L-Tronics
Encyclopedia
L-Tronics is a company based in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 that specializes in the design and manufacture of direction finding
Direction finding
Direction finding refers to the establishment of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted. This can refer to radio or other forms of wireless communication...

 (DF) equipment for search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

 applications, used to locate signals originating from distress radiobeacons. These include Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) used by aircraft, Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) used by marine vehicles, and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). One major operator of L-Tronics devices is the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...

.

Little L-Per

The L-Tronics Little L-Per, more commonly known as L-Per, is a line of portable, compact folding DF receivers made by the L-Tronics company. The receivers in the Little L-Per line are the LH-16 (now discontinued) and the newer LL-16 models.

LH-16

The LH-16 is the first in the series of the Little L-Per line, and has now been discontinued, having been replaced by the LL-16 model. It uses a two-element yagi antenna
Yagi antenna
A Yagi-Uda array, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of a driven element and additional parasitic elements...

, with a crystal oscillator
Crystal oscillator
A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency...

-controlled double-conversion receiver, and may be attached to antennas for external use on aircraft or vehicles.

On the face of the device there is
  • A left-right dial for signal strength (Receive Mode) or signal direction (DF Mode)
  • An audio speaker for auditory confirmation of the distress beacon's distinct signal
  • A mode selector switch to turn the LH-16 on DF or Receive Mode, or off
  • A volume knob for the audio
  • A sensitivity knob
  • A radio frequency
    Radio frequency
    Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...

     select knob
  • A dial light switch


Since the device relies on internal crystal oscillators for receiving frequencies, the device cannot be configured from its factory preset frequencies.

The LH-16 has the ability to switch between two modes: DF and Receive. In DF mode, the direction of the needle on the dial indicates the direction the operator needs to turn in order to face the direction of the signal. For example, if the operator needs to turn to the right to face the signal, the needle will point to the right, and if the operator is facing the signal, the needle will be centered. Care needs to be taken in this mode to ensure that one is not facing the opposite direction of the signal, as in this case the needle will also be centered. In Receive mode, the needle indicates signal strength 90 degrees to the left of the device. Either or both modes may be used in operating this device, depending upon operator's preference.

LL-16

The LL-16 is the newest model in the Little L-Per line, at a cost of $750. It features numerous improvements over the LH-16, including built-in handle and stainless steel antennas. The LL-16 incorporates a transreflective liquid crystal display
Transreflective liquid crystal display
A transflective liquid crystal display is a liquid crystal display that reflects and transmits light . Under bright illumination the display acts mainly as a reflective display with the contrast being constant with illuminance...

 which improves readability under most ambient light conditions. In addition, instead of two separate modes for signal strength and signal direction, both are displayed simultaneously. The plastic casing floats and is waterproof for up to ten feet, and is designed for up to 15,000 feet altitude. Instead of the two 9V batteries
PP3 battery
A nine-volt battery, the most common of which is designated a PP3 battery, is shaped as a rounded rectangular prism. 9-volt batteries are commonly used in pocket transistor radios, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, guitar effect units, and radio-controlled vehicle controllers...

 used in the LH-16, the LL-16 employs six of the more commonly available 1.5V alkaline
Alkaline battery
Alkaline batteries are a type of primary batteries dependent upon the reaction between zinc and manganese dioxide . A rechargeable alkaline battery allows reuse of specially designed cells....

, NiMh, NiCd
Nickel-cadmium battery
The nickel–cadmium battery ' is a type of rechargeable battery using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes....

, or lithium-ion AA batteries
AA battery
An AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...

.

Operation of the LL-16 is similar to that of the LH-16, and its design ensures that operators familiar with the LH-16 may transfer to the newer unit without additional training or significant familiarization. However, instead of separate Receive and DF modes as on the LH-16, the LL-16 displays both signal strength to the unit's left and signal direction simultaneously. This feature makes the device easier to use. The same external antennas that are used on the LH-16 may also be employed on the LL-16, allowing for use in aircraft and vehicles.

LA Series Aircraft DF

The LA Series Aircraft DF receiver was an independent crystal-controlled receiver designed for permanent installation into an aircraft. The LA system integrates with the aircraft's radio stack, and utilizes a set of external antennas. The unit has two dials on the face; one dial indicates signal strength and the other dial indicates signal direction (comparable to the receive and DF modes on the LH-16, respectively). Production of these units is now discontinued.

Monitor receivers

L-Tronics made a line of receiver models that generate an alert when they receive an ELT signal. Base station units are used to generate an audible alert in an area where people are present. "Mountain top" units are used to generate an alert signal over a monitored radio communications network, and are usually placed in remote locations such as repeater
Repeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...

sites. Production of these units is now discontinued.

Accessories and repair

L-Tronics provides accessories for their devices, including replacement parts, antennas, crystal oscillators, and external power connectors. L-Tronics also provides a factory repair service on all equipment and accessories
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