Elecraft

BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Classic

List

Threaded

31 messages Options

KENT TRIMBLE

BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and
in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:

"MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or
100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC
board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It
handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a
sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge
tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current drain.
MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides right into
the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this
great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"

What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?

Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?

https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3

73,

Kent K9ZTV

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

wayne burdick

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Administrator

I'll be keeping my K3S 100% stock, thank you.

Wayne
N6KR

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 8:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>
>
> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver. MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
>
>
> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>
> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>
> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>
> 73,
>
> Kent K9ZTV

Doug Person-5

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by KENT TRIMBLE

MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they
have to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But,
that doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They
have been selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit
surprising given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ
has with automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to
Elecraft that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.

Doug --KJØF

On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:

> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table.
> Took one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second
> page and in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>
>
> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3
> transceiver. MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft
> K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic
> antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up
> to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna
> port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas
> discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current
> drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides
> right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound.
> Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
>
>
> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>
> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>
> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>
> 73,
>
> Kent K9ZTV
>
>
>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Ken G Kopp

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Wonder if it's held in the K3 with hot glue like they use to hold the panel
meters in their antenna tuners .... have seen this in a tuner purchased by
a friend.

73 !

K0PP

On Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 10:01 Doug Person <[hidden email]> wrote:

> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
> probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they
> have to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But,
> that doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They
> have been selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit
> surprising given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ
> has with automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to
> Elecraft that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>
> Doug --KJØF
>
> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
> > Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table.
> > Took one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second
> > page and in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
> >
> >
> > "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
> > the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3
> > transceiver. MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft
> > K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic
> > antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up
> > to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna
> > port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas
> > discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current
> > drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides
> > right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound.
> > Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
> >
> >
> > What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
> > shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
> >
> > Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
> >
> > https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Kent K9ZTV
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---
> > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> > https://www.avg.com
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> --
> 73 de Doug -- KJ0F
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Dr. William J. Schmidt, II

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by Doug Person-5

There isn't really much in the way of smarts on the clone board. It's simply the tuner elements (coils and capacitors), a few relays, the relay driver chips, and gas tubes. The actual tuning smarts comes from elsewhere within the K3. This isn’t much of a stretch for a clone.

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Doug Person
Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 11:00 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.

Doug --KJØF

On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:

> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
> one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and
> in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>
>
> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
> MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft
> K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic
> antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up
> to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna
> port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas
> discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current
> drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides
> right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound.
> Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
>
>
> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>
> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>
> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>
> 73,
>
> Kent K9ZTV
>
>
>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

--
73 de Doug -- KJ0F

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

HK3J

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

I need an automatic tuner antenna for an ACOM A1000 amplifier. Does anyone
know of any brand or dealer that sells this antenna tuner? Will MFJ release
an automatic tuner antenna for 1000 watts? I hope some guidance response.
Thank you.
Dr. Germán Durán HK3J. Bogota Colombia
Internist and Nephrologist and devoted ham.

El dom., 7 abr. 2019 a las 11:15, Dr. William J. Schmidt (<
[hidden email]>) escribió:

> There isn't really much in the way of smarts on the clone board. It's
> simply the tuner elements (coils and capacitors), a few relays, the relay
> driver chips, and gas tubes. The actual tuning smarts comes from elsewhere
> within the K3. This isn’t much of a stretch for a clone.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:
> [hidden email]] On Behalf Of Doug Person
> Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 11:00 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ
>
> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
> probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have
> to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that
> doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been
> selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising
> given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with
> automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft
> that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>
> Doug --KJØF
>
> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
> > Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
> > one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and
> > in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
> >
> >
> > "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
> > the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
> > MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft
> > K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic
> > antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up
> > to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna
> > port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas
> > discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current
> > drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides
> > right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound.
> > Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
> >
> >
> > What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
> > shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
> >
> > Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
> >
> > https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Kent K9ZTV
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---
> > This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> > https://www.avg.com
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
> > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> --
> 73 de Doug -- KJ0F
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

wayne burdick

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Administrator

In reply to this post by Doug Person-5

I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product line that's really unique in the industry.

That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how they might improve their ATU.

Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details, you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator in Monterey.)

