What kind of truck are you trying to mount the Hi-Q on?
All of these posts have gone astray from what I believe is
the main issue, how to mount your screwdriver antenna!
  I have seen screwdriver antennas mounted in some very
interesting and unusual ways. Going to hamfests can be educational
at times! I'm sure some are compromises, but, sometimes, that
is what you have to do, in order to use what you have and get
on the air.
  I am betting there is a way to mount the Hi-Q and make it useful
for you without you having to get rid of it and use something else
that you may not like.
  So, again, what kind of truck are we talking about here? I use a
Tarheel 100a HP on my 1997 Dodge 2500 pickup. I have it mounted
in the left rear corner of the bed, against one of the stake pockets.
It doesn't hardly move at all.  I also have a Little Tarheel II mounted
on the driver's side mirror on a 2007 Kenworth diesel rig. Not the best
setup in the world, but, it works pretty good in my opinion.
 So, I'm certain there has to be some way to get your antenna mounted
so you can use it.
james
WD5GWY

Do a search on YouTube for "DVB-T" and you'll find a ton of
videos showing AM, FM, SSB and other modes using the DVB-T
dongle with and without, an HF up-converter. The audio on most
of the videos is not great. But, then again, they are probably recorded
with cellphone cameras that have pretty poor microphones.
There is even a few demos of HF being tuned in without using an up-converter.
But,image rejection is poor. There is a company on Amazon.com that sells
the DVB-T dongles and also  sells an HF up-converter. For less than $90 total,
you can get an entire setup if you don't want to build your own converter.
james
WD5GWY
 

The sampling rate has to do with the Analog to Digital converter(s) and Digital to Analog converters in a device. Here are a couple of articles from Wikipedia that might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog-to-digital_converter#Sampling_rate
And here is one that lists various SDR radio's specs along with their sampling rates:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_software-defined_radios

 In the above list, the DVB-T dongle from RealTec, seems to sample  from 1 Mhz to
3 Mhz. But, tends to not be reliable at the top end. Still, for $20 or so, that is not too
shabby! And building an upconverter for HF reception is cheap as well. If you get QST
read the January 2013 issue and there is a good article there covering this pretty well.
james
WD5GWY
 
 

Looks like a fun and cheap setup to play with. And I am very tempted to order
one. Plus that would give me a reason to get back into programming again!
C# is not one of my favorite languages, (love VB.net) but, I can do some things
with it.
  I read the article in QST and found it quite interesting.
Guess, I'll have to go and spend some money now!!   
james
WD5GWY

Bypass your switches, tuner etc. and connect your antenna directly to your rig.
(do it on a band where the antenna is resonant) Then, try keying up etc.
Since you say when you tap the tuner things seem to return to normal, I'd suggest
that you have some issues with the tuner. It may just need some cleaning or some
connections tightened a bit. Band switches etc. do get dirty and can cause problems.
I have an older MFJ tuner that has a roller inductor and over time it will do something
similar. I have cleaned the coil surface with a soft cloth and some DeOXIT (light spray
it doesn't take much) and that usually brings things back to normal.
The tuner is probably the source of your problem. But, bypassing things like I mentioned
will help rule out other things.
james
WD5GWY

Negative comment? Stating that there was no working example of SmartSDR
is not negative. I have been to several hamfests where Flex Radio has been
in attendance and not one has had a WORKING version of SmartSDR on display,
only a mockup. And no working hardware hooked up either.
 While that may seem like a negative comment to you, it IS the truth. When they
are asked (and I have asked them several times) when they might have a working
example of the hardware and software, their answers have been on the evasive
side. The only thing they have said is the 6000 Series (and the Signature Series radios
in particular) "should" ship in Q4 2012. Well, guess what? That has now slipped to
Q1 2013 for the Signature Series radios and general shipping to other buyers is slated for Q2 2013. That is direct from Tim Ellison of Flex Radio.  That's up to 6 months later than their original stated shipping time frame for those that pre-order/ordered the radios.
  I agree, it is your money. And it is MY money too. I almost put a deposit down on a 6500 Signature Series radio. I really do want one and the specs look really good to me. BUT, without
nothing more than looking at MOCKUP software and hardware, that is a bit more than I like to
tie up(the $1,200 deposit for the 6500). I'll wait until the actual hardware and software is out and I can SEE a WORKING example of both. I do not mind paying an additional $300 if it turns out that the 6500 is really what they claim it will be. I sincerely hope the radios and the software live up
to Flex Radios claims.
  For right now, I have my Flex 1500 to take care of my SDR needs. And if I need/want another
SDR rig, I'll get a 3000 or 5000.  I suspect that once the 6000 Series actually ship, those will drop in price on the used market. IF the 6000 Series and SmartSDR, live up to the hype by Flex Radio.
 It also depends on what features and functionality SmartSDR initially ships with. Especially since
later buyers, (like I hope to be) will have to shell out more money for software Upgrades ( bug fixes are supposed to be free).
  So, in a way yes, you might be right that there are a lot of complaints about Flex Radios.
And it will certainly never go away. Nor will it go away for a lot of other brands of radios.
That is just the nature of the beast. Do like I suggested to another poster and IGNORE the
posts you consider negative.  That's easy enough to do. There is still a lot of useful information
here and on other websites concerning SDR and Flex Radios in general. And there is always the
Yahoo groups as well. Lot of good info there.
Good luck and I hope you get your new 6000 Series radio soon. Please post a review here when
you get it. And be ready for more negative comments. That is just a part of a forum like this.
james
WD5GWY
 
