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| Reviews Summary for MFJ-461 Morse Code Reader |
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Reviews: 38
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Average rating: 3.3/5
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MSRP: $79.95
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Description: Place this tiny pocket size MFJ Morse Code Reader near your receiver's speaker. Then watch Morse code signals turn into solid text messages as they scroll across an LCD display. No cables to hook-up, no computer, no interface, no other equipment needed.
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More info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-461
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KU4UV
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 17, 2009 02:59
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Works for me.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased this code reader mainly to help me in the CWSS contest. I had reservations about purchasing the code reader, given MFJ's quality issues, but the reader worked very well during the contest. The trick with this code reader is to tune in a CW signal so that it is strong enough for the reader's LED to just blink in time with the dits and dahs of the code that is being sent. You want to feed the reader with enough audio to be able to decode a signal without over-saturating the reader. I found the reader quite useful in decoding CW signals during the contest. I found that once I had a signal pretty much zero-beat, all I had to do was increase or decrease the transceiver's volume until the reader was able to decode the CW. If you purchase the reader, I would highly recommend NOT using the built-in microphone, use the audio input jack instead. While this reader will never be able to replace the CW reader between your ears, it gets the job done. A good set of CW filters and a good receiver is also a great help. I plan on taking some white paint and marking my settings on the back of the reader when I get a chance. For the most part, you don't really have to mess with the reader's settings once you get them adjusted and are able to decode CW. I rate this reader a "4" for a few reasons. First, the battery cover is rather difficult to snap into place. I noticed there were a couple of pieces of double-sided tape placed over the electronic components on the circuit board. I guess this is to keep the case of the 9-Volt battery from accidentally shorting out the circuit board. It looks like MFJ could have simply used epoxy or some kind of hard plastic in place of this tape. It make the reader look and feel cheaply made and it makes the battery cover difficult to snap into place properly. I plan on adding some better foam rubber striping in place of this in the future when I get a chance. For now, I will leave the tape alone though. Secondly, it would have been nice to have had a backlight on the LCD display. For an $80 price tag, it would have been a nice touch to the reader. It would have been nice if MFJ would have added a backlight with a button to be able to turn the light on or off as needed. This would be a great thing to have for events such as Field Day or camping where lighting conditions might not be the best. I suppose you could add a small light bulb or LED and place it on the side of the LCD display and still be able to read the display just fine. I haven't tried this just yet, so I can't comment on that. For the most part, I am really pleased with this reader. With a few added touches, it really could be a great tool for any ham shack. Just don't expect more from the reader than it was designed to do and I think you will be happy with it. This reader will not miraculously decode a signal that is buried in QRM or a really weak signal. For good CW signals that are strong and well-keyed, this reader gets the job done.
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K3DLB
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 27, 2009 18:58
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Works Fine. Very Pleased
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I'm very happy with the performance of this little code reader. I took it out of the package, put the battery in, turned it on and placed it next to my West Mountain Radio CLRspkr and it started reading. I haven't touched the factory settings of the input level or the PLL Frequency. And as long as it continues to work like it does I won't mess with it. I agree with the last reviewer, for what this was designed to do, it works great!
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AA5IT
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 27, 2008 17:54
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Excellent product
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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For what this was designed to do it works great! I've never asked more of it than it was designed to deliver and as a result it's never let me down. Very handy and very small!
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KG6TT
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 4, 2007 19:05
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Learn how to use it and it works pretty nicely
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The key to getting this reader to do a reasonable job of decoding Morse is to make sure you are applying audio correctly. Things to consider:
1: Audio frequency of the station you want to decode. The 461 has an adjustable Phase Lock Loop circuit. You want to get this centered on the offset you are using (600Hz, 700Hz, whatever). Once that is accomplished you need to make sure your audio level is sufficient to trigger the decoder without saturating. See 2 below.
2: Audio level must be adjusted properly. The 461 has a sensitivity control which you should set so that your audio from your transceiver is just enough to give good LED indication.... once again without saturating.
3. Use direct audio input.... not the microphone!
4. Use the sharpest selectivity possible without 'ringing'.
5. Adjust the incoming signal to center the signal in the 461's passband.
6. Maintain the highest signal to noise ratio. Don't run with your RF gain at maximum unless the band is really dead. :) Learn how to set your volume control relatively high and then reduce the apparent audio level by reducing RF gain (this is how you get the best signal-to-noise radio).
