Any one done this using the RX out/in ports with a splitter to send the signal to the the QSR1 and back to the RX in?

Besides hating Flex radios, any other holes people can point out?

It seems that the Flex itself would shut off the receive loop to protect the second SDR in this configuration thus providing the necessary transmit isolation.

Thoughts?

Ok guys, I think you are taking it a little too far here.

All I am saying is that PC usage is seriously going to shrink and many of the things we felt we needed a PC for can now be done from the comfort of your bed, like writing this post on a tablet.

What I am saying is fact, it's already happening.  I hardly use my personal laptop any more.  why, because the tablet makes surfing, reading, writing, ect so easy from anywhere.  Light as a feather compared to the average laptop.

I know for a fact corporations are actually working hard to get rid expensive computing devices.  I could do my job on a windows tablet today without any loss of productivity and probably a gain on productivity.

Like I said, I get a bad reaction when I tell people PCs are going to fade away.

Oh, and no, I can't do 120 WPM on a tablet, but I can't do it on my PC or laptop either.  Yup, I hunt and peck a whopping 30-35 WPM on all my computing devices including the touch screen. And most of the developers that work for me don't type near as fast as me.  The issue for developers is being able to test and debug their code.  That will happen in the cloud in the future.  Not to mention that developers, corporate and non corporate are starting to write and gravitate towards..... Drum roll...... Apps... That run on..... Tablets, phones, ect.

It will be ok, lol.  I actually just gave away the last Commodore 64 I still had about a month ago, it was an SX 64, remember those?  Yes, I played with the TRS 80's the Atari 400/800, my first was a Vic 20 and I remember how I lusted for a Sinclair.  He heheh fun times.

Just keep in mind that a tablet is a computer as well.  Computers are changing.  Nothing to get bent out of shape over.

I had a fun day hamming today.  Windows 8 on yes, a mega PC is working out great for me!

73 Gents

You don't even need a PC anymore to run some SDRs, for example I could run my KX3 from my iPad if I wanted.

The SDRs of the future need an embedded OS like Linux.  I suppose Flex is doing that with their 6K series and in theory one should be able to have a tablet client or run it in a browser.

Now, as far as PC's go and the real work comments, that's all changing as well guys.  Of course this stuff all goes in circles anyways.  Remember that thing they called the mainframe?  Well, that concept is on its third go around.  The Internet was sort of its second coming and the cloud computing is its third coming.

Programmers, CAD work, accounting, it will all be done a different way in the future.  Thin clients communicating to virtual machines in the cloud will be how things will get done.  Cubicals, many companies are doing away with office space.  Remember how Amazon and Barnes Noble have greatly replaced most of the brick and mortar book stores?  And now Barnes and Noble is even closing more stores.  People more and more buy books from the Internet and more and more in electronic format.  

Cubicals and office space will become a waste on money as the workforce moves to compensation by results and performance and laptops and desktops are managed through bring your own device programs where the worker gets a credit of some sort to furnish their own computing device or rent a terminal device to use from home.  Not to mention that Offshoring is regaining more ground.

The Microsoft Tablets are a good precursor of what's coming.  They are merely the laptop of tomorrow.

Stan, I praise you for adopting the new! You must be young at heart!  I am in my late 40's and see clearly where it's all headed and simply embrace it.  The tablet has changed my life!  I am even writing my next books on my tablet.  Lol, no keyboard either, all touch screen.

Oh, sorry, guess that writers, photographers, artists, producers, musicians, accountants, technicians in the field, they all don't do real work on tablets. Fact is, few jobs today that require physical desktop PCs won't be able to transition to tablets.  Remember, a tablet can be a terminal to a cloud super computer infrastructure as well.

You have to understand as well that manually intensive computer work is changing as well to become smarter.  Drag and drop, reusable widgets and frameworks.  Business can't afford to do everything the slow,old way so it's always looking for faster innovative ways to get work done, automate, ect.

I'll leave it at that, I am sure many will disagree with this.  Change is more often greeted with denial!

Keep in mind that when you sample, regardless of source quality, you are dealing with loss.  That's why sampling at a greater bit width is always better than a smaller one, you loose less of the original artifact.

I would agree you can't turn an original 14 bits into 24 bits by revamping at a higher rate.  It would be like say you can produce more light by reflecting it with mirrors.

I always get a bad reaction to the dying PC remark, just don't see them being around much longer. Give it 4-5 years and that mark will be shrinking rapidly. 

Today I do most stuff from my iPad, surf, print, write, create, ect.  Of course, there is software I still like on Windows and use occasional but even there, that stuff will all be runnable on a tablet soon.

I respect anyone who wants to disagree.  Mine is but one of many opinions!

