP transceiver, the LD-11<\/a>, I was especially intrigued.<\/p>\n

What really caught my attention this time is that this little transceiver is based on the architecture of their popular LD-5<\/a>–a five-band, stand-alone direct conversion transceiver. Yet the LD-11 is actually an upgrade<\/em> on that model, in that it supports 160-10 meter operation with all modes (SSB, CW, CW-R, Digi, AM and FM). Curiosity got the best of me: I had to see this for myself.<\/em> I contacted LnR Precision, who kindly loaned me a transceiver for review.<\/p>\n

Overview<\/h2>\n
\"The<\/a>

The left side sports the key and mic ports, headphone jack, a line in\/out jack and a side tone adjustment.<\/p><\/div>\n

The first thing that catches your eye is the unusual color of the LD-11: it is red. Very<\/em> red. Though opinions will surely vary, I rather dig the hot-rod red aluminum chassis of this little rig. The red faceplate makes the buttons quite visible as well as giving the radio a unique and vivid appearance.<\/p>\n

The backlit LCD display, meanwhile, is crisp and easy to read. It\u2019s large enough that all of the pertinent information (frequency, voltage, mode, filter selection, and tuning step) can be displayed at once. When in transmit, there\u2019s a meter below the frequency that displays either a bar scale or numbers for SWR or Power; when in receive mode, it displays the \u201cS\u201d meter.<\/p>\n

The LD-11\u2019s buttons have a tactile, responsive, and smooth action. The tuning knob, while lacking a finger dimple, rotates easily with an appropriate amount of brake.<\/p>\n

\"You'll<\/a>

You’ll find the DC port, PTT out, CAT port and Antenna input on the right side of the LD-11.<\/p><\/div>\n

LD-11 operation is really very simple. I was probably on the air for hours before I ever needed to reference the owner\u2019s manual for functions. LnR has done a great job giving the LD-11 a logical menu layout and intuitive front panel functions.<\/p>\n

The radio\u2019s front panel allows you to do the following:<\/p>\n