| WB8NUT |
Rating:     |
2001-11-28 | |
| Nice Radio - Price is too high |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have had my 9420 for about three years. Used it on two Field Days and took it to Hawaii in February 2001. On Maui I used it with an LDG Z11 Autotuner with a random wire thrown out the balony (fourth floor) into a palm tree (hotel never found it) with a counterpoise on the hotel room floor (I did not measure either wire - completely random). Anyway, the MFJ worked Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Alaska, California, Arizona, Conn., New York, and Argentina just to mention a few places that I can remember off the top of my head. The receiver audio is strong and clear. Receiver is quiet, but it is not very selective. Reports from the other stations were great. Really most of them could not believe what I was using to talk to them with. Only problem has been the relay not totally "latching". You can tell there is a problem because the meter goes full scale on transmit. Funny thing about it is that it never did it in Hawaii! For what it is, it is a bit overpriced. Worth about $150 to $175 at best. Got it new at Dayton for a very good price. Nice inexpensive rig for traveling - worked for me. |
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| KC5DSW |
Rating:     |
2001-11-05 | |
| thoughts on 94XXx radios |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the Mfj 9475x and 9440x radios for 3 years. I love the little radios but they come with a few faults and caviets. The rigs do not have a pll circuit so they drift. Also if you are dependant upon digital displays to tell you if you are on frequency this rig is not for you! If you think you are going to take this rig into the field and keep a sked on a prechosen frequency, be prepared to tune around! This radio can be as much as 8khz off from what the dial is reading, and the dial is not totally lograthmic. These radios are a breeze to adjust with a non-metallic screwdriver though. The circuit board has the purpose of the adjustment printed on it so a manual is not required. Many times I have had to tune in a familliar group of hams on a known frequency and get in the rig and adjust the vfo pot to get it close. Then I could tune around with ease, but it seemed if the radio got banged around it would come out of callibration. But other than this, the rigs perform admirably. and they will operate down to 9 volts and sound good, but as the voltage drops so does output power. if the audio goes into oscillation due to low voltage, take the cover off and turn the voltage regulation pot untill the condition stops.I modified my rig with a switch to shut off the s meter light for battery operation.
These rigs have always provided me with reliable communication in the 0-200 mile area when I went camping, even with dipoles only 8 feet high. my dipole for camping is made out of #28 gauge speaker wire, and is very small and rolls up in your palm. The Little radios do a great job if you do not require rock steady, precise frequency control. There are some people out there who just cannot seem to understand when I make a sked for 3.900 mhz why I might be calling for them on 3.903 mhz.(operator SKILL!) So have the modern rigs call for YOU so you can tune in on THEM. this helps you and them get on frequency. I suggest buying the rigs used, as they to me are worth about 100-150 dollars. They are VERY simple. A single circuit board and you tune a capacitor to change frequency. To bad the 9475 will not accept the cw adaptor board. MFJ why do you not make one for this rig? I hope you get one of these rigs and enjoy radio in the raw! You cannot get any more spartian in ssb than with this fun little rig.73! |
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| ADAM12 |
Rating:      |
2001-10-14 | |
| Mighty Fine Rigs ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I recently got a used 9420 and have been very impressed by it. In fact, I'm seriously thinking of getting a new one (even though they're kinda expensive for mono-banders).
Nice receive audio and it really does get out like a much more powerful radio (just like it says in the ads).
The CW module at around $45 is a very worthwhile addition.
No surface mount components are used so you can fix it yourself if it ever needs it. Pretty solid case too.
If you want a rig that you can throw in a bag and take portable or if you live in an apartment/condo and worry about RFI/TVI, get one of these and enjoy HF again. Even with indoor antennas, it gets out well.
An excellent little rig for what it is.
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| W8BYH |
Rating:     |
2001-08-24 | |
| Good at what it does |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Bought a used 9420 a few weeks ago. Receive selectivity is great (but you gotta' turn the tuning knob REAL slow!), audio from the internal speaker is great, and audio through the headphone jack is actually better than some big buck rigs I've used. 10 watts out to a sloping dipole gets me good signal reports from the Bahamas to NY, and as far west as Kansas (so far!). Was able to push my way through some small pile-ups on Lighthouse On The Air stations this past weekend. This little rig certainly works as advertised and is lots of fun to use. I think one of the overlooked niches for this rig (and others in the series) is as a 'training' rig for new Hams. Without being distracted by glowing displays, buttons or knobs the student can concentrate on tuning, listening, fine-tuning and pouncing! Great for teaching on-air skills.
