Very well done! Wish I had the talent to do as nice work.
My homebrew projects look like a natural disaster in progress! 

james
WD5GWY

I agree that change is coming. (it's already here in so many ways) But, tell me, how much code
are you writing on your tablet?  I attend, when I can, a developer's group in Ft.Worth. (monthly and sponsored by Microsoft) And the vast majority of those developers still develop their company's software on laptops and desktop systems. Some are developing apps for end user devices like tablets and cellphones. But, that is not the main focus that I have seen.
  If someone were to make a development environment like Visual Studio for Tablets etc. then
I would be interested in that. As it is, Microsoft provides emulators for different devices for developers to build and test applications for tablets and phones, to use in Visual Studio.
Personally, I'm not interested in using a text editor for software development. I guess I have been spoiled by Visual Studio and all that it brings to the table. ( for various reasons, I don't do much software development anymore , anyway)
  One thing you keep mentioning, is Cloud computing and storage. As I mentioned in an earlier post, should you loose your internet connection or the servers fail, then you loose access to everything you have stored in the "Cloud". Netflix customers experienced that recently.
  I still think (however old fashioned it may be) that having data stored in the Cloud is risky and
people should still have some sort of local backup. I have a friend in the bailbond business that
got talked into switching to a cloud based software package for his business. He likes it when it works. When it does not, he wishes he still had his older system running. At least that way, he has access to his client records.
  Either way, it will be interesting to see where all of this goes.
james
WD5GWY
 

 

  I'm pretty sure that Flex will want as many people building applications for the new radios as
they can get. The more "cool" stuff that is out there for the radios, the more they will sell.
Completely closed, no 3rd party applications would be a mistake in my opinion. As for the API
that is something they would want for their own developers as well. What will be interesting to
see is, how much of that API they expose to outside developers. Microsoft was well known for
not documenting a lot of functionality to outside developers in their various API's for Windows years ago. (and probably still leaves a lot out) There was a lot of complaining over that too.
  I am sure that they are working on the internals of the software for the hardware itself. And
the Client software too. (saw some of that in the recently released video of SmartSDR)
But, again, if they limit 3rd party development too much, "I think" that the new radios will be an even tougher sell. I would like to have one. But, I don't normally like paying that kind of money
to be a beta tester!
james
WD5GWY

Well, as has been mentioned, the DVB-T dongle is  fun and cheap to play with. I also got
a Ham it UP converter to go along with mine. Finally found the right adapters etc. to hook
the whole thing up. (two came from China in two weeks!!! NO shipping fees, came US Mail)
Using SDR#, I got the whole thing cobbled together and working. I had already been messing
with just the dongle waiting for the adapters to arrive. (my home built up converter, will NOT
have SMA connectors on it!) It is surprisingly sensitive considering how widebanded it is.
Just the dongle by itself was fun.
Adding the upconverter made it better. The toughest part was getting the offset correct so that
SDR#'s frequency readout would be correct on HF. Still not 100% there. But, pretty close.
 Is it as good as my Flex 1500? No, but it surprised me that it heard some things as well as it did.
All in all, I think it is a fun "toy" and having just a bit over $60 in it shipped, it's not bad at all.
(that's including the HamItUp converter too)
 james
WD5GWY
 

Just as soon as I win the lottery I'm ordering one of those!!!!
 

james
WD5GWY

I only use Earthlink for email service because the email address I have has been
with them so long and it would be a royal pain to change it and pass a new address
around. (I pay an annual fee for two email accounts for me and my wife)
  If you have access to faster connections, and can justify the expense, I would go
for that in a heartbeat. I switched to DSL several years ago and have never looked
back. There is just no comparison between dialup and DSL, fiber and other high speed
internet connections. Even the slowest speeds offered by some DSL providers is so much
faster that it is worth the extra money. And depending on where you live, it may not be
that much more expensive. Some cable companies offer bundles with cable tv that make
having high speed internet with it, a no-brainer.
 james
WD5GWY

Yep!! That one turned out well too!!! 
james
WD5GWY

We have been a Netflix customer for quite some time too. Have both streaming video and
DVD/BluRay as well. Even at $19 a month for both, it is a very good deal. And my wife
loves her movies and TV series that she missed for so many years working. She's retired now
and is trying her best to catch up!  
  I use a Nexus 7 tablet for reading quite a bit. I do like it and the fact that is has other uses besides reading books. BUT, I'm still not 100% digital. I still like real, paper books. And the prices on Amazon , Barnes & Noble, and Google Play, for books are still too high in my opinion. WalMart beats them on a lot of book prices. It's hard to want to pay $9.00 (or so, with tax) for an ebook
that I cannot trade, give away or take to Half Price Books and let someone else enjoy them.
I think the prices of ebooks are much too high. For current bookstore prices for print books, the
ebook prices are the same. It kind of irks me that a digital copy of a book can be as expensive as or even in some cases, HIGHER that print books!! I recently bought an ebook (checked all three sources) for $8.00 plus tax and a few days later, found the print version on sale at WalMart for
$5.50!!!
  I love the Nexus 7, but, I looked a long time before buying one. And still, sometimes I have to
wonder, if I really am getting the most for my money.
(but, I have downloaded several free ebooks too..............Huck Finn            years since I've read that one!!!)
james
WD5GWY

