| NO9E |
Rating:  |
2024-02-25 | |
| Good for causal use but not for contesting especially SSB |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I use it with PGXL, TGXL and AG 8x2 switch. Over the years the radio changed from network erratic to network stable. Also a lag when remote under Windows was dramatically reduced from almost a second to a fraction of a second. I enjoy the radio for casual use especially under Ipad. Easy connections from everywhere. With Ipad remote, the radio scored FT8WW in FT8 as DXCC # 336 while I was dining.
The experience when contesting is not that good. Thumps in CW. Frequent false interlock messages requiring PG and TG cycling. Noise when tuning S&P close to the panadapter edge. In SO2R, sending a signal from one slice to the other (Ctrl-Fx in N1MM) causes alarms. Occasionally an artificial granular noise ( at the height of the pileup) that requires radio reboot. While the receive audio locally is very clear, when remote the audio is noisy, and digging weak signals from a pileup becomes hard. CW Skimmer with DAX creates many wrong sports and eventually crashes.
While the above problems are irritating but manageable, the dealbreaker in SSB is a weak transmit audio. Despite having phased beams, I cannot hold a run frequency too long and getting multipliers in a pileup is a challenge. It turned out that the average processed power of the Flex is very low, and in A/B tests with FT-991, the Flex sounds like a QRP radio. Other contesters found that IC7300 runs a circle around the Flex. Apparently the CESSB implementation that is advertised as producing a powerful audio is poorly implemented.
When confronted with problems, the Flex management becomes defensive. It is clear that they disbanded a software team that programmed SmartSDR, and any attempt to fix a problem takes a long time and potentially creates a new problem.
One partial fix to a weak audio is an external speech processor. I tried TenTec 715 in CQ 160 SSB and the improvement was dramatic. Finally I was able to work nearly every weak DX and often ahead of other stations.
Why keep the Flex despite the shortcomings? Easy integration with PG XL amp, TG XL tuner and AG switch. Easy remote setup. Easy operations via hotkeys via an excellent FRStack utility. Also read my old review.
In summary, I like 6600 for causal operation especially when remote. It is OK in CW contests. In phone contests it sucks unless you use an external speech processor.
==========Old review 2022-09-28=========
First the pluses.
Two receivers including duplex, each with an input from 5 possible antenna sources. Nice diversity reception. Very good selectivity and very clear audio (from the back of the radio). Most controls easily accessible via GUI. Multipoint equalizers on RX and TX. Easy recording and playback. Possibility to implement amp and antenna switching via multiple USB cables. Possibility to integrate many applications without cables via virtual audio. Panadapters with very fine resolution up to 8 MHz wide. Easy implementation of remote access. Up to 4 receivers using 2 of 5 different inputs. Possibility of SO2R. I was able to transmit KW on Slice A on 160m while receiving on a Wellbrook loop just 300 ft away oriented for a null to the transmit antenna; the receive was undistorted 5 Khz outside of the TX frequency.
Many utilities available: FRStack, SliceMaster, SDR Bridge, etc. Automatic control of Expert amp for preset driving power and for one step tuning.... WSJT and CW Skimmer without cables. Maestro works well as a control panel (SmartSDR) to provide knobs and buttons.
Unfinished items
NB distorts easily. Noise reduction not too useful. No voice memory; using voice memories via N1MM+ is a hassle due to the need for voice editing.
Ugly sides
High lag (0.5s or longer) for audio when coming through Windows or Maestro, regardless whether the connection is local or remote. Negligible lag with audio from the back of Flex, and only a small lag via the MAC application. Remote audio less clear with some background noise, making picking up weak signals in pileups a challenge. Poor transmit audio quality and punch in default setting. Best quality and punch (but still well below those of ANAN, K3 or FTDX100) obtained with turning down the basses, turning up the treble, and turning on mic gain almost to the max. Set up the audio listening on a second receiver, not the meters.
