Pork Barrel LED mod question

[soldersqueeze]

In the Pork Barrel doc it advises removing R39 and fitting a 22k resistor/ diode to earth for a blinking LED and greater depth. If I want the depth mod but not the blinking LED, can I keep R39 in position on the board and just up it to 22K? It goes to earth anyway and doesn't look like it needs the diode to function  
Thanks in advance for any help