Hy-Gain
| Hy-Gain | |
|---|---|
| Type | Brand of ITU Corporation (since 2026) |
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founders | Andy and Ted Andros |
| Headquarters | Originally Lincoln, Nebraska; later Starkville, Mississippi; production moving to Linton, Indiana |
| Amateur radio | |
| Known for | HF Yagis such as the TH-7DX and TH-11DX; multiband verticals; Ham IV and Tailtwister rotators |
| Former owners | Telex (late 1970s–1999); MFJ Enterprises (1999–2026) |
| Status | Being relaunched by ITU Corporation in 2026 |
| Website | hy-gain.com |
Hy-Gain is an American brand of amateur radio antennas and antenna rotators. Founded in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1949, it became known for multiband HF beams and verticals and for rotators such as the Ham IV and Tailtwister. The brand was owned by Telex from the late 1970s and by MFJ Enterprises from 1999. Production stopped when MFJ closed its factory in 2024, and in 2026 ITU Corporation bought the Hy-Gain line and began moving its manufacturing to Linton, Indiana.
History
Hy-Gain was started in 1949 by two brothers, Andy and Ted Andros. Its products came to include the TH-3, a three-band trap Yagi, and a range of other multiband beams and verticals. By the 1970s Hy-Gain also made Citizens Band radios and antennas.
Hy-Gain filed for bankruptcy in 1977, and the business was bought by Telex. Amateur products continued to be designed and built in Lincoln; the TH7DX tribander, designed by Roger Cox, WB0DGF, went on sale in 1982. In 1999 Telex sold the Hy-Gain antenna and rotator line to MFJ Enterprises (some sources give 2000), and production moved to MFJ's plant in Starkville, Mississippi.
MFJ ended all on-site production in Starkville on May 17, 2024, which stopped the manufacture of new Hy-Gain products. In April 2026 ITU Corporation, an engineering and manufacturing company based in Dugger, Indiana, announced that it had bought the Hy-Gain and Cushcraft product lines from MFJ, including their designs, tooling, specialized equipment and manufacturing and marketing rights. ITU also bought a former National Guard armory on a 15-acre site in Linton, Indiana, to house production, and said it expected to start with about 20 employees. In June 2026 it added the Ameritron and Mirage amplifier brands, and it said full production of the four lines was scheduled to begin by the end of 2026. As of October 2026 the Hy-Gain website listed several familiar models, including the Ham IV rotator, as coming soon.
Amateur radio products
- HF beams: the original TH-3 and later tribanders such as the TH-7DX for 20, 15 and 10 meters, and the TH-11DX, which covers 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters on one boom.
- Verticals: multiband trap verticals such as the 18AVT/WB.
- Rotators: the light-duty CD-45; the medium-duty Ham IV, rated for antennas with up to 15 square feet of wind load; the heavier Tailtwister T2X, rated for 20 square feet; and the HDR-300 for large Yagis and stacked arrays.
- Hardware: masts, insulators and other antenna accessories.
In the hobby today
Many Hy-Gain beams and rotators from earlier decades are still in use, and they appear often on the used market. ITU has said it intends to keep the products made in the United States, and it posts news on the relaunch, along with its Cushcraft, Ameritron and Mirage lines, on the Hy-Gain website.