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Reviews For: MFJ Clock Model MFJ-113

Category: Ham Shack Clocks

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Review Summary For : MFJ Clock Model MFJ-113
Reviews: 12MSRP: 19.95
Description:
clock
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-113
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00123.3
W9MT Rating: 2022-03-12
It tells time. You don't need glasses to read it. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
There it was sitting on the clearance table at HRO Milwaukee a few years ago. It had a scratch on the red bezel, but nothing that made the clock hard to read.

I found an AC outlet in the store, plugged it in, found it worked OK, and handed the counter guy ten bucks for it. I've used it ever since.

It keeps time off of the 60Hz AC line frequency and uses a transistor radio 9VDC batter to back up the time during brown outs and even "not too long" AC outages. No fancy schmancy microprocessors, nor maps and sunlight profiles.

What can I say??? It's just a run of the mill clock at a decent price. I'm not enamored. Nor am I gritting my teeth. I got what I paid for and I'm happy with it. I'd buy it again for ten bucks if this one ever croaked.

It's nothing I would ever plan to sell, and it's head and shoulders better than the MFJ dual LCD battery operated clock (MFJ-108B) I used to use for the previous 10 years until the setting switches went bad.
KE2KB Rating: 2020-09-07
Large, bright display, but poor quality Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased the MFJ-113 24 hr LED clock in June 2020.
Upon first use, I found a glaring defect; the left-most digit had segments missing.
I could have returned the clock to GigaParts where I purchased it, but decided to attempt repair myself, as I had a pretty good idea of what the problem was; a bad solder joint.

What I found when I opened the case was the switch selecting 12/24 hour was not making proper contact.
The two switches (one for 12/24 hr, one for alarm on/off) are the cheapest junk I have ever seen. They are not true switches at all, but simply a set of contacts on the PCB being bridged by spring contacts on the switch handle.
There is no spring to maintain switch contact; only the springiness of the contacts in the switch handle.
In addition, there was 'contact grease' all over the contacts. I assume the grease was used to keep the switch from sticking, but this sort of grease is not a good idea for such low currents.
I cleaned the grease and adjusted the contacts to provide more pressure against the PCB contacts.
After re-assembling, the clock has been functional ever since. However, I never switch from the 24 hour mode.
I never use the alarm, so haven't touched that switch.
I figure that if the 12/24 hr switch goes bad again, I'll simply jumper the PCB contacts in the 24 hr position.

There is another thing I don't particularly like about this clock: The display is too bright for a dark room.
I use the clock in my bedroom, which doubles as my radio shack, and the display nearly blinds me if I awake at night and look at it. And that's with the clock 6ft from me.
Another thing that annoys me is the fact that for times from 00:00 to 09:59, there is no leading 0, so the clock reads 9:00 instead of 09:00, which is the proper 24 hr display.

I should have been wary of buying another MFJ product, after the MFJ-916B diplexer had some poor manufacturing issues as well.
I would not recommend this clock for your shack, or for anything else. Matter of fact, I would not recommend any MFJ product at this point, as I do not believe they even have a QC department. Their attitude seems to be - let the user QC the product.
Someone on eham.net once referred to MFJ products as 'semi-kits', meaning that some (re)assembly is required. This has certainly turned out to be true for the MFJ-113 I received.
KG7OR Rating: 2018-02-12
Looks good, performs lousy Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This replaces the review I posted shortly after buying this clock. I've now learned my lesson; don't write a review too soon.

Visually, the MFJ-113 should be a winner due to its big, bright display. Sadly, it has nothing else going for it.

Problem #1: if you're expecting a ham shack clock that keeps accurate time, keep looking. This thing loses a few seconds every day; not even as good as a cheap quartz wall clock at half the price from Walmart. I have to reset it to WWV about once a week or so to maintain logging accuracy.

Problem #2: it's not really a 4-digit 24 hour clock! You'll only see 4 digits between 1000 and 2359; just 14 hours. Times between midnight and 0959 display in 3 digits, like a plain ol' bedroom clock: "9:59" instead of 0959. That's a minor detail, but a clock marketed for use in radio communications applications ought to display time the way it's universally expected and used by communicators: 4 digits throughout the day.

Bottom line: this thing is nothing more than a cheap household alarm clock with a partial 24-hour display option tacked on. You can do far better for free simply by changing your computer's system clock to 24 hours and the UTC time zone. (If you do that, don't forget to turn off the Daylight Savings Time feature.)
AL7HG Rating: 2016-11-27
A little disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am a little disappointed in this clock. My shack gets most of the daylight sun and the numbers are not bright enough to see a lot of the day. I wish there were a way to make it easier to see. The digits are nice and large and it works great to keep track of GMT. My radio has an internal clock but its digits are too small. I have several other clocks but they can not be set for GMT, this is a good clock for that and the price is reasonable.
AA7LX Rating: 2016-02-13
Worth the price and risk! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased for operating desk over a year ago. Great big red numbers and 12 or 24 time. 110v system with 9v battery backup. Repeat for snooze- 9 minutes. No problem- just sign again and push the repeat for another 9 minutes! Keeps time OK. One of the few actually worthwhile MFJ products. A deal for 19.95 plus shipping. You won't be disappointed! This product works and is actually real quality! I liked this desk clock so much that, I brought another one to use as the bedroom clock! Buy it!
WX4O Rating: 2014-12-30
Bargain Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Ive used one as my 'Zulu time' clock for many years.
Great clock for the price.
W5SRT Rating: 2014-12-30
Works well, bargain price. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It's a big bright digital clock that can run 12/24 hour mode, I keep mine set to Zulu. For $20, how could it be beat? After 2 months, the thing is accurate within 2 seconds. An extra battery in it keeps it accurate through brief power outages. Very easy (intuitive) to set and adjust, you don't need the instruction sheet. I'd buy it again for sure.
N7SCC Rating: 2014-02-05
Recommend--Great for the Shack Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased after being disappointed with original Battery small travel Clock from Radio Shack. I took a chance from MFJ...For the Money and shipping this MFJ product is well worth to add to your shack. The clock face is very easy to see from many feet across the room if necessary(I have mine set for 24 hour UT on my operating desk). It has either a 12 or 24 hour display in bright red numbers 3 inches high. It is however, a plug-in with 9V battery back-up. You can set the alarm for snooze repeat in order to sign every 10 minutes; however, the snooze repeat is only 9 minutes-- no big deal. The clock is meant to sit on a desk not on the wall. It is slim but balanced to sit upright using little space. For 19.95 plus shipping it is a geat deal.
K0YQ Rating: 2011-03-12
Good clock Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Wanted a large LED 24-hour clock for the shack, and this has functioned perfectly in that role for many years. Might lose a second or two over many months, but not bad for $20 paid. I'd buy again.
KC8VYW Rating: 2005-01-05
Outright Lies Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this for large display AND 9' ID timer. Its a bloody alarm clock! When I spoke to someone at MFJ they certainly didn't consider their deliberate obfuscation to be any big deal and couldn't understand why I was upset that they'd pass off an alarm clock as some kind of timer.
This is my Last MFJ purchase.