A fun project for every QRP enthusiast is an L-match tuner. We’ve built a couple here at MiscDotGeek and our latest build (shown here) inspired Billy Dunn (AF5HD) to build a similar tuner. We have to say, this one turned out better than ours did!

The only trouble he ran into was that one of the fins on the variable capacitor was bent, causing a dead short. Once that was sorted out it went together smoothly. His trick to making it look so good? We’ve summarized his comments (and the way he made that front panel look so good) below:

The build is for people who would have a harder time getting the rotary switch than the tuning capacitor. If there is another version, I’ll do switched capacitors too.

The plain white on the face plate was some scrap vinyl my wife had used cutting name labels for kids water bottles. The original plan was to get the letters cut out and apply those. That didn’t turn out looking very good at all. I ended up using Inkscape and A LOT of trial and error to lay out the holes and text. The final copy was printed up on white card stock on a laser printer. It still needs a layer of clear contact paper to make the face plate a little more water resistant …. but it’s close enough for now.

Close enough? We’d say so! This build is gorgeous and just shows the nice high quality you can get by investing a little time in a project. L-match tuners are a great beginner project as don’t require a lot of expertise to figure out, but are a still a vital part of many QRP setups. Check out the picture gallery below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

If you’re interested in building your own L-Match tuner, every part used in this project is listed in the QRP Parts Catalog. The instructions and diagrams are Here. Give it a try, it’s easier than you think!

Thanks to Billy for letting us feature his great build. 73!