[TowerTalk] "Elephant Antenna" stories?

[Tom Rauch]

N0AH wrote:

> As for the antenna accomplishments posted here- it seems a certain
> population of  "tower talk junkies"  live for bashing antenna testimonies
> with computer models and slide rules.  Yet a certain number of them, help
> make and/or design MFJ products.  Some products that I've personally
> experienced a 50-100% failure rate with when trying them out-  

Just to clear the record.

I am an independent engineer who derives about 30% of my 
income from MFJ owned companies. I am responsible for the 
design or parts of the design for  virtually all Ameritron products 
and some selected MFJ products like most of the circuitry in the 
MFJ antenna analyzer and some digital portions, portions of the 
DSP unit, and the antenna noise canceller system. From time to 
time I give advice on other products. 

I have designed commercial antenna systems, but nothing for 
amateur radio from MFJ except RF portions of the loop antenna 
systems, and some corrections to the control system.

Paul's opinion seems to be that some member of this group is a 
poor engineer, and that half-to-all of the products "don't work". 

I also have designed or contributed to the design of products from 
several other consumer electronics companies including Zenith, 
Heathkit, Magnavox and RF products for medical companies.

I'm not aware of anyone else on this reflector who does any work 
for MFJ or MFJ owned companies, so I assume Paul is referencing 
me.

> Are these the "guys" you are referring to as your hero's?  I'm not going
> to list names, they know who they are- and they have their opinions like
> we have our's. But I think if you dig a little bit, you'll find a lot more
> elephant droppings in certain tech head statements then you will in the
> personal testimonies of hams and their antennas on Tower Talk.   

I personally find it ironic that you attack the one person who 
constantly pushes for better truth in advertising (ask Brad Thomson 
formerly with the ARRL, I've tried for YEARS to get them to 
establish a reliable rating system for tuners) and pushes Martin Jue 
to spend more money on QC and more expensive products, while 
bitching and blaming me for creating the very problems I try to 
change!

I'm considered a pain-in-the-rear in the industry because I go after 
false technical claims, and you apparently consider me the root of 
the false claims and poor products! Some days you can't win!

I hope the Towertalk reflector doesn't evolve into the kind of reflector 
the amps reflector has been.


73, Tom W8JI
w8ji@contesting.com

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