   

You're new here aren't you?
If you read far enough back, everyone of the negative posts in
this thread was written by current AND former Flex Radio owners.
I own a Flex 1500 and have no gripes about it. It works quite well
as a qrp rig. I also plan to add a Flex 3000 one day too.
But, I still like radios with knobs and have several of those around.
My current favorite is a Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV. Next after that is
a TenTec Jupiter. (and some much older rigs as well)
The receiver in all three rigs are very close in performance in my
opinion. The Yaesu beats the other two out because it has two, independent
receivers in it. And also has 200watts output. The audio from it is very nice
and clear. Same for the other two. But, "I think" the Yaesu beats the other
two radios out slightly in sensitivity. (doing a comparison between them using
the same antenna and switching out between all three radios.)
But, as far as I know, everyone that is complaining here has had or even still has,
Flex radios and understands the problems associated with them.
 I think that the best thing to do is to ignore the posts from those that post negative
 comments about the Flex radios if it bothers you.
Personally, I like mine.
james
WD5GWY

Yes, I know that you can get it online cheaper. But, it always seems I need it "NOW" and
not later when I run out. I still have one full can and most of another from my  last purchase from Radio Shack, A little goes a long way!!
james
WD5GWY

I bought some last year(2 can pack) and still have one full can a part of another.
It seems to take very little of it to be effective. Even with a Hallicrafters S-40a that
had been sitting out in a barn for years.
james
WD5GWY
Have fun on your project!!
 

One slight correction, Flex Radio won't be charging for PowerSDR. But, for
their new software for the 6000 Series radios, SmartSDR........which as far as I know
does not exist yet!
james
WD5GWY

ICOM 1500? Maybe you meant FLEX 1500.
If so, you will need transverters to hook up
to the Flex 1500 for VHF & UHF.
The Flex 1500 covers 160- 6 meters out of box.
There are several transverts on the market that
will work with the 1500. Get on the Flex Radio
Yahoo group and you can find a lot of info that will
help you if that is what you want.
james
WD5GWY

Rat Shack has DeOxit too.
james
WD5GWY

I have an older Dodge 2500 3/4 ton pickup with a Cummins diesel engine. No interference
from anything on it. That particular year and the first part of 1998, they had not added the
electronic fuel injection system. So, it is extremely quiet. (well, radio wise, but the diesel
engine can be heard for 1/2 a mile according to my wife!    )
The only negative to those trucks is the top part of the dashboard. For some reason, they
tend to become brittle and break up. Dodge won't fix it either. (they will sell you a replacement
that is built of better plastic, but, otherwise, you're out of luck)
There is plenty of room for mounting antennas and radios.
As others have mentioned, take some sort of portable radio with you that will work in the
bands you are interested in and do a sniff test for noise from the vehicle. That will save you
a lot of grief later on.
james
WD5GWY
 

Wrong section to sell equipment. You need to post this in
the "Classifieds" section. Mods here may kill this post when
they read it.
Good luck, hope it sells for you.
james
WD5GWY

The Yaesu FT-3000 is already available. And at least one has already been put up for
resale too. (Wasn't me, I cannot afford one after just getting a Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV)
I seriously doubt that the new 990 when it arrives, will sell for under 3K. Maybe, 5K or so.
But, given the specs, probably closer to 8 to 10K. Way too rich for my blood. But, it would
look awfully nice sitting on my desk!!! (Santa,,,,,,are you listening???)
james
WD5GWY