Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: MFJ -852 AC Line Noise Meter

Category: Tools & Test Equipment for the amateur radio work bench

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : MFJ -852 AC Line Noise Meter
Reviews: 11MSRP: 99.95
Description:
Descriptive quotes from manual "Leads to trouble spots fast to help track many types of RFI....Fully portable..... Be a detective and put the fun back into Ham Radio!"
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00112.2
KB5REN Rating: 2021-06-07
Works great. Highly recommend. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had an S7 noise on 40 m. I tried regular am radio and could not locate the pole. I got weird directions and decided it was far away and transmitting down the power line. Once I got the 852, I was able to find it on the other side of the freeway and radiating off a line that crossed the freeway to a gravel pit a 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile South. It was nearly broadside to my inverted v. I was able yo get the electric coop to meet me and we found several bad insulators and other problems around the industrial park. It went away after a few repairs. It was a good project. Highly recommend. It works at about 120 MHz so you can isolate the pole easier then bc band.
K4FWJ Rating: 2021-01-02
Electronic Scam Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My purchase of an MFJ-852 was based on both desperation and curiosity. The one I received really is just as worthless as most others have found. My solution to this problem is that I will give mine to whoever else still wonders if these are really so ineffective. Just send me enough to cover postage from 33612 and it's yours - contact me first of course. It would be great if you'd agree to send it on to the next desperate, curious person.
W6OU Rating: 2019-05-13
Factory does not quality test Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After I instlled the battery and turned the unit on, the meter pegged to the far left. (No, I did not install the 9-volt battery backward). This shows MFJ does not test their units after assembly. They rely on the customer to do that.
W5GNB Rating: 2014-12-30
Junk !! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
MFJ Quality at it's Best.... Garbage as USUAL !!!
Poorly built, poor performance, HIGH price for something that a $5 dollar kids AM radio can do....Save your Money !!
N8KR Rating: 2014-09-28
Worth the Money! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Home-brewed a three element yagi to go with this simple device and it is one of the best pieces of ham radio equipment in my posession! In two years I have found three bad transformers (one was a half mile away causing s-9 noise on all bands at my station), bad insulators on one pole, and now three bad main electrical poles 1/4 mile away that are giving me s-4 noise. The local electric company has verified and repaired all but the last problem, and that will be rectified soon as their own RF specialist came out with his "thousand dollar professional device" and found the same three poles that I called in. If you have any external noise, get one of these (or borrow one) and go looking. Don't just live with the noise, find it, report it, and the local electric company, if it's their equipment, will fix it! I've read the bad reviews here, and they refer to units that did not work because of construction. Don't let that stop you, return it until you get one that works. It's worth every $$ that you pay for it!
VA2NA Rating: 2012-10-16
Not working Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just received my MFJ-852...

Unit does nothing...no power up at all.
Inside soldering job is a pita...and small antenne that come with are turn loose in the screw..

Sorry but quality control is very poor on this one.
K9OM Rating: 2012-07-26
Dead on Arrival Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nice looking 3-element Yagi and Noise Meter. When unpacking the Noise Meter I noticed a "rattle" coming from inside. Took the cover off and the iron core of an inductor had come loose and was rolling around inside the Meter cabinet. Installed the 9-volt battery to see if it might work anyway and upon powering up the unit the meter pinned on the negative side.
Totally unusable so back to the Dealer it goes for a refund. Sure is a shame that MFJ didn't deliver a working product.
K4XZ Rating: 2011-01-04
Pricey But It Works Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used one for 2 years now and no problems. A bit expensive for an AM Radio.I don't use the yagi, just the screw in antennas work fine. As for MFJ you could buy 2 of the same product and one would rate a 5 the other a 0. I really like my 269b analyzer.

73 DE K4XZ Joe Patrick
KB3BTO Rating: 2011-01-03
Works quite well. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My MFJ-852 arrived today. I assembled the beam antenna, attached the 852 meter and used it to isolate the source of RFI that's been ruining my 10 meter operating - as if the lack of sunspots weren't enough - for the past 3 winters.
It was easy to assemble, operate, and enabled me to pinpoint the exact utility pole that's been causing my difficulties.
I purchased this as a last resort because I couldn't get the RFI to co-operate with visits from the utility company representative and was sick and tired of losing air time.
I do not regret my purchase and only wish that I had done it sooner. MFJ has saved the day. (Hey, that rhymes.)
K3PA Rating: 2010-07-08
Quality is laughable! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
1) 4 different parts missing; markings on boom and elements to identify them missing.
2) Unreadable nth generation photocopied manual.
3) Took 4 phone calls to get missing parts; I was never in the support log any of those times. Wrong parts sent repeatedly.
4) Brackets to fit the Yagi to the receiver don't fit. Used symmetric brackets to fit an offset feed connection to save 2 cents on the right bracket.
5) Managers hearing the story actually thought it was funny. Eventual answer to bracket problem was to "just bend them around with pliers until they fit. It will look cockeyed, but thats just the way it is meant to be.".
6) $14M company wth no quality manager.

These people should be embarassed and ashamed. Martin clearly cares nothing for quality. Regardless of the low prices, there is no excuse for any of this, and we should NOT be supporting MFJ's shlocky methods in 2010.