Need update re BigY - is it still avail ?

[dsm]

A proj member contacted me re what tests to take & I suggested BigY as a deep diving SNP test, they replied it is 'no longer available' ? - I then went to ftDNA web site & looked for it but can't find it there - just 3 STR Y tests !.

Can someone assure me BigY is still available & assuming yes, what is the current price ?. And a link to it.

(I had trouble once before trying to find BigY & was told that when I log in to my own ftDNA acct it won't show as I had already purchased it for myself.)

Thanks

Doug Marker
DF100-CTS4528 / Mold* / Marker-Marcher-Marcker

[similligan]

I checked a project member's account and it was still there. The sale price is $525 (US), good for one more day. It will revert to $575 after 11:59 pm Central Time (US)tomorrow There are also coupons for an extra $100 off. I think I have a spare one if you need it.

Susan

[similligan]

A question I should have asked - has the project member already taken a Y DNA test? You said there were three listed. If he hasn't, I'm not sure if he can order Big Y. He couldn't have in the past, but the rules might have changed.

Susan

[dsm]

Susan,

Thanks for the update - the person isn't actually going to take the BigY based on its cost but when they said it had gone I tried to locate it to see if this was true. Not being able to find it listed anywhere (logged in or not logged in), I posted here re its status.

What would be useful to me is a link that lists it.

Thanks

Doug

[efgen]

Big Y is not on the Products page on the public website because it can't be ordered as a new kit -- it can only be ordered as an upgrade in myFTDNA by customers who have already done standard Y-DNA testing.

Elise

[T E Peterman]

Actually, the Big Y can be ordered without the other y-DNA tests in special circumstances.

My father has two male cousins (surname Hall). Both have done Family Finder & are reported with an appropriate number of shared centimorgans to be first cousin. One of the cousins has tested & tested his y-DNA. I know that he is R1b L2* His supply of DNA is getting low & probably is insufficient for the Big Y. The other cousin has done no testing at all of his y-DNA.

I called Family Tree DNA a couple of weeks ago & ordered the Big Y for the cousin with no y-DNA testing. They agreed to do this, after I explained the above circumstance.

I think that the Big Y is offered on the website to any man who has done any y-DNA testing, even if only the 12 marker y-str test.

Timothy Peterman

[dsm]

Thanks all - I now have the story.

Also I had been saying to people to consider 12-marker test + BigY but I see that 12-marker test is now gone.

The min appears to be 37-marker or 67-marker or 111-marker. https://www.familytreedna.com/y-dna-compare.aspx?

So my recom from now on is consider any of the 37-67-111 STR tests then seriously think of BigY SNP test as the STR tests *will not* tell you a useful terminal haplogroup. Alt to BigY is to do the Natgeo Genome2 test & transfer that data to ftDNA but at least do 37-marker test in conjunction with it.
All based on what the person seeks plus what they are willing to spend.

Cheers

Doug Marker.

[T E Peterman]

I concur in general. Run a y-str 37 test. See who your matches are. Join a project for whatever haplogroup you are estimated to be in. See if any of your matches share the same surname. Once you have ruled out the possibility that a patrilineal cousin has already done the Big Y, go ahead & order the Big Y.

There is no point in ordering a Big Y if you have a clean paper trail, coupled with confirming y-str data, to a MRCA that someone else, confirmed to be a patrilineal relative, has already obtained Big Y results for. It would make sense to get Big Y results for as many different patrilines as possible; let's say one for every immigrant with uncertain parentage who came to the American colonies in the 1600s.

The data is well worth the money spent, but since this is an expensive test, it makes sense to have a cooperative testing method in mind, rather than just ordering this willy-nilly.

Timothy Peterman

[lgmayka]

Also I had been saying to people to consider 12-marker test + BigY but I see that 12-marker test is now gone.

The 12- and 25-marker tests are still available if you order through a surname or geographical project--e.g., Polish.

[dsm]

Thanks again

To lgmayka

AS always I value your input and knowledge - what makes the forums valuable

Cheers

Doug Marker
DF100-CTS4528