This is going to sound very weird - but here goes. I was driving home the other day and I heard the Seals & Crofts song with the same lyric - "We may never come this way again." And oddly enough, it brought to mind MFJ and how perhaps we may never see the likes of it again. It's very odd how my brain works, sometimes! Scares even me!

I got to thinking that if there was any MFJ product in particular that I liked, now would be the time to try and find it. Stock is depleting and there haven't been any announcements of an interest coming forward to take on the torch, as it were.

I really, really like my MFJ-1982LP End Fed. Coupled with Dave KD2FSI's MFJ-1982HP, these have been our Field Day antennas for years now with nary a complaint from anyone from SPARC. And the fact that they let us place high in our category every year doesn't damage their reputation any. I've also used it for the Skeeter Hunt and FOBB with satisfactory results. The SWR is excellent on all the bands and really the only band that requires the KX3's autotuner is on 30 Meters.  And even there, it doesn't take the KX3 a long time to match it up. I realize that it's not a tr-band Yagi up at 50 feet, but I'm never going to have one of those, anyway. You play with the hand that you're dealt.

So I decided to try and find one for home, as a replacement for the W3EDP. I found a HP (high power) version at GigaParts. Not only does the LP version seem to be out of stock everywhere, but I do turn up the power to 85 Watts to participate on the St. Max Net on Sunday evenings.

So I purchased one. This antenna is 132 feet long so there might be some finagling to get it to fit in the backyard. I'm thinking I might have to bring the last 20 feet or so down as a sloper. That's not the end of the world, and I'll find a way to make it fit. I had a full sized G5RV up at one time - this should be not much more difficult than that to make fit.

My OCD notwithstanding, from early on in my Novice days, I have found out that antennas don't have to be "perfectly" installed in order to work. My very first antenna was a MOR-GAIN fan dipole. In no way, shape or form did that antenna get installed with the two legs in a straight line!  It was a sharp, horizontal "V", and my Ham friends would come over and look at it and ask me, "How in the world do you make contacts with THAT?" But I did and it served me well for years!

So this is the current configuration of the W3EDP:

Most of the ham world has seen the MFJ shuttering domestic production announcement: https://mailchi.mp/62e24f2ccc99/a-heavy-sad-heart Some backstory about MFJ: https://mfjenterprises.com/pages/the-story-of-mfj-enterprises-inc Martin F. Jue, K5FLU was a friend of George W9EVT, and when I take George the Dayton Hamvention we usually had a meet & greet with Martin K5FLU. I cannot say Martin would remember me beyond […]

Didn’t see it coming. I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt completely blindsided to hear that MFJ Enterprises, a name that is surely known by every ham radio operator, is going out of business. The end of MFJ will also result in the sunset of its subsidiary brands,... Read more »

The post Everyone is an “MFJ Guy”: COMMENTARY appeared first on Off Grid Ham.

Ein Funkenschlag durch die Welt der Amateurfunkgemeinschaft! MFJ, bekannt für innovative und zugleich günstiges Amateurfunkzubehör, kündigt das Ende seiner Produktion in Mississippi an. Was wird aus der beliebten Serie an Zubehör für Funkgeräte? Das Ende einer Ära: MFJ schließt die Produktion in Mississippi Kaum zu glauben, dass MFJ, einer der führenden Hersteller von Amateurfunkzubehör wie … Das Ende einer Ära: MFJ schließt die Produktion in Mississippi – Was bedeutet das für die Amateurfunkwelt? weiterlesen

This evening I learned that MFJ is planning to shut down. I really got to spend more time reading the newsgroups….

Anyway…. Here is what I have on it….

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Dear Fellow Hams and Friends,
April 25, 2024
Dear Fellow Hams and Friends,

It is with a sad heart as I write this letter.

As many of you have heard by now, MFJ is ceasing its on-site production in Starkville, Mississippi on May 17, 2024. This is also the same for our sister companies’ Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft, Mirage and Vectronics.

Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago. Our product line grew and grew and prospered. Covid changed everything in businesses including ours. It was the hardest hit that we have ever had and we never fully recovered.

I turned 80 this year. I had never really considered retirement but life is so short and my time with my family is so precious.

I want to thank all of our employees who have helped build this company with me over the years. We have many employees who have made MFJ their career for 10, 20, 30, 40 and more years.

We are going to continue to sell MFJ products past May 17, 2024. We have a lot of stock on hand. We will continue to offer repair service work for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units for the foreseeable future.

Finally, a special thanks to all of our customers and our dealers who have made MFJ a worldwide name and a profitable business for so many years. You all are so much appreciated.

Sincerely Yours, 73s

Martin F. Jue, K5FLU

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Now not only the MFJ brand but remember the other brands they own…

73bob

Many thanks to a number of readers who’ve sent me the following email announcement (that I unfortunately) also received today from Martin Jue at MFJ Enterprises: Heavy Sad Heart Dear Fellow Hams and Friends, April 25, 2024 Dear Fellow Hams and Friends, It is with a sad heart as I write this letter. As many […]

There have been rumors floating around for the past couple of days that MFJ was going to discontinue production. That seemed almost impossible to me because they’ve become such a big part of amateur radio. Nonetheless, the rumors are true. Martin Jue sent out this message earlier today:

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April 25, 2024

Dear Fellow Hams and Friends,

It is with a sad heart as I write this letter

As many of you have heard by now, MFJ is ceasing its on-site production in Starkville, Mississippi on May 17, 2024.  This is also the same for our sister companies’ Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft, Mirage and Vectronics.

Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago.  Our product line grew and grew and prospered.  Covid changed everything in businesses including ours.  It was the hardest hit that we have ever had and we never fully recovered.

I turned 80 this year.  I had never really considered retirement but life is so short and my time with my family is so precious.

I want to thank all of our employees who have helped build this company with me over the years.  We have many employees who have made MFJ their career for 10, 20, 30, 40 and more years.

We are going to continue to sell MFJ products past May 17, 2024.  We have a lot of stock on hand. We will continue to offer repair service work for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units for the foreseeable future.

Finally, a special thanks to all of our customers and our dealers who have made MFJ a worldwide name and a profitable business for so many years.  You all are so much appreciated.

Sincerely Yours, 73s
Martin F. Jue, K5FLU

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I would be surprised if someone didn’t buy the company—there was talk that DX Engineering made an offer—but at this point, it doesn’t appear that there’s a buyer. Stay tuned.