Wayne
N6KR

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:00 AM, Doug Person <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>
> Doug --KJØF
>
> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
>> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>>
>>
>> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver. MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
>>
>>
>> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>>
>> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>>
>> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Kent K9ZTV

wayne burdick

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Administrator

In reply to this post by Dr. William J. Schmidt, II

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:15 AM, Dr. William J. Schmidt <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> There isn't really much in the way of smarts on the clone board. It's simply the tuner elements (coils and capacitors), a few relays, the relay driver chips, and gas tubes. The actual tuning smarts comes from elsewhere within the K3. This isn’t much of a stretch for a clone.
>

That's correct. The heart of any binary-weighted L-network ATU is in the firmware, which we've been improving since I first wrote the code for the KAT2. The latest incarnation of this code is in the KAT1500, the ATU included in the KPA1500 amp. My colleague K6KR has done a great job of tweaking the algorithm to eek out that last tenth of an SWR unit on every match.

Wayne
N6KR

>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Doug Person
> Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 11:00 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ
>
> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>
> Doug --KJØF
>
> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
>> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
>> one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and
>> in the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>>
>>
>> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
>> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
>> MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft
>> K3 10 Watt or 100 Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic
>> antenna tuner PC board features an L-Match design and can match SWR up
>> to 10:1. It handles 100 Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna
>> port, and a sub-rx SMA port. All antenna ports are protected with gas
>> discharge tubes. Super sensitive relay allows excellent low current
>> drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1 1/4D inches and easily slides
>> right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs less than 1/2 pound.
>> Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and save $$$!"
>>
>>
>> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
>> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>>
>> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>>
>> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Kent K9ZTV

Ken G Kopp

OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

Perhaps the matter stems from the nationality of MFJ's owner and a
different set of values.

K0PP

On Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 10:28 Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any
> of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's
> versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna
> switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product
> line that's really unique in the industry.
>
> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how
> they might improve their ATU.
>
> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for
> 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive
> heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case
> match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on
> extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details,
> you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD
> components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or
> reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the
> buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing
> these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator
> in Monterey.)
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
> > On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:00 AM, Doug Person <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
> probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have
> to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that
> doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been
> selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising
> given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with
> automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft
> that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
> >
> > Doug --KJØF
> >
> > On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
> >> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
> one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and in
> the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
> >>
> >>
> >> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
> MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or 100
> Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC board
> features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It handles 100
> Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a sub-rx SMA port.
> All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge tubes. Super sensitive
> relay allows excellent low current drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1
> 1/4D inches and easily slides right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs
> less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and
> save $$$!"
> >>
> >>
> >> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
> >>
> >> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
> >>
> >> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
> >>
> >> 73,
> >>
> >> Kent K9ZTV
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Josh Fiden

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Are you kidding? His *nationality* is American. Unless I misunderstand, your stereotype comment is utterly offensive.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_F._Jue

...de W6XU

Sent from my mobile device

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:35 AM, Ken G Kopp <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Perhaps the matter stems from the nationality of MFJ's owner and a
> different set of values.
>
> K0PP
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Ben Hall-2

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

On 4/7/2019 11:47 AM, Josh Fiden wrote:
> Are you kidding? His *nationality* is American.

Indeed, he is 100% American. Watch the YouTube video where he gives a
tour of the factory if you have any doubt! He talks about his ancestors
coming over to work on the railroads...and has a wonderful Southern accent.

thanks much and 73,
ben, kd5byb

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

wayne burdick

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Administrator

In reply to this post by Josh Fiden

I've met Martin on several occasions. He's a gentleman and an entrepreneur with a long track record of serving the ham community. Can we just leave it at that?

Thanks,
Wayne
N6KR

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

GOBrien

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by Ben Hall-2

Hi everyone,
I had to jump in. I’ve known Martin for over 40 years and he is a fine Southern gentleman who received his M.S.E.E. from Mississippi State University. I too have an Asian heritage as my mother was Japanese. I bet you can’t guess what roots my father had. We love our USA!

George O’Brien
AB4FH
BS Physics Clemson Univ.
MS Physics Univ. Ala. In B’ham
Captain in US Air Force during Vietnam Era
First licensed as WN4PDQ in 1969

From: Ben Hall
Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 12:56 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

On 4/7/2019 11:47 AM, Josh Fiden wrote:
> Are you kidding? His *nationality* is American.