So why not a 5/5 rating? Simply because of the retail price for a new rig (about $240). I honestly believe MFJ can sell these for lots less and still make a profit. However, there are so many available on the used market that you should have no problem finding one in the $150 - 175 range.
Bottom line - a highly recommended little rig! |
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| NI9Y |
Rating:      |
2000-10-15 | |
| MFJ 9440X-cw added |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I traded a 6 meter antenna for a MFJ-9440X and immediately ordered a cw daughter board. The performance of this little rig is incredible. The cw and ssb operation is as good as my primary rig. Congtratulations to the designer of this little single tube transciever. I also use a HW-7, 8 , 9 and 1955 Weskit BN-1 novice tube transceiver. The Ramsey twins was my first qrp rig. In 1955 my father and I built a single tube regen using a 6BE6. |
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| W3SRL |
Rating:      |
2000-09-20 | |
| MFJ 9420x |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought a used MFJ 9420 from a friend several years ago at a hamfest. I really had no idea what I was going to use it for, but it sure looked neat. Well, I used the daylights out of that little rig, with a 2.3Ah battery and a folded dipole antenna. Mostly portable, while camping, but sometimes I would fire it up on my big vertical at the home QTH. Super-hot little receiver, great audio and not especially prone to overload from strong signals. 'Tune' button was a nice touch, but my rig lacked an external speaker jack which I added myself. Be careful to isolate this from chassis ground!! Generally speaking, if I could hear them, I could work them. QRP really refines one's operating skills! MInd you, you are NOT going to break many pileups, but occasionally you will; Boy does THAT stir things up when it happens!! :-)
In a fit of stupidity, I sold my 9420 to buy an SG-2020, but the 9420 still holds a place in my heart. I'm looking for another one.....
de Steve, W3SRL |
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| KG8ZH |
Rating:     |
2000-05-24 | |
| MFJ-9440 - Great little rig |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I ordered on of the newer versions of this rig. The newer model has the external speaker jack already in it. Thats nice because I run it to an outboard DSP. I have been using this rig from the shack and have also tried it portable and mobile. Transmit audio is punchy and recieve is sensitive as well. The rig does drift a bit but within acceptable limits. I have several full featured all mode HF rigs in the shack and often find myself using my 9440 or my 9040 cw rig becase they are fun to operate.
My biggest complaint is the price. These radios cost more than a lot of the 10 meter monobanders like the Ranger, Radio Shack, or the old Uniden and those rigs are all mode, have digital readout, IF shift, RF gain, and modern circuitry for better frequecy stability. If Radio Shack can build a modern all mode 10 meter rig for 150 dollars, why do the MFJ rigs cost over 200. If these rigs were a bit less costly, I would have rated it a 5. |
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| N0MVA |
Rating:     |
2000-04-10 | |
| Great little radios |
Time Owned: unknown months. |
| I waited patiently for the 9475 to come out about 3 years ago. I was not disappointed. Most people on the 75 meter net I was on couldn't believe that I was only running 10 or 12 watts. Unfortunately, I sold this radio a while back. That was a mistake. I'd love to get another one. My only complaints on the radio are: 1), it could stand to be a little less expensive, and 2), it was a little hard to keep tuned until it warmed up. Other than that, it was perfect. |
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| K5PSO |
Rating:      |
2000-03-05 | |
| 5 stars for what it is |
Time Owned: unknown months. |
| With patience, I bust almost any pileup on 20 with either a vertical or the mfj folded dipole at 18 feet and the matching tuner. I have had a ball with this, my first low power rig. I live in a crowded building and this little guy causes so problems, which my big rig does. It's worked all over the world, even Anartica, with it's 10w out. Everyone says it sounds like a Yaesu. No problems. |
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| N.A. |
Rating:     |
2000-02-21 | |
| MFJ-9406 saved the day on 6M from Barbados |
Time Owned: unknown months. |
| I took a MFJ-9406 along as a "back-up" radio when I went to Barbados last December. Had a great 6M F2 opening to the US and Canada Dec. 13. Just as the opening started the 6M amp croaked, then a few minutes later the main 6M radio - a Kenwood - failed. I hooked up the MFJ-9406 and it got out like a champ. Made almost 280 QSOs in over a hundred grids over the next 2 1/2 hours. The antenna was a 3 el yagi up 15 feet. Stations reported the audio sounded great and signals were over S9. While the 9406 lacks many bells and whistles, it is quite sensitive, puts out clean audio and for many 6M DXers Dec. 13 put a 8P QSO in the log. |
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