[AMRadio] Are we doomed?

[w5jo at brightok.net]

Charlie and group,

I bought an MFJ 998RT about 8 years back and installed it at the base of my 
tower.  It is hooked to my coax which is then routed to an antenna switch 
then to a Inverted L for 160 and 60 meters and my common 80/40 meter 
dipoles.

I use it with my GK 500 and my AL 1200 both without a bit of trouble across 
the bands and it tunes fine.   It has withstood the test of time and 
survived numerous thunderstorms without damage but occasionally the memory 
scrambles so have to reprogram the frequency memory by transmitting into it. 
I have not had one problem with it using the GK 500 which puts about 350 or 
so watts to the unit and it modulates to 1200 to 1500 watts on 3.870-90 
meters where my antenna is cut for 3.750.

I have no trouble recommending it.  Their stuff is better built today than 
in years past but if you friend is interested I would suggest it for any 
level below 300-400 watts AM carrier.  I don 't have any experience with the 
smaller units so can't speak to them.

Jim
W5JO


Original Message


My friend Lea, K4VWD, was in the market for a new ant. tuner and decided on 
a particular MFJ model.  He called MFJ to double check a couple things, and 
wanted to know its rated AM power capability.  The 'technical support' 
person at MFJ, asked Lea, "What is AM?"  I said he had to be kidding, Lea 
insisted he was not, and had to explain to him what it was, whereupon the 
tech support person told him bogus info on its AM capabilities.  Was selling 
at Dayton one year, and a fellow with a callsign name tag asked me what the 
little boxes with the two pins sticking out were.  Hard to believe the day 
would get here when an FT243 was a mystery part.

Charlie, W4MEC in NC