Indeed, he is 100% American. Watch the YouTube video where he gives a
tour of the factory if you have any doubt! He talks about his ancestors
coming over to work on the railroads...and has a wonderful Southern accent.

thanks much and 73,
ben, kd5byb

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Buddy Brannan

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by Ben Hall-2

I met Mr. MFJ, K5FLU, once as well, at the 100th ARRL anniversary do. Wait…Think it was there, although it could have as easily been another time, like Hamcomm a bazillion years ago. Anyway, as others have said, a gentleman in very sense. Soft spoken, well spoken, as ‘American as you or I. Oh wait. … I’m also half Asian, on my mother’s side, so…umm...

Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Email: [hidden email]
Mobile: (814) 431-0962

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 1:17 PM, George <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I had to jump in. I’ve known Martin for over 40 years and he is a fine Southern gentleman who received his M.S.E.E. from Mississippi State University. I too have an Asian heritage as my mother was Japanese. I bet you can’t guess what roots my father had. We love our USA!
>
> George O’Brien
> AB4FH
> BS Physics Clemson Univ.
> MS Physics Univ. Ala. In B’ham
> Captain in US Air Force during Vietnam Era
> First licensed as WN4PDQ in 1969
>
>
> From: Ben Hall
> Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 12:56 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ
>
> On 4/7/2019 11:47 AM, Josh Fiden wrote:
>> Are you kidding? His *nationality* is American.
>
> Indeed, he is 100% American. Watch the YouTube video where he gives a
> tour of the factory if you have any doubt! He talks about his ancestors
> coming over to work on the railroads...and has a wonderful Southern accent.
>
> thanks much and 73,
> ben, kd5byb
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Alan Bloom

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by wayne burdick

I've long had mixed feelings about MFJ. They have some very
interesting, innovative, and cost-competitive products. However
sometimes the quality isn't there. For example I have an MFJ antenna
analyzer that was intermittent until I fixed a poor ground connection.
I forget the details, but as I recall the problem was partly one of
design.

Alan N1AL

On 2019-04-07 09:28, Wayne Burdick wrote:

> I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product line that's really unique in the industry.
>
> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how they might improve their ATU.
>
> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details, you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator in Monterey.)
>
> Wayne
> N6KR
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Macy monkeys

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by Ken G Kopp

Ouch.

John K7FD

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:35 AM, Ken G Kopp <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Perhaps the matter stems from the nationality of MFJ's owner and a
> different set of values.
>
> K0PP
>
>> On Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 10:28 Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any
>> of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's
>> versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna
>> switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product
>> line that's really unique in the industry.
>>
>> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how
>> they might improve their ATU.
>>
>> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for
>> 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive
>> heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case
>> match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on
>> extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details,
>> you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD
>> components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or
>> reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the
>> buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing
>> these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator
>> in Monterey.)
>>
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:00 AM, Doug Person <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
>> probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have
>> to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that
>> doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been
>> selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising
>> given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with
>> automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft
>> that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>>>
>>> Doug --KJØF
>>>
>>>> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
>>>> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
>> one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and in
>> the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
>> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
>> MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or 100
>> Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC board
>> features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It handles 100
>> Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a sub-rx SMA port.
>> All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge tubes. Super sensitive
>> relay allows excellent low current drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1
>> 1/4D inches and easily slides right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs
>> less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and
>> save $$$!"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
>> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>>>>
>>>> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>>>>
>>>> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>>
>>>> Kent K9ZTV
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

donovanf

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Hi Wayne,

This repulsive thread need to be terminated immediately. I’ve never seen anything like it before on here.

73
Frank
W3LPL

----- Original Message -----
From: Macy monkeys <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Sun, 07 Apr 2019 13:30:51 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Ouch.

