Many thanks to a number of readers who’ve sent me the following email announcement (that, unfortunately, I 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 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
Unbelievable. I’m surprised there was no attempt to seek a buyer for the company
They’ve been for sale since November.
MFJ has been the butt of many jokes thru the years, but I bet there’s not a ham alive that doesn’t have some MFJ products in their shack. They provided an affordable line of just about all the accessories you could need. Not high end, but did the job for the most part. I hope they help out the workers being laid off.
It’s a sad day, but time marches on.
This is true.
Wish they could find a buyer here in America.
MFJ has become the Walmart for ham operators. It would be like all the Walmart shut down at once.
The owner just turned 80.
The co. Has had a good run for 52 years.
He now wants to spend time with his family.
Martin Jue deserves it.
I own several of the products.
MFJ will be sorely missed.
Wow, this is big and bad and sad. I always got great service from MFJ. Enjoy your retirement Martin!
de Karl Heinz – K5KHK
Truly sad. I still use several MFJ products; their ground tuner made it possible for me to get on the air at all over 30 years ago, and I still use it all the time, teamed with an even older MFJ antenna tuner that’ll tune most anything. My first and still favourite iambic keyer is also theirs.
It’s the end of an era, comparable to the passing of Heathkit. Thanks for being a part of my life, MFJ.
Why don’t you offer someone to take over the business?
offer to the company to the employees for a ESOP.
Very sorry to hear this news, but Martin deserves some time off in retirement. Best wishes.
Scott, KK6IK
Sad to hear, wish you the best Martin. Have memories of dinners with your gang in Dayton and near Chicago. We spent years at Dayton across the isle as Missouri Radio Center. Thanks for all you did for all of us! Joel Bagley, KJ0I
Congratulations, Martin! The very first QRP rig I owned (1975) was MFJ’s 5 watt 40 meter, Crystal Controlled transmitter that I paired with my old Lafayette HA 800B receiver. Over the years I’ve tapped into MFJ many times for equipment, tuners, and a lot of other great stuff. Thank you, Martin for making both Ham Radio and the World better places. de WI2C
John
I paired mine with the Yaesu FRG-7 (No one said anything about a CW filter) and had rocks for 7040 and 7115
I have 2 now with the vfo……works great with the 16010 tuner
Yes, I added the CD filter, his first product
Then I took all my newspaper earnings and bought a TS820s not a car Hi Hi
John ve3ips
Very cool, John!
Another big name seeing the sunset days ????
MFJ, Ameritron, Cuchcraft, Hygain, Mirage and Vectronics
🙁
I used to own what I believe was the first product ever made by MFJ. It was a small blue and white active audio filter than ran on a 9v battery and had selectable bandwidths via a slide switch. I picked it up used in the flea market at Dayton back in 1981 and used it for many years with my HW-8.
The loss of MFJ is going to leave a big hole in the market. Who else even makes affordable 100 watt rated manual antenna tuners?
Michael VE3WMB
P.S. Martin has always been very supportive of the QRP community. For that we owe him our thanks.
I hate to hear this. As a new ham on a budget MFJ has been really helpful to me. But in a glimmer of hope, perhaps this will force the hand of the other manufacturers to update and innovate to fill the gap.
I believe that the first MFJ item which I purchased was their little “Versa Tuner” back in the late 1980’s. I was getting back into ham radio after years of QRX and that item flawlessly filled a critical need. Best wishes to Martin and the rest of the employees at MFJ.
I wonder if Mr. Jue considered the idea of letting his dependants carry on and then acquire the company to keep it going
Wish you a great retirement! Sad though that no one can step up to continue the legacy you started with MFJ. It will leave a big hole in the amateur community.
Enjoy!
I am sad to hear about the closing of MFJ. Since there have been no buyers of the company as a whole, will MFJ look to divesting the other companies that were purchased over the years by MFJ such as Cushcraft? If I had the money, I would purchase all or part of MFJ to continue this great company.
Agree with others that I’m surprised there are not buyers for the company. Bet someone will come forward after Martin made his formal announcement….or, as someone also suggested, offer to sell the company to current employees. While lots have been critical of MFJ, for past 25 years, I’ve bought various components, especially tuners, QRP stuff, Ameritron solid state amp, and antennas. All have done really well. Appreciate all that Martin and MFJ have done thru the yrs.