Because its a little like saying that to make your dog hunt you just need to bring another hunting dog along.

Are you using two PC's with your Flex 5000 to contest?

Besides the fact that Flex does not say you need 2 PCs to operate their radio for CAT connected software, doesnt it seem kind of ridiculous that I would have to add a second PC to run a software defined radio?  All anyone would have to do is add a Contest Mode button into PowerSDR to keep it from needing focus to solve this.

The CW issue is more difficult because there is latency involved.

Most radios have a shortcoming or two, I am ok with my rig not being the greatest one out there.  Its still does a decent job at the things I want from it,  there is no shame in owning a radio that is not the very best and there is no shame in being honest about what ones radio can and cant do well.

When I get my Anan I will tell it like it is on that rig as well.  Perspective buyers appreciate real feedback and not brand fan responses.

The truth among hams about radios should be written into the creed.  Its real feedback that makes radio manufactures build better radios and keeps other hams from buying poor products.

Everyone reading this, I encourage you to vow this year to tell it like it is!   Let the truth be known!

Dont take my response as an attack, I certainly dont see yours that way which is why I am asking you if it isn't kind of ridculous to have to have two PCs to contest. 

On the contesting its easy for me to see based on my user experience why the Flex with PowerSDR can not truly be a consistent contest winner given the window focus issues.  This has also been lamented on by others here and elsewhere.

CW is based off the feedback from long time trusted Hams who have been Flex users.  I have no CW user expereince myself to pull from.

Fair is fair, I amswered your questions, why did you ask this question to me?  Are you successfuly contesting with a Flex 5K or doing CW without issues?

Whats the ROI for a Transciever manufacturer for improved transmit?  So few people understand it or value it.    Until someone makes it a buzzword in Ham Radio I doubt we will see it much. 

My two unpopular cents!

Fortunately I might get it in my Anan some day. 

Well, now my silver and black box is obsolete, lol, so it goes will things we buy.

Flex 5000, it's a solid radio now, software is pretty much complete so that argument should be done.  Say what you want, the 5K will be my anchor rig until the Aan 100D can effectively replace it.  By that I mean fully functional software as I believe the hardware is there already.

Flex 5000 great?  Hmmm.  Well, depends on how you really look at it if we all want to be honest.

Lets grade it in some key areas.

CW = D
Digital Modes = B
SSB = A-
Contesting = D-
Software stability = C+

You can debate these grades, everyone has an opinion.  It works for me because I don't contest and I don't use CW.  Therefor for me it works like an A-.

Now, if you have to compare it to any other full SDR transceiver that used to be out there, it gets a bit better.  Compare it to the great knobbed radios and it gets pale.

All in how you want to look at it.

Am I a nay sayer or a realist?

You decide!

Of course there is a risk ordering from over seas, perhaps what is a little different here is the design is pretty much open source. 

One can buy a 100D Angelina board separate if you want as a backup.  So far they have been shipping as promised.  There are some US Hams helping support them as well. 

Probably the big difference here in my mind is you are buying an experimental product with the Anan 100D.  Some make take offense at that, however it is what it is, although its a very evolved experimental radio and the 100D is very much over engineered for the future.

The problem today though is many products you buy can have companies go out of business on you. 

Keep reading up on them before you buy and only buy if and when your comfortable.  More and more hams are getting their 100Ds now so we will get the real skinny soon.

Honestly, I think the whole he has a blog thing, he's advertising who ha is all blown out of proportion.  

Lol, poor Steve pays a hefty price for his enthusiasm on Flex radios.  Its tuff business being a Flex fan or user on eHam.  Oddly while some would disagree, that really is Flex's fault and not any particular users fault here.  You reap what you sew and so if all were well in Flexville then nobody would have a beef.  

Steve, I own and use a Flex as my main Rig.  It does ok, it has challenges, not all likely due to Flex.. it does ok and gets me by.  I finally feel like its mostly finished as far as the Software Defined part goes.

Steve, my only feedback to you is you might try to see the grass on both sides of the creek.  Objectivity might make your blog more interesting to readers here.  I too have a website and the number one feedback I get from people who e-mail me now a days is that my views are interesting and seem real.  

I too have been chastised here for having a blog and having a link to it at the bottom of my messages.  I have been verbally abused for saying good things about my Flex and honestly not very abused for talking about the bad things.

On a Flex reflector I would be most like banned.  Just how it goes.  We all pay a price for how we think and feel and so while I am telling you objectivity would help, you can certainly remain a flex evangelist.  Again, there will be good and bad with the new radios.  Even radios with 5 stars here at eHam have some bad to them.