I don't see tablets replacing PC's in businesses anytime soon. What has happened
is Cellphones and tablets (to some degree) are being used by consumers, for email
web surfing etc. instead of having a home PC. Cellphone sales far outstrip tablet sales.
And with new cellphones like the Galaxy Note II, (5" screen) even tablet sales can be effected.
As for Cloud Computing/storage, ask Netflix how that is going. Amazon had a MAJOR outage recently
with their Cloud Services that caused Netflix to go down for hours. And it also effected others as
well. Everyone touts Cloud Services/Storage as a great thing. If you loose your internet connection
your data is not available. Unless you have downloaded it to your local machine. In which case, a
tablet or phone might not be able to handle the load. (data)
   I did belong to a Microsoft DotNet programmers group in Ft.Worth for quite a long time. Then, I went back to trucking. I still attend meetings once in a while. (work locally driving a truck, so still have some time) While a lot of developers have tablets, all have laptops and desktop PC's.
I've yet to seen any of them programming on a tablet. I have seen them writing apps for tablets and cellphones on a laptop and testing them on tablets and phones.  Microsoft does not make a development environment like Visual Studio for a tablet or phone. Instead, they provide emulators for different devices for use in Visual Studio, to test applications written for Tablets and phones.
I cannot imagine trying to write an application using a touch keyboard on a tablet! My fat fingers would cause a ton of problems!!! 
james
WD5GWY

Oh, according to Flex , the new 6000 Series software, SmartSDR, will, on the first release, only work on the local intranet, and not over the internet. That functionality will come at a later date.
  From what I have read, basic functionality that is currently in PowerSDR, "should" be in the initial release of SmartSDR. Also, the interface, as shown in the video that was posted in this forum, is fairly plain. Might be from so many people complaining that PowerSDR's interface had too much going on! A lot of functions that are in SmartSDR, are accessible from menus and sidebars.
Guess, we will see how that works out!
 

 

Stan, you might want to read up on the 6000 Series a bit more. Everything is contained within the radio itself, other than the display. Using a browser based interface, it won't matter if a person is using a PC or tablet or even a cellphone. They have said that they will make available an API for outside developers  to write interfaces(apps) that can be used on all those different devices.
  If the radio is hooked up to a local network that is connected to the internet, then it will be able to be operated over the internet or thru a home network(hardwired or wireless) with all kinds of devices.  I think that the Flex 6000 Series radios are just the beginning of what will be coming.
(and not necessarily from Flex either)
james
WD5GWY

Exactly !!
james
WD5GWY

Thank you! But, one thing you say I do not quite understand.
What log are you talking about that could be compromised?
I understand that the main part of the radio's software is embedded in the radio itself.
But, depending on what they expose to the client thru the API, (Microsoft was famous for
not exposing all API calls in Windows........had to do a lot of snooping) there may well be
functionality that could be preformed on the Client side, that they keep to themselves.
  Just some thoughts on my part. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more about the
new 6000 Series as Flex Systems goes along.
It will be quite interesting to be sure!
james
WD5GWY
   

No doubt at all, that they will not allow access to the radio itself other than thru some sort
of API to develop browser based applications. The real question is how much will they expose
that way? Probably just basic transceiver control commands etc.
In one of the earlier videos that was posted here,  one of their engineers gave a very interesting presentation, he stated that "he" was reluctant to even allow any outside, 3rd
party development. He more or less stated, (in my view of what he said) that he was would
rather have it all closed and not open to 3rd parties. If they expose too much control, then
it could kill off interest from those folks wanting to buy the Software Updates on an annual basis.
Mainly because, others could develop similar features, even if buggy, and offer them for free or
very cheap. That would undermine their control and even some income.
  As expensive as the radios are, I doubt that anyone will try to access the actual OS onboard
the radio and hack it in an attempt to change or improve it. Of course, there are a few out there
that the cost to experiment that way, would not prohibit them from trying!
Won't be me, should I manage to buy a 6500 later on, I doubt I'll try to hack the radio itself!
 (don't need THAT expensive of a paperweight!! 
james
WD5GWY

 

You can have up to 8 Slice Receivers open with a 6700 and with an
internet connection(with software support) 8 people can use those slices.
BUT, the big difference is, only one can transmit. Not that that is a huge
deal, but, some people tend to get carried away with the remote operations
thing for multiple users. It's fine for listening, but, it's not a huge selling point
to me. On the other hand, being able to see such a huge slice of spectrum and
graphically see the MUF as the video demonstrates, is impressive. And I know that
there are other "receivers" out there that do the same thing. Few, if any include the
ability to transmit as well. That's why I find the new radios interesting.
If all I wanted was just the wide swath of spectrum to listen to, then I'd go with the
QS1R or something similar. It will certainly be interesting to see how the software
evolves with the 6000 Series. If Flex Systems opens it up to 3rd party developers, then
there should be more possible uses for the new radios. Of course, that could limit people
wanting to pay the $200 yearly fee for software with new features. Especially if the
3rd party developers come up with free or low cost, alternatives.
Interesting times ahead!
james
WD5GWY
   

The first step is admitting you have a problem:
Me:"Hello, my name is James and I'm a Flex Radio addict"
Other(recovering)addicts: "Hi James" !!
 

Sorry, couldn't resist!!
  Personally, I am glad that Flex Radio is finally showing some
working software. I have also read elsewhere that they are running
one from their "club station" in Austin as well. Maybe they'll be on the
Flexnet on 20 meters today. It would be nice to hear it on the air that way.
james
WD5GWY