Slowly but surely, my packages from Ham Radio Outlet have been arriving to my doorstep. So far, I have to say I'm impressed with my products.
I'll start off with the antenna, since it arrived first. The antenna came on August 22nd, just a day before the expected drop off date! It is built with quality and seems durable. The antenna wire is thick and insulated from the elements, though I'd expect one could add their own elements if they chose to. The cost for this item was $164.95, which is well worth every penny. I also have the idea to hang the balun from the soffit. It's light enough to do so, weighing about 3 to 4 lbs. Configuration of this antenna will be in a sloped, inverted-V dipole.
Next came the LDG Z-100 Plus tuner and the SignaLink interface. I was surprised at the size difference of each product and was not expecting them to be their respective sizes, but pictures lie, right? The tuner came with DC pigtails to wire up to a power supply or 9V battery. I have plenty of 9V battery clips, so this shouldn't be a problem. It also came with an instruction booklet, which I'll definitely have to read over. As for the SignaLink, I couldn't have asked for a better kit. It came with the interface, cable connector, USB cord, software/informational disc, a paper copy of the instructions, and jumper wires. For about $135, this was a steal deal! I can't wait to get on the air tonight and try out some digital modes.
And of course, we have the MFJ 20m Cub, which remains absent. Did they lose it???
Well, no. Here's the long story: The MFJ Cub is a "special order" item only at all Ham Radio Outlet stores and even other companies like DX Engineering (who doesn't even have it on their site). What does special order mean? In a nutshell, it's a fancy way of saying that it's a back order. A back order generally takes 2 or 3 weeks to fully process and ship. Of course, I don't mind waiting, but I've heard rumors that MFJ does not do a good job of getting things shipped on time. On both inventory slips I received with my products, it said that the Cub was back ordered, no ETA.
If my analysis is correct, here's how it works: I place an order for an MFJ Cub or similar project. Since it is a special order product, HRO checks their stock first. If they don't have it, they send the order to MFJ with a request to make the product. Once that product is made, it is shipped to an HRO location, which is then drop shipped to me. If there's a defect with the product and I have to return it (I can't per HRO policy, FYI), it would theoretically go back to HRO, who would then ship it back to MFJ. Do you see the disadvantage here? It's not horrible if you don't mind waiting because here's the perk - special order items are generally cheaper if ordered through another outfitter like HRO. But before placing an order, you can always check (and should always check!) with HRO first to see what kind of a wait time it will be. They might tell you to check with MFJ, but always check with the supplier first.
So I wait now for the Cub. What else to do in the meantime?
Sit down and play with my new items, that's what! Generate some Feld Hell, FT8, RTTY - and also to find my NanoVNA. I'll be needing that for tuning up my Cub. Now where did I put it???
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