Well, there is the infamous e G6 as well which is supposed to be the equivelants of the Flex 5000 and better for around $1300 that will come out this year as well.  Guessing QuickSilver will have something along with several others as well.

If they were still doing the G59 it would be great. Must needs enought people to produce another run of those.

People have to remember that companies are ultimately responsible for their reputation and how their product users feel about their products.  The problem here is that the complaints have merit.  Flex has to own that.

Meanwhile I have my 5000 up and running on Windows 8.  CommCat just seems to not like the way I want to use it anymore so I moved to HRD Log.  I will take the blame for CommCat not working since I know others and previously myself had it working and liked it a lot.  I had the same issues before I moved to Windows 8 where it just runs super slow.

Windows 8 appears to be vastly more stable on the beast of a computer I use.  I did see the infamous PowerSDR freeze once and had to adjust the core allocations for the software I am running.  HRD Log seems to use more resources than CommCat.  Possibly Windows 8 itself as well.

As far as Flex's current design structure goes, the major beef is the real HP it requires to run it smoothly.  Might have to build BigBertha 2 later this year.  Thinking that will be my last desktop computer/server I may ever buy.  PC's are turning into boat anchors in today's evolving world.  I might just wait for the next version of the QSR1 and go that route as well.  I like Studio 1 a lot and would ultimately like a good SDR that would just use it.  Still playing with the KX3 and that software as well.  I have to redo everything now under Win8, its a project unto itself.

If I could use a QSR1 off the back of the Flex5000 for receive and use the Flex for transmit, I would be okay with it.

Decisions decisions!

Try studio one, real fun!  Some screenshots on my site under articles.

The genesis kit radios offer a lot of radio for about $350 delivered, check them out!

Roger That!

To me it's like owning a Lamborghini in a country surround by water whose max speed limit is 35mph!  I doubt most people who buy this radio do more with all the extra features other then show them off to other hams.  Honestly, unless your like me and just want to make things more complicated than they need to be, simple is better.  More interesting to me is if they make a major leap in sensitivity.  Don't care for slices.

You have to understand the underlining issues here to understand the behavior.  I am going to simplify this as best as I can.  Before hand I will say I am neither a flex fan or hater and am an active owner user.

Here is the summarized version.

Ham buys Flex Radio and does so full of excitement and expectations, plunks down good money!
Ham starts to use the radio and the illusion slowly crumbles.
Ham contacts Flex and Flex says they are working issues.  Support seems friendly and genuine.
Ham waits
Flex says its coming!
Reasonable time passes, no solutions yet.
Ham is past 30 day return and becomes dissatisfied
Ham reports issues to other Flex users and Flex tells them to stop
Flex bans them from reflectors for rocking the boat
Ham sells radio at loss
Ham vows that he will never let another ham say anything good about Flex Radios
Ham makes it their mission to do all they can to discredit Flex

Other hams buy radios after flex systems fix the issues and like their radios
Other hams don't have issues disillusioned users had

Original owners continue to slam radios and new owners get offended.

It's not personal, so don't take it that way.  They are on a mission with nothing to loose!

Remember, it's not personal!  It's the fanatic fans and the fanatic haters that are the problem.  Both groups misinform other hams.

Why is it important that people see this in any other way than they see it?  Honestly not seeing much exciting here other than a wider view of the spectrum.

Honest question: Other than being able to zoom out and see more spectrum, what is it you see so far in this video that makes it so exciting that you don't see in other SDR software implementations?

For example, what I see here is no more exciting than Studio One.

Just trying to understand how hams see themselves doing bigger better things based off the GUI shown in the video.

Lol, not out of gas, just really short on time these days.  Thanks for the nice comments.  Just as I try to understand long timer perspective I agree you can learn lots from short timers.  We newbies see everything through rosé colored glasses when it come to the hobby and there is so much that is new and exciting with ham radio.

You won't get more than 96K.  To get 96K you set the sampling rate to 192K.  IE you get half the set sampling rate.

As compared to many new SDRs this is rather limited.  It's still very usable.

What I find when people contact me most times with inconsistency is two things.

Failure to use an isolator like the one from radio shack or something better.
Use of NAP3 which in the version I last used has a bug where things can shift after you switch to CW and back.

While the article I provided isn't perfect, if followed carefully offers enough to get it all working.  Might have to read it a few times, but it's in there.

I am thinking that 2013 is going to bring us some cool stuff!

Have fun!
NI0Z

And after 8 pages I have not found a compelling argument to preorder a flex 6k series radio. I don't live in a fantasy world either so those replies did nothing for me.

Still not even a real radio.

Flex might need to lookout or someone else might just beat them to the punch! Looks like as a Reciever the QS1R is already there.

So much for the game changer and applied imagination.  What a joke the announcement is turning out to be.  Glad I didn't have any money involved!