With earlier firmware many crashes, interruptions, no connects, disconnects etc. With Flex I was setting/adapting/fixing 80% of the time, while with K3 I was operating 99% of the time. Very long learning curve. Unexpected interactions in SO2R. Fixing/setting could take all available time, possibly imperiling your job and your marriage. Fortunately the company support as well as that on groups.io are pretty good.
Latest firmware made the radio more stable. When remote, the best option for me are SmartSDR for Mac and Teamviewer connection to a local PC.
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|
| VE6BUD |
Rating: |
2023-09-21 | |
| Incredible approach to HF |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I traded a Yaesu FTDX-5000D for a Flex-6600M because I wanted a radio that was much more friendly to digital modes, as I'm primarily a digital mode operator.
First thing I want to say is that this radio takes a completely different approach to HF operation. If you already have a Kenwood, Yaesu or Icom radio and want to switch to using Flex, throw almost everything you know out the window because this radio is a different flavour of ice cream. Still very delicious, but it tastes different!
The thing that really sold me on this radio was the SmartDAX and SmartCAT portions of the SmartSDR software that come bundled with it. This is an amazing piece of software that nobody else in the industry has been able to duplicate the functionality of. At least not yet. I'm not a remote operator, but if you are, you're going to be in for a real treat with this radio. It's built for it.
SmartCAT makes it possible to be able to run every single program on your computer that uses CAT all at the same time without the need to use virtual null modem cables, purchasing virtual serial port software or using programs like Win4YaesuSuite or Win4IcomSuite to multiply the single CAT port virtually. No more port conflicts. Add as many "special" virtual ports as you want to make the radio do things with any piece of software you can think of.
SmartDAX makes the idea of soundcard interfaces obsolete. Imagine being able to pipe in audio from any available slice (Equivalent to a VFO) to its own audio output to any application you'd like. With applications like Slicemaster, you can have up to 4 instances of WSJT-X running across any band you want them to. Or you can export the I/Q to CW Skimmer and decode all the CW on the same band simultaneously.
SmartSDR is a fantastic piece of software. This software carries features only usually found on top of the line HF radios from other vendors. If there is something you can do with DSP, this software will do it. On an M-series radio, it is optional to use, but it is a must for digital mode operation.
My only gripe with Flex is that the documentation could be written better. There are some terms that have to be re-learned. "RF Gain" is actually just a Pre-Amp and Attenuator control. "RF Gain" like how you would expect it to behave on other radios is actually AGC-T (Threshold) instead on a Flex. There are no VFO's, only slices and on a 6600/6600M, there's four of them.
For those who are thinking about using Balanced audio, the 6600M is a must. I use it with a Rhode M1 condensing microphone and I get fantastic audio reports with it. It also has the unique ability to do ESSB without any kind of mods needed, but be careful not to exceed the maximum allowable bandwidth as that is very possible with one simple setting.
This radio is very transverter friendly. Out of the box, the slice frequency is translated to the real frequency automatically, so it's almost as if you added more bands to the radio.
Overall, this is quite possibly one of the most advanced pieces of amateur radio gear I've had the pleasure to own. |
|
| N9OZF |
Rating: |
2023-08-19 | |
| Nothing beats this system in the SDR field. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I own the full line of the Flexradio 6600 including the Tuner Genius XL and the Power Genius XL. In the past ( last 40 years ) I owned all kinds of transceivers but I found this radio system the most usable as far as modularity goes. No extra wires, interfaces, etc. The LAN, DAX configuration beats everything. I operate some of my time remotely using either the Maestro or a PC. This kind of operations are flawless. The only thing I am concerned a bit is the noise the Amp generates. But of course I have experienced that much fan noise in other amps as well. I love the remote On/Off feature of the transceiver and I wish the Amp and the Transmatch could have it as well. The price of the system is a bit steep, but considering the fact of the very high quality of the system, it is understandable. If one needs a robust high tech Software-defined Ham radio system, should not look any further. This is the ONE. |
|
| K0FG |
Rating: |
2022-12-09 | |
| Some great, some very bad |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Owned a Flex 6400M for about 8-9 months. It has a system (profiles) similar to memories in other radios which stores data so a freq/mode/etc can be recalled very quickly. After creating, storing and backing up those profiles they simply disappear. I try to recall a profile and it's gone, they are stored within the radio. So I tried to load the profiles from the backup on the computer, saved with the Flex software, and sometimes they just don't load. Was told by support the files must be corrupted was why they won't load. Never had a corrupted file on this computer before. This happened many times.
