04/26/2024 MFJ Enterprises, Inc founder Martin F. Jue, K5FLU, announced that as of May 17, 2024, the company will cease on-site production at their Starkville, Mississippi, facility. Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Cushcraft, Mirage, and Vectronics brand products will be affected by the shutdown.   In a letter posted to social media, Jue said he is looking forward to retiring.   Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago. Our product line grew and grew and prospered. Covid changed everything [for] businesses, including ours. It was the hardest hit that we have ever had, and we never fully recovered.   I turned 80 this year. I had never really considered retirement, but life is so short, and my time with my family is so precious.   Jue founded MFJ Enterprises in 1972, after building a CW filter kit that sold for less than $10. Since 1990, the company has acquired several other legacy brands within the amateur radio market. Jue shared that the company will remain open to sell existing inventory because they have "a lot of stock on hand." They will also continue to offer repair services for the foreseeable future.   Jue expressed gratitude to the many longtime employees of MFJ, some of whom have been with the company for 40 years. He also thanked MFJ dealers and radio amateurs for their patronage over the decades.

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