The 12 marker test can be very logical, especially if your goal is to determine whether you are connected to a family which you think you might be connected to because of paper records. It didn't take forever to get my SMGF results. I got them in 10 months. I have yet to find someone who had a 37 marker test done who used that exclusively, without further paper analysis, to break down a brick wall. It's just not good enough. Perhaps a 300 marker test would suffice to provide the desired statistical accuracy. If you want to get a lot of markers for the cheapest price and don't want to wait the long time for the SMGF results, consider DNA Heritage instead of FTDNA. They now offer a 43 marker test for $159.20 or $137.77 if you are part of a surname project. One member of our Baird project just got his results back from them and I incorporated them into my Baird database. No DNA project administrator should be limited to one DNA testing company. Competition is the key if we expect to bring the cost of DNA testing down in order to grow. Bruce Baird Retired Engineer for NASA's Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Space Station Programs www.bairddna.com In a message dated 2/13/2006 11:00:09 PM Central Standard Time, Herb_316@msn.com writes: You need to tell everyone why do 5 DNA 12 marker tests is not good logical. The total cost would be better doing a 37+ marker test. You can then go to these different groups who provide free methods to compare your markers to names that are in their list if you are not certain of your surname. You can then choose and select how many markers you want to compare to. If you don't have enough markers you are wasting your time and money. Also need to tell everyone it may take forever to get a SMGF free test results. So you pick and choose but going for good results in a timely manner with good confidence you have done the right thing demands a 37+ marker test either now or in the future. So why not go for the right thing first off as it is cheaper in the long run from a surname project group. Facts not faced early on in DNA testing cost you not only money but time. Herb Hendricks Retired NASA Physicist Hendricks DNA Project Group Administrator Secretary Hendricks Family Association Herb_316@MSN.com<mailto:Herb_316@MSN.com> 1210 Long Meadow DR Lynchburg, VA 24502 434 832 7246 Major/Smith/Hendricks http://www.ftdna.com/public/hendricks/<http://www.ftdna.com/public/hendricks/>