John K7FD

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:35 AM, Ken G Kopp <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Perhaps the matter stems from the nationality of MFJ's owner and a
> different set of values.
>
> K0PP
>
>> On Sun, Apr 7, 2019, 10:28 Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any
>> of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's
>> versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna
>> switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product
>> line that's really unique in the industry.
>>
>> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how
>> they might improve their ATU.
>>
>> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for
>> 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive
>> heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case
>> match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on
>> extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details,
>> you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD
>> components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or
>> reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the
>> buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing
>> these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator
>> in Monterey.)
>>
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Apr 7, 2019, at 9:00 AM, Doug Person <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>>
>>> MFJ has been a leader in automatic tuner technology for years. It was
>> probably a very simple engineering process for them to use what they have
>> to create a K3 tuner. You may have a dislike of MFJ products. But, that
>> doesn't preclude the fact that their tuners work very well. They have been
>> selling the K3 tuner for years. It doesn't seem the least bit surprising
>> given the modular nature of the K3 and the long history MFJ has with
>> automatic tuner technology. Maybe it's actually a complement to Elecraft
>> that MFJ takes the K3 so seriously.
>>>
>>> Doug --KJØF
>>>
>>>> On 4/7/2019 10:26 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote:
>>>> Ozarkcon yesterday. Break-time. Pile of MFJ catalogs on a table. Took
>> one back to my seat to kill time. Opened it up to the second page and in
>> the lower left corner is a box-ad with the following:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "MFJ ATU PC Board for Elecraft K-3 Rig. MFJ-950K3 is a super clone of
>> the KAT3 optional tuning board for the superb Elecraft K3 transceiver.
>> MFJ-950K3 is a direct plug-in PC board for the Elecraft K3 10 Watt or 100
>> Watt model. Covers 1.8 to 54 MHz. This automatic antenna tuner PC board
>> features an L-Match design and can match SWR up to 10:1. It handles 100
>> Watts. The ATU PC board has a second antenna port, and a sub-rx SMA port.
>> All antenna ports are protected with gas discharge tubes. Super sensitive
>> relay allows excellent low current drain. MFJ-950K3 is 4W x 3 1/2H x 1
>> 1/4D inches and easily slides right into the K3’s tuning board slot. Weighs
>> less than 1/2 pound. Pick up this great accessory for your K3 today and
>> save $$$!"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What in the world is that all about? What possible market are they
>> shooting at? Who would put anything "MFJ" in anything Elecraft?
>>>>
>>>> Someone enlighten me! Did I sleep through April 1st?
>>>>
>>>> https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-950K3
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>>
>>>> Kent K9ZTV
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

wayne burdick

Re: OT: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Administrator

Agreed!

Wayne
N6KR

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 10:37 AM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> Hi Wayne,
>
> This repulsive thread need to be terminated immediately. I’ve never seen anything like it before on here.
>
> 73
> Frank
> W3LPL

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

W2xj

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

In reply to this post by Alan Bloom

Mighty fine junk

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 7, 2019, at 10:22, Alan Bloom <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I've long had mixed feelings about MFJ. They have some very
> interesting, innovative, and cost-competitive products. However
> sometimes the quality isn't there. For example I have an MFJ antenna
> analyzer that was intermittent until I fixed a poor ground connection.
> I forget the details, but as I recall the problem was partly one of
> design.
>
> Alan N1AL
>
>> On 2019-04-07 09:28, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>>
>> I've used many MFJ products and in have had very little trouble with any of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product line that's really unique in the industry.
>>
>> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how they might improve their ATU.
>>
>> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal cores for 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in excessive heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into a worst-case match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain conservative based on extensive testing. Also, if you click on the photo to see the details, you'll see what appears to be very inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD components. While this doesn't necessarily worsen performance or reliability, it should be done in a way that inspires confidence in the buyer. (Easy for me to say, of course. We have the luxury of mass-producing these assemblies using automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator in Monterey.)
>>
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

hbjr

Re: BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Somebody pls close this thread!

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> On
Behalf Of W2xj
Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2019 2:22 PM
To: Alan Bloom <[hidden email]>
Cc: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] BIZARRE OFFERING FROM MFJ

Mighty fine junk

Sent from my iPhone

of them. For example, I make frequent use an MFJ-223 hand-held VNA -- it's
versatile and does the job. I've also used their manual tuners, antenna
switches, and portable/mobile whips. They have a very comprehensive product
line that's really unique in the industry.
>>
>> That said, I do have some suggestions for MFJ's engineering team on how
they might improve their ATU.

>>
>> Looking at the photo, I see that they used much smaller toroidal
>> cores for 5 of the 8 inductors in the L network. This could result in
>> excessive heating, especially on the higher bands, at full power into
>> a worst-case match. We specified T68 sized cores to remain
>> conservative based on extensive testing. Also, if you click on the
>> photo to see the details, you'll see what appears to be very
>> inconsistent hand soldering of the SMD components. While this doesn't
>> necessarily worsen performance or reliability, it should be done in a
>> way that inspires confidence in the buyer. (Easy for me to say, of
>> course. We have the luxury of mass-producing these assemblies using
>> automated pick-and-place equipment at our fabricator in Monterey.)
>>
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email
> list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html