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MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

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Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#81

Post by plowjockey »

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…

Actually, comparing the price to the quality/functionality, MFJ stuff is usually priced at a premium versus the kit or one-man-shop devices that they copied. Pricing also seldom changed in response to lower demand (thinking of the venerable MFJ-1270 TNC as interest in packet radio fell off in the late '90s and early '00s). Then there is the case where MFJ bought the rights to Coastal Chip works TNC-X and TNC-Pi and the prices went up significantly. MFJ has been a one-stop-shop for a lot of ham radio gadgets and accessories but were seldom the best value on the market as the pricing reflected their "No Matter What" warranty.

Other than an older Ameritron amplifier, which may predate the MFJ acquisition, I see nothing with the MFJ logo looking around my "shack". I moved on from MFJ many years ago and sought better alternatives. Some years ago I bought a Rig Expert AA230-ZOOM analyzer that is far more capable, stable, and compact than any of the MFJ analyzers I had used prior. I also have a NanoVNA that I use for 70cm that is beyond the range of the AA230-ZOOM. Other items in the shack are better built and better performing than their MFJ counterparts such as a West Mountain Radio DC power strip and Palstar and LDG tuners.

I am concerned about the fate of Ameritron and Hy-Gain. These two product lines have a strong history that pre-dates their acquisition by MFJ and it would be a shame to see them disappear from the ham radio marketplace.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#82

Post by doom2 »

wly_cdgr wrote: post #69
poopsmithe wrote: post #9

73

I saw that he signed off with that in the letter. What does it mean? Founding year? Callsign? Channel?

It means "best regards". In Morse code transmissions, a lot of words and phrases are shortened to commonly understood abbreviations and pro-signs. You can see an example here: http://lidscw.org/resources/cq-qso-template and a list of such abbreviations here: https://cwops.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CW-Abbreviation...

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#83

Post by swalberg »

wly_cdgr wrote: post #69
poopsmithe wrote: post #9

73

I saw that he signed off with that in the letter. What does it mean? Founding year? Callsign? Channel?

It's a short form of "best regards". In message handling there was a table of numbers that could stand in for phrases to save time. That one made it to common ham lingo.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#84

Post by lightlyused »

K7PJP wrote: post #40
neilv wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the letter didn't say whether they'd tried to sell the business, or find other management for it. That's definitely a question that comes to mind. (There might not be buyers, the business might not be sustainable, the company space might be built into their home, they might have to sell commercial real estate for medical expenses or to get their estate in order, etc. Or maybe they're preoccupied with personal m…

He was trying to sell the company. The scuttlebutt is he declined an offer from DX Engineering, which is a shame because that would've been perhaps the best match.

There probably was an offer but I bet if you look at the books the price that was wanted was not what it was actually worth.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#86

Post by plowjockey »

topspin wrote: post #52
K7PJP wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was trying to sell the company. The scuttlebutt is he declined an offer from DX Engineering, which is a shame because that would've been perhaps the best match.

Indeed. DX Engineering is exactly what I would have thought as well. Half their catalog is MFJ.

As is half of any of the retailers' catalogs.

I'd like to see DXE acquire the Hy-Gain and Ameritron lines if possible.

I've not followed this closely to know if Martin wanted to sell everything as a single unit or had entertained offers for the individual brands he's acquired over the years. Hopefully if it was the former he'll now consider the latter.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#87

Post by sidewndr46 »

topspin wrote: post #31
cogman10 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I am surprised that someone didn't want to buy them. I mean... how big is the market for ham radios? I've not really met an enthusiast that wasn't at least 10 years older than I am.

One thing to remember about ham radio is that there is a bit of natural bias in the demographic: a lot of the stuff involved requires a certain minimum amount of things that older people tend to have. Property being one of the keys. HF antennas, towers, etc. are essentially outlawed by HOAs and entirely infeasible for renters. Some of the equipment is pricey as well. You can do a lot at low cost and without property,…

This continued piece of disinformation is incredibly destructive to the hobby.

You don't need a tower or a huge piece of property to get involved with ham radio. I do most of my operation portable, sometimes operating out of a backpack and have plenty of fun with it.

If you want to put up an antenna as a renter you can easily do so on a small freestanding tripod.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#88

Post by plowjockey »

topspin wrote: post #60
wrycoder wrote: post #30

I wonder what the ARRL is going to do for advertising. Half their ads were from MFJ and Ameritron. And sad for all the people in the Starkville area who have had jobs there for so many decades.

> I wonder what the ARRL is going to do for advertising. Half their ads were from MFJ and Ameritron. They just stopped printing their monthly QST magazine at the start of 2024. It's digital only now.

Mostly digital. For an extra $25 per anum one can still get the print QST mailed as it always was but for the regular membership dues QST is digital only. However, the membership dues also include digital access to National Contest Journal, QEX, and On The Air. Perhaps it was at my suggestion along with others but ARRL has enabled PDF downloads of all content via the digital provider. These PDFs are fully text searchable and much smaller than a "print to PDF" version that was a collection of graphical images for each page.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#89

Post by plowjockey »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #35
ChrisArchitect wrote: post #26

Could we update the title to something like... A Heavy Sad Heart - MFJ Enterprises to cease amateur radio product production

The correct title is: MFJ: A Heavy Sad Heart It seems like that might help? (I know nothing about ham radio but insiders seem to recognize MFJ.)

It didn't take long to get acquainted with them as the company would send a complimentary catalog to new licensees and to those who upgraded their license class. At least that was the case years back.

Re: MFJ is ceasing its on-site production

#90

Post by plowjockey »

clbrmbr wrote: post #37

My first HF rig was an MFJ 40m CW kit that I built with the Bergen Amateur Radio Association. What a mighty fine group that was. I got some excellent mentorship, in amateur and other matters. Thank you M.F.J.! you’ve left a legacy of fond memories with this last generation of radio amateurs.

The first MFJ product I bought was a 941-C Versa Tuner circa 1984 or so. A few years later I tried to load my 80m dipole as a Marconi antenna with 100 Watts. With only about 35 feet of vertical feedline that didn't work so well. In the process the torroid transformers overheated and melted the PVC forms the transformers were housed in. A few years later I ordered replacements from MFJ and these had a larger torroid, Teflon insulated wire, and sandwiched between phenolic wafers for mounting. I sold it a few years later after procuring a second hand 949-D tuner.

I also had a 986 Differential Tee tuner for a number of years that I replaced with a Palstar AT1500DT differential tee tuner. I routinely had to pull the 986 out and clean and lubricate it. I've had the Palstar about 15 years and have yet to open it up. The Palstar was priced about 50% higher than the MFJ but the quality is an order of magnitude better. With the Palstar I only cried once, as the saying goes.

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