In case any of you were wondering, some of the parts for our MF-15 transmitters became extinct, and when we ran dry, so did the old MF-15. It was very much based on the TT3 encoder, and in fact, could be loaded with APRS firmware for anyone who had the urge to have a 15 mW APRS transmitter. ( 15 Milliwatts works surprisingly well as an APRS transmitter at the edge of space...on the ground, not so much) At any rate, we have replacement for the MF-15, the MF-50. The MF-50 follows the same name scheme, and has an output of between 0db and 50 mW's. (Strangely, one of the chief complaints about the MF-15 was that the fixed, 15 mW power output was too high for typical park-style fox hunts!) You can set the output of the new unit anywhere from 1-50, which kinda-sorta reflects the power output settings. Its a whole new RF section and a whole new processor. The unit uses the ubiquitous CH340 USB Drivers, which probably already live in your computer, even, presumably, with Windows 11. You probably already have the programming cable! It can be programmed using pretty much any terminal program or an online configurator, and a GUI will no doubt be along in due course. The MF-50 is NOT backwards compatible with Micro-For Config or any of the APRS firmware versions, but an APRS version is not out of the question.? The transmitter has a Micro USB connector through which you can operate the transmitter or charge an internal? LiPo battery. Here is the manual for any FOX people who may be interested:? ? I went out in the rain a couple of days ago, just to see what kind of range to expect, and a had a fairly solid signal at 5 miles, roof-to-hill top, using a Baofeng UV-50 and an Arrow 3 element yagi, which exceeded my expectations!?
