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

[Herbert Schoenbohm]

Some may remember their first commercial transmitter back in the 50's at an
affordable price was the Globe Scout made in Council Bluffs, Iowa and sold
by Leo Meyerson.  I believe his company was called World Radio.  He also
sold the first affordable amplifiers like the Globe King which was 500
watts of QRO.  Leo was  direct competition to Art Collins across the state
in Cedar Rapids, IA who sold high end ham equipment.  The Globe Scout was
great since it worked on 160 meters and so did the Collins 75A series
receivers. .This ham equipment manufacturers were all bunched up together
as just across the Iowa border to the north was E.F. Johnson Company in
Waseca, MN.  Their Viking Ranger and later the Valiant were transmitters
with built in VFO's  and both also covered 160 meters. When Art Collins got
the contract to supply radios to the U.S. Air force and also supply the
worldwide communications links via the SAC, run by his good friend Gen.
Curtis LeMay (also a ham), it brought SSB technology to the amateur world.


First licensed in 1954 as W0VXO I had the good fortune in visiting all
these facilities.  It was strange to me for my first time visit to Collins
in the huge Cherry Burrell building that in order to go inside I needed
first a security clearance. I appears they were making the best shortwave
communications equipment in the world and rightfully so that they did not
want their military component stuff compromised.


Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ

On Sun, Apr 1, 2018 at 7:38 AM, Kenneth D. Moak <km8am at ctcn.net> wrote:

> 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
>
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>
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>
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