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Reviews For: MFJ-401B Econo Keyer

Category: Keyers & CW Keyboards

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Review Summary For : MFJ-401B Econo Keyer
Reviews: 3MSRP:
Description:
Outboard electronic keyer
Product is in production
More Info: http://mfjenterprises.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0032
W2OSR Rating: 2018-07-31
Could be better Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had the battery clip problem. Two screws sort of fixed it. Should have use rivets at the factory. The key wiring is the reverse of the rest of the world. Dits and dahs on wrong side of paddles. Had to make a reversing cable. Glad a found a used one for about half price. Ok for practice.
VA4SR Rating: 2013-06-28
Caution: Limited Use Time Owned: more than 12 months.
25 years ago I bought the MFJ-401B Econo Keyer II to use as a code practice generator when I was trying to learn CW. It worked well for that purpose and on that level. Within a few months, Novice license in hand, I bought a new Ten-Tec Corsair II, which had its own built in keyer...which was superb and took me all the way through Extra class code. I packed away my 401B. Now with an Omni-D I need an external keyer. Hooking it up to my paddle the other day I remember why I packed the 401B away. It chirps, has a sidetone that sounds like a wailing dove, and misses dits and dahs to the point that even I cannot tell what I am trying to send no matter how I try to adjust it or my paddle. I have other MFJ products that work quite well. But I strongly want to caution people who are looking for a deal on this electronic keyer. I will use it for demos when I speak to potential hams...no harm in connecting a straight key to it. But I would never sell mine as I'd feel like I would be just giving someone a piece of equipment that would frustrate them. CW is demanding enough all on its own without having to struggle with a poor keyer on top of it. I think I paid about $40.00 for it new...

73
KG9SF Rating: 2007-09-14
Mighty Fine......J*** Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've used this little keyer for many years, on-and-off, mainly on boatanchor rigs without built-in keyers. I guess it's pretty much the usual MFJ quality, i.e. almost none (in my humble opinion). I find the audio sidetone to be very "clicky". I sure hope my transmitted CW signal sounds a whole lot better than the audio sidetone this thing produces.

I recently replaced the 9-volt battery inside the unit. As I did so, the battery clip came off in my fingers. It seems the battery clip was installed at the factory with double-stick tape, even though the clip itself has two holes in it for screw attachment. After a year or so the tape dries out and the battery clip falls off, allowing the battery to bounce around inside the box, shorting whatever it touches. This could have been prevented with a single screw to hold the clip permanently and securely.

Yes, it's an "econo keyer", but it's also full of "econo quality".