MFJ Ceasing Production

[palmerjrusa]

I have a MFJ clock?? still works! , Marcy View attachment 161093

Also have one of these from way, way back.

It's an SOB to set the time though and keeps time poorly, one side noticeably more so than the other.

Also have an old style Alinco analog bedside-type clock where you can determine the time anywhere by rotating the outer dial. That thing keeps time like an atomic clock😀

 

[Blackswan73]

Here’s the clock I purchased from MFJ

B.S.

 

[TAC4]

Their LCD RTTY decoder was a game changer back in the
UTILITY LISTENING days when Military Navys around the
world 🌎 used that mode and it also decoded CW with ease.

 

[n1ofj]

Well, looks like QST just lost a dozen or so pages of advertising every issue.

Makes you wonder if the ARRL knew about this last year and this is what drove charging separately for QST magazine, which was always included with membership

 

[GlobalNorth]

Makes you wonder if the ARRL knew about this last year and this is what drove charging separately for QST magazine, which was always included with membership

They had to know Mr. Jue was in his upper 70's then and refused to sell the business at fire sale pricing.

 

[merlin]

I have a MFJ clock?? still works! , Marcy View attachment 161093

Yep. Mine sits here under my monitor. Both gain about a minute a month, so time to change batteries.

 

[k6cpo]

I have a MFJ clock?? still works! , Marcy View attachment 161093

I had one of those. One side would run forever on a single battery and the other side ate a battery in less than a month. I eventually gave it away.

 

[wwhitby]

Here’s the clock I purchased from MFJ

B.S.

I've had mine for almost 30 years. Works fine for me.

 

[Boombox]

For someone just starting to explore the hobby, that has always been in the back of my mind...is this a dying hobby? I'm 47 so I've got some time left on this planet (hopefully anyway)...will there be 15 hams out there to talk to come my 50's? lol

I'm partially kidding, but curious for folks "on the ground" in the hobby, is there any fresh blood getting into the hobby? I'd be very curious to know after the age of the internet, what the average age of a ham radio starting out is.

The ham numbers, at least in the US, are dropping from a high over 700K 3 years ago. So obviously although there are still a lot of ham operators, I think a lot of them are inactive, if tuning across the HF bands (and 2 Meters, which is generally dead here) is any indication, when compared to maybe 15-20 years ago.

 

[Boombox]

It's sad to see such a company fold. I remember seeing all the different products offered in the ads in Pop Comm and Monitoring Times. I almost bought one of the code / RTTY readers that was posted upthread. It's a sign of the times -- poor economy for many, internet taking over all forms of communication, younger demographics not interested in radio, much less ham radio.

 

[AK9R]

The ham numbers, at least in the US, are dropping from a high over 700K 3 years ago.

The total of U.S. licensees was 750,996 as of 06-May-2024.

 

[ladn]

The ham numbers, at least in the US, are dropping from a high over 700K 3 years ago. So obviously although there are still a lot of ham operators, I think a lot of them are inactive, if tuning across the HF bands (and 2 Meters, which is generally dead here) is any indication, when compared to maybe 15-20 years ago.

I'm not convinced it's a simple numbers issue. Based on what I hear over the air along with what I read here (and on other forums) I think the issue has to do with a lack of technical interest--many hams today are complacent to be appliance operators

 

[AK9R]

MFJ actually made stuff for "appliance operators". They sold cables for connecting radios to sound card adapters or TNCs. They sold switch boxes for switching between a transceiver and an SDR. They sold external amplifier interface boxes. All of those items were designed, I think, for people who didn't have the skills or inclination to make these simple accessories for themselves.

I'm going to take Martin Jue at face value on this. He is up in years, didn't want to continue the business any further, and couldn't find a buyer who satisfied his terms. Yes, there may be more to it, but anything more is just speculation.

 

[MTS2000des]

MFJ closing down manufacturing facilities effective May 17th 2024

The above post provides great insight and observations into not only MFJ, but the electronic industry in this country in general. It's worth reading and brings full circle what happened and why.

 

[KF5LJW]

MFJ and ham radio operators are synonymous and have the same well-deserved reputations.

 

[GlobalNorth]

With the pending closure of MFJ, I wonder how many manufacturers will remain. I'm not speaking of the Japanese 'big 3', but the smaller entities who sell antennas, amplifiers, tuners, microphones, meters, and all the little things that a shack needs or helps it run well.

With the printed QST gone, I've found myself thinking less and less of operating a fully functioning shack in my new home and just monitoring.

 

[AK9R]

Attached is the advertisers index from the May 2024 QST (which is still being printed). I think there are many "smaller entities" who will remain in business and may do just fine with MFJ gone.

One can also look at the list of exhibitors who have reserved inside spaces for the upcoming Hamvention to get an idea of the health of the amateur radio accessory market: Dayton Hamvention 2024 Indoor Commercial Vendor Listings

 

[Marcy57]

Wow...Ten-Tec is still around ? cool! I had a Ten-Tec 340 (wish I did not sell it!)
and a Ten-Tec Omni D early 80,s as a novice loved it! and West Mountain they
have some neat stuff got alot of cables and stuff from them..thanks for posting
that...73,s happy monitoring...Marcy

( and alot of Ferrites from Palomar ! they sure do help around the shack!)

 

[Marcy57]

West Mountain was the only one I could find that had a cable that would
go from my Icom 7610 to my Wavecom 4050 ..
Marcy

 

[Boombox]

The total of U.S. licensees was 750,996 as of 06-May-2024.

It was over 780K in 2021. So it's dropped by 50K since then. In 2023 it was 755,368, so it's dropped by over 4K in the last year.