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You can
write your own review of the MFJ-1279 Ultimate Sound Card Interface.
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N5VU
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 9, 2008 16:13
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Very good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Works just as advertised. What more can I say. I use it mostly on SSTV and PSK.
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K9CTB
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 29, 2007 00:06
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Nice little box, if pricy
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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An elmer and friend of mine, Steve would say, in addition to "You should have bought a KAM", that I should always "Build it yourself!" Well, I have in the past, built sound-card keyline circuits. But I was excited by the MFJ-1279 when I saw that one could "jumper configure" any microphone signal to any pin on the 8-pin mic plug. I bought one and found it to be immensely useful in my shack for SSTV, PSK-31 and even MT-63. I have had great results using the '1279 with an IC-718, an IC-746Pro, a Yaesu FT-600 and even a Harris RF-350K (RT-1446). It's been in my shack a long time! :-)
The MFJ-1279 can be configured to use either (or both) RS-232 signals to generate the keying signal for the rig. The '1279 is very versatile in it's adaptability to pretty much any rig and sound card combination. The audio signals, both send and receive, are transformer coupled. The RS-232 port of the computer is isolated from the rig by opto-couplers. A very professional job on the part of MFJ. There is a "monitor" feature that you can use to connect radio audio to your standard computer speakers. Also there are additional jacks on the rear panel that carry audio to and from the soundcard. Very convenient if you have some sort of audio analyzer or a recorder in the circuit. There is even a 1/4" jack for a foot switch key device. The box itself has a nice black finish which looks nice with the other gear in the shack. The 1279 comes equipped with the 12 vdc adapter, RS-232 and audio cables. All these things carry a price tag. Over 130.00USD new the last time I looked. So indeed if you are only looking for an RS-232 to rig keying setup ... by all means, spend the $2.00 and build it yourself. But if you want a very adaptable transmit/receive audio and keyline interconnection box for your soundcard modes, and you don't need USB support ... take a good look at the 1279.
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VA3KAB
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 28, 2007 06:09
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works as advertised
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've been running one of these boxes for more than a year now using psk31 deluxe and dm780 software and a yaesu ft-840. Setting up the jumpers was pretty easy, just followed the instructions in the manual and it worked first time. I've never had a problem with it and it's logged a lot of hours over the last year.
I've thought about getting one of the new SignaLink USB boxes with the built in soundcard, they look pretty nice and I would be able to get rid of all the cables needed for the MFJ, but the bottom line is the MFJ is doing everything I need it to do so I have no real reason to buy something else other than it's always nice to have a new toy :)
All in all it's a well constructed unit that functions just as it's supposed to.
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ZS6VL
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 28, 2007 07:21
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No problems
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Had no trouble in setting up the unit, worked first time. Currently hooked up to my IC-718 and running MixW. Neat little unit, does what it's supposed to quite well. Construction / build could be a little better but nothing major to complain about. All in all a good product, although I generally find sound card interfaces a bit expensive for what they are, this one is no exception. Summary: recommended.
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WA6GON
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Rating: 3/5
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May 28, 2006 11:06
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Review Follow-Up
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is a follow-up to first review. It appears I received the one-in-a-million defective unit the first time around. I sent the first unit I purchased back to MFJ. After a replacement arrived, and about an hour of careful set up, I was able to get the new unit to work. It would send RTTY and other modes only through the mic jack.
The 756 PRO-III appears to require a real panel 8 PIN DIN connection in order to use the narrow RTTY filters. When the PRO-III is in RTTY mode no RTTY signal is generated in the radio from the mic jack.
As it arrives the MFJ-1279 does not easily interface with those rear panel connections. That configration is left entirely up to the Amateur. I have to purchase an 8 pin DIN connector and then follow the instructions in the ICOM manual to key the radio from that jack. Rats.
I wondered about teh transmit light logic. With the unit turned on, Monitor switch depressed, and set to VOX the transmit light of the MFJ-1279 is always ON. When the mic PTT switch is pressed the light goes out. I guess the red transmit light means READY for transmit and not transmitting. When the MFJ-1279 MAN/VOX is set to MAN the transmit light goes out and stays out.
