Choosing Your Next Test / General Fund

Contents

1.  General

2.  ySTR upgrades

3.  ySNP tests, single and Pack

4.  Geno2 tests

5.  NGS tests, incl. BigY

6.  Autosomal tests, incl. Family Finder

7.  Mitochondrial tests

8.  Other DNA tests

9.  General Fund

This section identifies the various DNA test that can be taken after the initial ySTR test and offers recommendations on their suitability, depending on the individual tester's circumstances.  Which test, if any, is most appropriate depends on:

• the results of your first test:   how many "matches" you have, which branch you are in,  and which tests other members of the branch have taken etc.;

• your personal interests, both in your own ancestry and in supporting our Study; and

• your budget!

1.  General comments on further testing

• Once a member has taken his initial ySTR test and digested the results many are tempted to take further tests. There is now a large number of tests to choose from, and much money can be wasted by choosing inappropriate tests, money that could often be spent better in the interests of the individual and/or of the Study.  As the optimal choice of a further test, if any, depends on individual circumstances (i.e. financial considerations, areas of interest, and the context of the initial/earlier test other genetic and genealogical evidence) I strongly recommend individuals seek my advice before ordering any further test.  Obviously I cannot advise on how much you may wish to spend, or indeed on what your own interests and goals should be, but I can explain why many tests may be inappropriate to your personal circumstances, and which further test would best help you and/or our Study.

• The saliva samples sent to FTDNA by a member for his initial STR test are kept for 20 years, and may be used for further tests.  How much saliva is used for each test depends on a number of factors, including the quality of the saliva, the sophistication of each test the sample is used for, and whether a particular test had to be re-run for some reason.  It is thus not possible to predict how many tests the initial samples can be used for.  If FTDNA need more saliva they will contact you direct, and the only cost involved is the postage to cover your returning a fresh sample.  Otherwise there is no postal charge for further FTDNA tests. 

• To order a further test from FTDNA go to your personal webpage/account and click on "ADD ONS & UPGRADES" and select the test you want (see below).  Confusingly Family Finder tests, Individual SNP tests and SNP Pack tests are now under "ADD ONS", while 37 marker tests (if applicable), 67 marker tests (now cancelled!) and 111 marker tests are under "UPGRADES". 

• Results of FTDNA's tests typically take 4-6 weeks from the time of ordering/receipt of sample, but occasionally 3 weeks and sometimes 8 weeks or more if a test has to be re-run for some reason or there a back-log has built up for some reason.

• The funding of tests may be facilitated by the ‘Clan Irwin Surname DNA Study General Fund’ - see below.

• In the past FTDNA have offered short-duration Summer and Christmas sales of various products, which obviously offer better value-for-money, though their scope is limited and their dates unpredictable.

2.  ySTR upgrades

FTDNA offer the following STR upgrades:

• 12 markers to   37 markers  at   $  79 

• 25 markers to   37 markers  at   $  49               

• 37 markers to 111 markers  at   $139           

• 67 markers to 111 markers  at   $  89

Despite indications to the contrary FTDNA no longer offer upgrades to 25 or 67 markers, nor do they offer single STR marker tests.  However YSeq, another reputable testing company, still offer single marker STR tests, e.g. DYS617 for $9.95 plus shipping fee, but of course they need their own saliva sample.

For testers who do not have 37 markers I recommend upgrading to 37 markers.

For testers who have 37 markers I have only rarely recommended upgrades to 111 markers, because I do not regard them as value for money until our Study shows they can be of more use.  This is particularly true when no other member of your branch or sub-group has yet tested for the upgrade being contemplated.  My lack of enthusiasm for upgrading to 111 markers is for two reasons: (1), because for testers whose 37 STR tests results show them to be Border Irwins then the BigY700 test offers much better value for money, and (2) if a tester has no "Matches" at 37 markers it is unlikely (though not impossible) that any Matches will be found at 111 markers. 

That said:

• for those who have already upgraded to 67 or 111 markers, this is not money wasted, for one day the value of these tests will probably become more apparent; 

• for those who have taken a BigY test, YFull do include a 111 marker analysis, though neither FTDNA nor myself consider this reliable; and 

• for those Border Irwins who have taken a BigY500 or L555 SNP Pack test, and particularly those who have a "?" or "*" result, they may wish to consider upgrading to BigY700 to help our understanding of the L555 haplotree.  For those interested please consult the Study Administrator.

• for those who are not Border Irwins then an upgrade to 111 markers can only have "value" if another member of their branch has already tested to 67 or 111 markers. 

3.  ySNP tests

As an initial test I still recommend the 37 marker STR test, as this is usually sufficient to identify which branch a tester is descended from and for FTDNA to give a "predicted haplogroup" (see below).  Higher resolution ySTR tests are still popular with some, but ySNP tests (see below and Supplementary Paper 5), have the following advantages over STR tests:

• they do not suffer from convergence, caused by back mutations and parallel mutations of marker counts, which downgrade the reliability of all STR data;

• the test results are binary (i.e. yes/no, or +/-), as opposed to probablistic;

• the mutations of SNP data are much more stable than those of STR data, further improving reliability, not least for "finding cousins";

• all SNPs fit on the haplotree of mankind, effectively a "top-down" genetic family tree. 

Over the years FTDNA have offered various SNP tests, but now only offer BigY700 tests, having discontinued their single SNP tests, SNP Pack tests, "Deep Clade" and "Walk the Y" SNP tests.   However YSeq, another reputable company, still single offer single SNP tests for $17.50 and SNP Panel tests, typically at $99 or $109, all plus shipping,