Video: Happy Birthday MFJ

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M-F-J Enterprises, a Starkville Amateur radio company will pass an important milestone this year.

The company that operates four plants certainly has something to shout about.

“We make more pieces of ham radio equipment than any other company. Now there are some companies that have higher sales volume, but as far as the number of pieces produced, we’re the largest,” said Martin Jue, MFJ Enterprises.

“We have Ameritron over on Willow Road. We have High Gain and Cushcraft which are antennae companies that are right next door about 100 yards away from us. Then we also have a metal fabrication plant,” said Randy Romero, MFJ Enterprises.

Imagine being able to keep up staying relevant in an age of high tech gadgets and a sluggish economy.

“You know people are always talking about cell phones and computers, the interest is being drained away by those, but ham radio is a hobby. Its like bass fishing, its like playing golf,” said Jue.

“And the truth is it really has not hurt ham radio because its a hobby market,” said Romero.

The old fashioned hobby features several new wrinkles.

For instance, now you can stream a live feed via webcast.

And when Hurricane Katrina hit, MFJ was  instrumental in helping to connect a Starkville man with his mother in New Orleans.

“And she was 90 years old. He came here, one of our ham radio operators here took his case on found his mother through another ham radio operator through several ham radio operators down in New Orleans. Found here in about two hours,” said Romero.

Keeping up with the times and never getting old.

Interesting to see how this company does over the next 40 years.

Tours of the company are from seven until noon Saturday, and there will be free tailgating.