Direct conversion has no IF but still uses a mixer and a LO, and the LO still leaks out of the input port of the mixer. Because you're directly converting the R

Direct conversion has no IF but still uses a mixer and a LO, and the LO still leaks out of the input port of the mixer. Because you're directly converting the RF to baseband, LO frequency is the tuned frequency. Unlike e.g. a dual or triple conversion receiver (used in e.g. spectrum analyzers), where the first IF is way above the highest tunable frequency.