by Matt (W6CSN)
The Mountaintopper MTR-3B is a popular QRP portable HF transceiver that has a bit of “cult-ish” mystique about it. The radio seems to hit the sweet spot of size, weight, performance and capability desired by so many portable operators.
While I have operated the MTR-4B, and quite like it, I have yet to get my hands on the much vaunted 3B. Hopefully that’s about to change as LNR Precision has released details and pricing for the next iteration of this legendary radio.
You can check the specs for yourself on the LNR Precision web site. What piques my interest is that the band plan adds 15 meters at the expense of 30 meter coverage and the integrated touch keyer eliminates the need to pack a set of paddles.
Things that I am wondering out loud:
- Does plugging in paddles disable the touch sensors?
- Can the frequency display be configured to show MHz?
- What is the receive current draw?
- How many “R”s in “Curahee”?
Perhaps the announced pre-release of the user manual will answer these questions.
What do you all think of what we’ve seen of this new Mountaintopper so far?
72 de W6CSN
I noticed this on the LNR page first thing this morning. I like it and will be ordering one at the appropriate date and time. I do wish it was 40/30/20 but no biggy…. The touch sensors are a brilliant idea and an added bonus.
I think the touch key is a K6ARK innovation, in the MTR context. I’m excited that they incorporated it into this new version.
The nice thing about having a WARC band available is it gives the QRPer someplace to take shelter during big CW contests. But 15 meters is also a very useful band to have to handle different propagation conditions.
Yeah, you’re right Matt. I’ve always considered 30m a safe haven for QRP but I understand the benefit for including 15m.
My biggest question is what is the deal with the volume control? Looks like it requires a screwdriver? That makes it pretty useless for quick adjustments during operation.
I’m hoping it can handle 12 volts plus .
The LNR website says “ Power Out: 5W typical with 13.V supply” – so that’s an encouraging sign that it will tolerate higher supply voltage than previous MTRs.
Question is, can I safely run it off a fully charged LiFePo-4 battery, like a Bioenno?
Amazing, however I’m halfway finished with a QRP Labs QMX Mid band radio, otherwise I would be all over this.
72 de AI5DD