These techniques work well with just about any physical Morse decoder... even TNCs.
73,
Jerry, KG6TT
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G4ICB
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Rating: 2/5
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Dec 4, 2007 11:59
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NOT GOOD
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Maybe I expected too much from this thing but I never got it working satisfactorily. In the end I gave up on it and it joined the rest of my junk.
I expect one day I'll have another try with it when I've got nothing else to do!
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K6WHP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 24, 2007 23:56
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Handy Little Tool
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I am going to be honest here and say that I awarded this device a 5.0 because it filled a niche surprisingly well. I happened to pick mine up at a swap meet for a very good price and was well aware of the limitations of code readers. I did not expect this to be of any use; just a novelty item. Oh, sure, it would work great for protracted QSOs where one has time to tune the signal in and allow it to lock in to start decoding. But it would, of course, be absolutely worthless during a contest where contacts were a quick hit and then gone..
..and then came FD 2007. My mind fogged and I just could not copy those 35- and 40-wpm signals in my head. (Heck, even on normal days, I am lucky if I can manage 20 wpm.) So, I propped a friend's next to the speaker of my K2 and -- viola! -- the little beast worked like a champ. No, not 100% but close enough for me to land some Qs.
So, give these little guys a chance and you might be surprised.
I was.
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WW3QB
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Rating: 2/5
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Mar 31, 2007 16:13
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Learning Aid
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Don't expect to use this to help you copy a CW QSO in less than perfect conditions. A little QRN really throws it off. It is good to copy along with W1AW with its strong signal. It is helping me improve my CW that way. I got mine used. Do not pay full price for this!
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F8COD
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 9, 2005 16:05
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Not bad once adjusted
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Hi,
I use this decoder while portable with my kx1, It fits nicely in my "portable bag".It helps having more enjoyable and more relaxed qso at faster speed, else I'm sticking to 10-12wpm and it's painfull to send at this speed for me, and I don't like to feel the other guy has to wait for ages to get the complete message. Don't blame me, I'm working my speed HI ! It just feels better than to stay in front of the computer doing my exercises, it allows me to have real contacts and monitor my sending, so I know I don't have a bad fist and no stress decoding or sending.
What I did is re-wire the serial jack that I didn't use to "bridge" the audio in, I cut the track on the board to isolate the plug from the serial out of the circuit. I plug the audio-in of the unit to the headphone plug of the kx1 and my headphone to the "former" serial jack of the mfj. Then I adjusted the pll setting to decode perfectly the kx1 sidetone at 600hz, looked for a on air cw signal and adjusted the input level to decode it properly without being triggered by the band noise.
So far it works good, even in average conditions.
If it doesn't decode properly, I play a little bit with the rf gain and the bandpass filter of the kx1 and get good results. It really helps me to get into cw, maybe the lazy way, but I find I can head copy more and more and confirm it by reading the mfj display, and it's nice to see that you send proper code, so I find it's a good way to be active on cw. I still have a lot to do with my cw skills, but I'm active anyway HI !
73 deF8COD/QRP
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K0KK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2005 12:13
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Great learning tool
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm giving this a 5 because I gave it a 2 in December of 2001, and I know feel that was too low. I agree that, contrary to MFJ's advertising hype, it's not realistic to expect to use it on the air as a substitute for cw skills. However, it's got three other uses that make this worthwhile for any cw op: (1) You can monitor your own sending to become aware of spacing problems, then work to correct them. Few send absolutely perfect code, and most hams simply aren't aware of their defects in sending. (2) You can see how fast the operator you're copying is sending. This is at least interesting, if not important for tracking your progress. (3) Occassionaly, when you miss a word in copying, you can look down at the dispaly and see what it was. This doesn't happen often for me, so I placed this reason last. I keep my unit wired to the audio and DC so it's always monitoring.
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KG4TQQ
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Rating: 3/5
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Aug 7, 2005 04:54
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It works fair
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased the reader about a year ago and when I first used it I was very disatisfied. All I got was E's. I have tried to learn CW and it has been very difficult for me to hear it well. I am using the MFJ tutor for that. Anyway, I got on the air recently and decided to try the reader again. This time it worked well as long as I could find someone who was sending clear code. It isn't perfect by any means but it did read some of the code. If you are expecting miracles you might try something else. As to comparing it with other readers, I cannot as I have not used others. Even the instructions for this reader tells you to not expect perfection. I am satisfied but I am cautious to give any higher rating as others may misinterpret.
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