Got this from a friend:
A few weeks ago, Array Solutions announced they were closing their doors. Now MFJ has made their announcement
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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
Array Solutions specialized in large antenna systems, and MFJ made many Amateur Radio products.
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That's very sad, indeed. MFJ has been a ham icon for decades.
ReplyDeleteAnd they provided a plethora of accessories for the budget-minded Ham.
DeleteAs time goes by we see fewer and fewer such companies here in America. Virtually all such technical manufacturing is being sent overseas and as these small mom and pop companies die off they aren't being replaced. Won't be long before America is a pure consumer nation with zero manufacturing capacity. Soon after that America will cease to be.
ReplyDeleteYes and no.....There have been small companies started from scratch, Like Elecraft, and others that developed Amateur Radio products closely related to their core business, Like Flex Radio Systems, and Array Solutions. DX Engineering has a nice line of their own Amateur Radio products, but they're pricey. Very good quality, in small numbers, is never cheap.
DeleteI still miss Heathkit!
I was wondering if you heard this. I saw it posted to one of the groups.io sites I read - Tower Talk, I think.
ReplyDeleteMFJ had bought up Cushcraft, Hy Gain, Mirage, Ameritron amps and more. I wonder if those places close or get scattered to the winds? Maybe someone else will pick up the pieces and keep them going. (We can hope).
Yeah, I remember when Martin seemed to be buying everybody he could. Say what you will, some of their products were perfectly acceptable, and others....well, there were numerous models with horrible reviews, particularly the manual antenna tuners.
DeleteNo idea what's going to happen to the "once-manufacturers-now-somebody-else's-product-line" items. Be a real shame if some of those products died off.
I first checked Array Solutions website and could find no mention of them shutting down. On QRZ.com there is a mention in the Antennas' forum by WB2WIK that the head of Array Solutions is retiring but does that mean the company will go away? Then I did a web search and found that a company called "Array Retail Solutions" based in Ontario, Canada is closing plants in Chattanooga TN and Decatur TN. That with the retirement may have started a rumor that the "Array Solutions" we know is closing up.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard that. Might just be some confusion floating around about who's doing what.
DeleteSorry to hear that. The amount of expertise going out the door is scary!
ReplyDeleteThat it is. And it's stuff they just don't teach in schools.
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