It isn't cl;ear to me how the three jumpers for PTT need to be set for various modes. I understand CW you short pins 1 and 2 and RTTY and digital modes 2 and 3. When I use RTTY from my PC the DTR LED lights so I shorted 2 and 3 on that row. Is that still true for FSK operation using the rear panel connector? The answer isn't readily apparent. If the software gives me a choice of PTT lines and I want to use CW or FSkc can I short jumpers 1 and 2 on another one of the three rows and set the software appropriately?
At this point I'm thinking that the $40 Donner's Digital interface might have been the way to go. It uses the 8 PIN DIN connection.
I change my review to 3 OK, based on my latest experience. I'd enjoy corresponding with Amateurs using this interface with an ICOM 756 PRO-III.
Doug Smith
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KG4RUL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 17, 2006 05:58
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No problems configuring!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Unlike the experience of WA6GON, I was able to quickly configure the interface. It has worked well and is still in use over a year later. I especially like being able to use a footswitch for PTT by simply plugging it in. Ths only thing I would like different is conventional pots with knobs for adjusting drive levels.
Dennis KG4RUL
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KR4OW
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 11, 2005 05:49
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Good unit
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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The nice thing about the 1279 is that it has a separate cw keying line tied direct to the computer port which still allows you to use it with your logging program and for contesting
Excellent. I bought this unit new and have had no problems with it I would recommend this to anyone
David KR4OW
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N5IET
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 2, 2005 22:29
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GOOD JOB MFJ AS USUAL
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This soundcard interface is great.
It matches any mike connector with 8 pins.
Which means I dont have to buy a new one or a new cable when I change rigs.
Sorry "Rig Blaster", but not *real sorry* :0)
Oh I know you have to be able to effectively read a connection chart (like the simple algebra tables we studied in High School)
.. and you have to know where to look in your rigs manual to see the little cartoon drawings of the Mic Connector (without reading it backwards) but the drawings they have out today for the growing number of "non-technical" Hams out there should help that.
- still not sure how "non-technical" and Ham Radio goes together - but anyway on with the product review.
Got it all going in about 10 mins (no soldering).
No distortion or interference at all.
It just sits there and does what it was made to:
Give good clean digital encoding and decoding.
Cant ask for more than that.
My DELL and FT-920 loves it and so do I.
73 fer nw,
Bob N5IET
(old calls KE5CTY - WB5ZQU - WY5L)
10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.qsl.net/ke5cty/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.
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K9CTB
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 22, 2005 00:51
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Everything you need for the soundcard modes.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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The MFJ-1279 is a nice addition to my shack. I bought it because I needed a method to adapt either (both) my TS-940, Yaesu 757 or my Harris RF-350 for use with the various sound card modes. With a little work, I made adapter cables for use with each rig. The MFJ allows you to key your rig from either the DTR, RTS or TXD signals on the com port. There is a "CW Out" RCA jack that you can even use to key your rig....not only in CW, but the other modes as well. This is great if you have an RCA style keyline say, on the rear panel of your rig. Both the audio in and out are transformer isolated. MFJ makes it easy to minimize the chance of a ground loop, because you can keep both audio lines easily isolated. There are both transmit and receive audio adjustments provided, which makes it nice to "set and forget" the audio settings within windows -- so it stays comfortable through your computer speakers when use the soundcard for, well, regular sound. All in all the '1279 is a great accessory. The only downside I see is that, with all the bells and whistles on the interface, I am surprised that MFJ didn't isolate the keyline control lines with optos or something. I guess however, that in all my time on soundcard modes, I've never seen a com port distroyed by a rogue transceiver anyway. There are those who will say 140 bucks is quite a bit to pay for something you can wire up in an hour or so, but those folks probably never saw my definition of "homebrew". For me, it was $140.00 well spent.
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KI4HWJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 12, 2005 17:15
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Good for the $
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I hooked it up and it works great! Not much packet activity around my QTH. Be sure to hook up those jumpers right!!!
73
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