Above all, don’t worry about what people think, just do your thing, enjoy your radio when it comes and keep company with like-minded people and you'll feel a lot better.  If you’re open to the good and the bad, hang out, take off the rose colored glasses and join in on objective conversation.  Its not about my radio verses your radio.  If I had money I’d have lots of radios.  Its about what’s real and what’s not, sorting through the hype and understand what’s good and what’s not.  Its also important that hams band together to keep vendors honest.  If we lie to each other nobody wins!  

Said another way, I have taken lots of feedback here and put it to use, maybe you can find a way to make all the feedback you get work for you!

Just my humble two cents!  

Take it easy and my sincere best wishes for a speedy delivery on your new Flex.

Eventually it will ship, there will be good, bad. We will get a lot of hype as people try to justify their purchase and the initial sparkle dazzles.  Some time will pass, the shine will fade and then and only then will we begin to get the real scoop on these rigs.  The faithful will espouse the great Flex miracle and the disenchanted will scream blasphemy. 

Seriously, I am guessing that the 6500 will be all most Hams would need or want other than bragging rights for the higher model or someone with the wherewithal to have a real diversity antenna setup.

We will hear about a lower noise floor and how cool the multiple recievers are probably most.  I expect lots of shortfalls in the software at first and lots of bugs.

I pretty much expect the same with my Anan 100D.  Overkill on the second ADC, lower noise, bugs & issues.

SDR's are still by in large more expirimental than they are for contesting.  Yes, some people will use them in constest, no doubt.

All in all, pretty much the same old NEW RIG saga, just a higher price tag! 


Time will tell if my predictions come true!

Yup, there should be some news here, thats why I created a placeholder for it so as people hear about it they can share.  There should actually be news from a few companies.

Expect a launch Date from Flex.
Expect news from Apache-labs.
Expect at least one new SDR from someone.
I expect a KX3 Amp announcement from Elecraft.

Let's see what we get!

NI0Z

Any SDR news coming out of Dayton this year?

It seems like there are a lot of cool things in the works for these radios, I know I am looking forward to mine.  Look for an interesting announcement at Dayton as well.

What's ironic in a way as just as Flex has moved the processing back to the radio, it looks like the possibilities of processing at the PC might up the Antne!

These are becoming exciting SDR times!

Lets see what unfolds!

NI0Z

Well, I think what you will see if you look at it running Power SDR is a few differences, but nothing major in terms of your Flex on PowerSDR.  If you look closer at the MRX version of PowerSDR its a bit different with a lot more controls embedded in it.  No notch filters yet.  One cool thing though is the DJ knobs are built in tot he core code.  Second reciever can show a wider swatch of bandwidth as I understand it.  You have to really dig into the MRX version of PowerSDR to appreciate it.

cuSDR on the other hands looks to be very graphically appealing.  No Xmit yet, however, its being worked on.

Both SDRs look to hold a lot of future promise!

I am sure its going to be quite the SDR, I have little doubt about that. 

Of course, SDR is all about Software.  From what I can tell they still have quite a ways to go towards providing a complete radio that provides all the General Purpose Ham functions.  Probably whats most suprising though to me is how much more work they have yet to get done to get the basics done.  They grossly missed their original timeline!  No real excuses for that, they need to get better at projecting dates. 

I wouldn't be suprised to see them launch here in 3Q but with incomplete software.  All said and done I bet they miss expectations by more than a year from the roginal projected release date.  By that I mean a full functional radio with bugs.  That means CAT control, all bands, all modes ect.  It goes back to posts I and others made a year ago.

All that said though, when done it should be a very nice transciever if the software is stable.

All in the spirit of being humble and keeping it all real, including being able to poke fun at oneself, I have to confess I added another ferrite bead this weekend!   

I couldnt add this comment to my PowerSDR thread since it was locked because folks couldnt behave.  Anyways, I got a very nice Green Heron Rotator Controller and had to put a bead on the USB cable.  You can read more about it on my blog if your interested!

Lol, looks like I need to buy some more beads for USB cables!

Whats to explain?  Do you know of any new development specifically targeted at new features for the 5K?  Unless the price is dropped significantly the 6500 will likely be the mid range radio.  The lower models have a different price point that will allow them still to be viable selling products for a little while longer.  Still though, I predict we will see more compettion coming soon that will make those less attractive.

As an SDR the Flex 5K has pretty much matured, it has the basic software covered and is end of marketing life.  Most Flex 5Ks sold now will be on the used market.

Of course this is merely my humble opinion and not based on any facts.

As a current active Flex 5K user I am not really expecting anything new for that radio.