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 <n...@elecraft.com> 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 <d...@kj0f.com> 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
