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MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

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Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#21

Post by wrycoder »

alostpuppy wrote: post #15
topspin wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ham radio's time has come and gone, but I still treasure the memories of listening to him talk to people all over the world. Those people all over the world are still there. Every day. The airwaves are full. Yesterday I was handed off between a dozen Italians working contacts in the US. I have to hand it to European hams. They don't leave anything on the table at all. Some of the gear they fabricate is world class…

How does one get started?

Go to arrl.org and join up. Read both their magazines every month. Locate your local ham group and start going to their meetings. They will help you to quickly get a license.

What happens next depends on your interests. The choices are vast and interesting.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#22

Post by CamperBob2 »

topspin wrote: post #5
silisili wrote: post #2

For anyone confused like I was, this isn't about mailchimp shutting down, but rather a company named MFJ, which apparently makes amateur radio gear.

They offer a huge catalog of low cost equipment. Some of it is very popular and much of it is pretty niche. Quality is occasionally an issue: you buy their stuff with expectations commensurate to the price or you risk being disappointed. That is a feasible business model with hams, however. Then again, maybe not? I can't think of any one thing they make that isn't available elsewhere. Some of their bread and butter t…

That's a good point. I'm sure the NanoVNA and similar gadgets have utterly demolished the market for dedicated antenna analyzers, and those really were MFJ's bread-and-butter products.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#24

Post by klysm »

jonifico wrote: post #19

It's a bit sad to make such a decision when you're almost 80. Realizing the importance of time with your family so late gives you so little time. A few years ago, I read about the regrets of dying people, and many of them related to spending more time with their families... That was one of the reasons I decided to close my company last year (after 20 years; I'm 45 now) and start over, working with just a few customer…

Yeah but you can only do that if you have money

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#25

Post by JKCalhoun »

topspin wrote: post #8
michaelbuckbee wrote: post #4

I'm not a Ham, but my grandfather (W8IGY) was, and I credit him for letting me know a larger, more technical community existed "out there" than what was apparent from the small rural town I grew up in the pre-internet days. Ham radio's time has come and gone, but I still treasure the memories of listening to him talk to people all over the world. MFJ shutting down is likely one of the final nails in the coffin, but I…

> Ham radio's time has come and gone, but I still treasure the memories of listening to him talk to people all over the world. Those people all over the world are still there. Every day. The airwaves are full. Yesterday I was handed off between a dozen Italians working contacts in the US. I have to hand it to European hams. They don't leave anything on the table at all. Some of the gear they fabricate is world class…

Is there something like Messier objects for radio?

I imagine some kind of numbered, curated list of radio achievements that would be a mini-lesson on gear needed, antennae, frequencies covered, theory and what the goal is.

Or maybe they're more like Scout badges.

Anyway, I have drifted in and out of a fascination with radio. When I drift toward it I often find I am quickly in over my head — or rudderless.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#27

Post by etn »

MBCook wrote: post #3
silisili wrote: post #2

For anyone confused like I was, this isn't about mailchimp shutting down, but rather a company named MFJ, which apparently makes amateur radio gear.

TONS of it. Everything you could need. Need a key for Morse code? A Morse code trainer? An antenna tuner? Antenna? Power supply? Test equipment? They had EVERYTHING. https://mfjenterprises.com/ If you’re a ham this is sort of like CDW or NewEgg closing, but they’re #1 by a massive margin and well loved. No one else had the variety of stuff they did as I remember.

My neighbor, around 1984 or so had what appears to be the LP-1009A antennae right by my bedroom. No one believed me when I told my family and friends that I could hear a person speaking French from my record player.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#29

Post by kevindamm »

alostpuppy wrote: post #15
topspin wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ham radio's time has come and gone, but I still treasure the memories of listening to him talk to people all over the world. Those people all over the world are still there. Every day. The airwaves are full. Yesterday I was handed off between a dozen Italians working contacts in the US. I have to hand it to European hams. They don't leave anything on the table at all. Some of the gear they fabricate is world class…

How does one get started?

If you can find a HamFest in your area (they tend to pick up around the summer months) that's a great place to start and maybe meet a local Ham. If you know someone with a license you can operate at their station and under their call sign with their supervision and pick up a lot of the protocols and what the restrictions on popular bands are.

Picking up a Technical License or General License exam prep book is a good way to learn a lot of the radio and electronics technology too.

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