The back panel has a key jack that goes into the internal keyer and it works very well. But in order to use straight keys, I belong the SKCC, I followed the instructions and hooked up a sraight key thru the DB-9 port. That worked well, sometimes. But often it would just skip a dit, or a dot. Cleaned the key contacts, added caps to the key contacts, checked all the connections etc. Support finally said it just ain't gonna work that way.
After 8-9 months of fighting these problems, and being told they were not on the list of things they were working on, I asked for my money back. They sent me a prepaid shipping label and about 10 days after sending them the radio I received a check for my full purchase price.
As upset as I was about the radio I complement the company for standing behind their product and admitting that the radio did not work as advertised. During the time I owned the radio I asked many questions thru the community forum and was always answered promptly by the support staff. Did not always liked the answers but they did try to help. And many times they did give me good info and helped me solve problems, mostly about stuff I did not understand or had not read the directions well enough.
There were lots of things I loved about the Flex but the 2 items described above were deal breakers for me cuz that is what I used the radio for. If those 2 items are not critical to your operation then the Flex might be a good radio for you. Now I'm back to the Elecraft K3S and it works as advertised, glad I kept it.
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|
| W4ABF |
Rating: |
2022-11-13 | |
| Amazing Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Update 111222: Great performance with the TGXL, PGXL and AG 8x2. Seamless integration.
Update 042721: Flawless performance from this radio - tech support is great. I had an issue with the first 6600M Flex shipped - they overnighted another one the day I reported the problem - with a prepaid label to return the first one. That's how service and support is supposed to be done. It's not if you have issues - it's how you handle them that counts. Great job Flex!
A bit of history - I was an early adopter of the Flex 5000A, then purchased a 6400M last year, and just traded it in for a 6600M. Each model just gets better. I am adding a PGXL when it arrives. What can I say? I've used Yaesu and am a big fan. I have an SB-102 and enjoy that as well. My Drake TR-4 is a blast on cold winter evenings. But Flex is in a class by itself IMO. Being able to monitor different bands using different antennas and switch between them is a dream. A true SO2R. I can turn the dials when I have a notion to - or use complete computer control - the best of both worlds. Keep up the good work Flex team! |
|
| N0YK |
Rating: |
2022-11-11 | |
| The "Best" in Ham Radio for my operating environment! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| In December of 2021, I finally got the time to make the big jump at my remote station from an Icom 7100 to a Flex 6400M. This upgrade entailed a major conversion in how I handled the remote aspects of the 144/222/432/1296 MHz station elements and the Q5 multiband transverter played a huge role in making this reality. I dabbled in Flex radios in the past (1500, 3000, & 6400) but never attempted a full remote station conversion until last year. The difference the 6400M (at the time) and my new 6600 make in my vhf plus weak signal world is a game changer for me. I won't go into a lot of detail (happy to respond to questions via email) but for example, I never knew I had the ability to copy roughly three 1296 MHz beacons (200 plus miles away) until I upgraded to the Flex. This visual component related to the panadapter has completely changed my perspective on ham radio forever! I now see weak signal beacons that I had no idea were out there and no idea that I could receive. I recently upgraded to the 6600 and feel it's the "sweet spot" in Flex's current lineup. I'm now working satellites again after being off of them for over 10 years but with a significant advantage. For example, when FO-29 or any of the other linear birds come over, I see the entire bandpass of the satellite including the satellite beacon. It's just amazing visually seeing what you knew was out there all the time but now you have the data visually right in front of you. Just one of the many reasons why Flex is in a league of its own! I mentioned I run a remote station and that adds to the challenge and complexity of any ham radio station. However, with Flex, I'm able to operate locally at the station, operate remotely at my home, from my laptop while in a hotel, or listen to my station from my iPhone while I'm out on a walk. The innovation that Flex has brought to the ham radio market is absolutely brilliant and stunning! The last thing I want to mention is Flex Radio's customer service; particularly, Cathy Clark. It is so nice having someone I can count on and communicate with, that understands Flex and its systems, and that goes the extra mile anytime you ask for help. I can count on Cathy and really appreciate her and the Flex team for designing and supporting such an awesome product. The ham radio community is very lucky to have a company like this to serve our ham radio needs. Thank you, Flex! |
|
| K4KRW |
Rating: |
2022-07-04 | |
| This is truly a new age for transceivers |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I am new to the FlexRadio world. I have had my 6600 for about two months. I didn’t want the built in UI so I did not get an M. I did not buy the Maestro (yet).
