[TowerTalk] HyGain Antenna Quality control issues: Let's Put MFJ in Perspective

[Drew Vonada-Smith]

Friends,

 
I am an electronics engineer, involved for many years in electronics, including manufacturing at several small companies. I understand that we are not all wealthy, and there is a place for product's like MFJ's.  But that is not the issue.

 
Design tradeoffs like cheaper materials, poorer fit and finish, simple enclosures, and less functional capability are all part of saving money. That is acceptable.  But quality is not a cost issue.

 
Let me repeat that.  *Quality is not a cost issue.*  Poor quality comes from poor processes, and ultimately, from not giving a damn about improving them.  Better procedures and improved quality SAVES money. You don't think it is expensive to reship bad parts?

 
In all the years I bought MFJ, nothing ever "just worked".  Not a single product.  That is shameful.  But then, I had experiences with a supervisor at MFJ actually laughing at me when I pointed out how easy it was to do things a better way.  He didn't care, and found it humorous that anyone else did.  In this case, it was warping a bracket with pliers to force it to fit, rather than drilling one additional hole so the same part could be used on left and right sides.  I gave up and just swore to never deal with that issue again.

 
I can tell you, absolutely, that the quality problem at MFJ is because key people don't care.  It might be Martin, it might not., I can't say.  But the steps needed to fix it are easy, well understood, and save money.  MFJ just chooses not to implement change.  After my last interaction, I refuse to have anything further to do with them.

 
73,
Drew K3PA
 
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2018 07:38:30 -0400
From: "Kenneth D. Moak" <km8am at ctcn.net>
To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] HyGain Antenna Quality control issues: Let's Put
MFJ inPerspective
Message-ID:
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Content-Type: text/plain;charset="us-ascii"

Let's Put MFJ in Perspective

 

It seems like ragging on MFJ has been, and may always be, a popular sport,
but let's put the whole topic in perspective.

 

Can you buy higher quality and more expensive products? Sure. 

 

Do most well-heeled hams buy these other products? Sure.

 

But that is NOT MFJ's target market.  Martin Jue is building equipment for
the average ham looking for functional gear at a reasonable price.  Face it,
most Hams are cheap.  We want it as close to free as possible when we're
young and just starting out.  We also buy MFJ when we just don't need
Agilent or Tektronix specification  

 

Full Disclosure:  As a 40+ years Hams, My XYL and I have bought lots of MFJ,
Hy-Gain, and Cushcraft gear from when we had 42 cents in the bank to as
recently as last month.  We also have Flex radios, JK antennas, and two LUSO
towers.  We're not MFJ "fanboys." We're just trying to look at the whole
picture. 

 

While we're at it, let say it up front:  Lots of folks complain about the
need to "Buy American."  Well face it - without Martin Jue of MFJ, many of
the "Big Names" in Ham Radio would have been extinct right now if MFJ didn't
save these companies to keep them in the US.  Obviously the way they
operated in the past couldn't compete in today's market.  

 

MFJ found a way to compete, and enough people think that the occasional
missing screw or wayward hole is not a big deal.  MFJ's No Matter What
Warranty is also better than you get from most other manufacturers - US or
overseas.

 

When we started out, we wanted gear that we could afford, that worked well
enough to get us on the air, and if we had to "adjust it" that was ok.  We
had plenty of time and not much money.  MFJ supplied that gear.  We used MFJ
gear, and we had fun!

 

Frankly we don't care what the assembly room looks like as long as in the
long run the product works.  Actually, we think if anyone looked at the
actual defect rates and not just anecdotal internet "facts," we think the
numbers are way better than suspected.

 

MFJ is not manufacturing computer CPUs.  In fact, we think if you visited
several of the "high-end" custom antenna houses that you would find very
similar conditions.  Try it.

 

In the end, Martin Jue provides a service for the overall Amateur radio
community.  He fills a critical need and his sales show it.  He survives
when the companies he saved had failed.

 

The bottom line is that if you don't like MFJ, go someplace else.  Many
others will take your place in line.

 

Ken & Karen Moak

KM8AM & KM8Q