I have a pretty simple setup. I have an 80 meter doublet and a vertical. I do not have a linear amplifier. I do have a very fast and capable PC (AMD Ryzen 7 3700 DX 8-Coure with 32 GB of ram running Windows 10).
I am very impressed with this radio. It gives me a window on the bands that I have never had with any other rig. It does things that none of my past rigs could do.
One example: The 6600 has a built-in antenna tuner. It is a pretty good one. It can match my 80m doublet everywhere except for a small portion of the 10 meter band. I have also trained it on my vertical. It does remember tuning solutions for multiple antennas. Once trained you can just forget it. This is all nice but there is one additional thing that is really fantastic.
When an antenna tuner is active, you can normally only use the spectrum where the tuner has a match. If you have two receivers and one antenna, the antenna tuner is going to greatly limit how you use the two receivers. If you want to listen on 20m and 40m you can’t. You can use whichever band the antenna tuner is matched for. And then maybe only at frequencies near the tuned frequency. The FlexRadio 6600 only uses the antenna tuner when transmitting. NOT when receiving. This is pure genius. You lose almost nothing. The s reading on signals (and the noise floor BTW) are just down a little bit. But the signals are still there and just as readable.
I’m a QRP guy. I can watch the QRP watering holes on 4 bands all at the same time. I have a global profile configured that sets me up to watch 80, 40, 30 and 20 with the receiver on the QRP calling frequencies. It works great. When I hear a signal, I know one of the bands has activity. With no antenna tuner inline on receive, nothing gets blocked on any band. When I transmit on whatever band I decide to use, the tuner makes the match for the transmitter. I’ve never had a rig that would let me do something like this.
You can also do things like listen to shortwave station while you are operating.
I only occasionally use phone modes. But the controlled envelope single sideband algorithm really seems to work well. I manage to break through pileups with my 100 Watts much more easily than I ever expected.
Getting my headset integrated with the rig was completely painless. The mic settings were easy to configure and I’m pleased with the performance.
This is a small thing. But, I love the separate mute and volume controls for the speaker and the headset ports.
I do wish the speaker and headset ports had higher output. You have to use amplified speakers. I use a class D audio amplifier and a pair of Mini 7s. I also have a Yamaha CM500 headset. The sound is very good. Some recommend a Bose set of amplified speakers. I found them very lacking in sound quality and volume.
When it comes to configuring other software like N1MM, CW Get and Log4OM with the rig, this has been the easiest rig to configure that I have owned. The CAT and DAX apps work quite well.
I liked getting rid of the rats nest of wiring from my last rig. Connecting things over ethernet is a huge improvement.
I’ve accessed my rig from my local network using my main PC and my laptop. I can actually sit on my back deck and operate my main rig. If I use a Winkeyer USB with the laptop, I can use my paddles on the back deck too. The Winkeyer USB links to the rig’s internal Winkeyer. It is great!
I’ve also accessed my rig from my laptop remotely. If I’m away and have nothing to do I just remote to the rig using my phone as a mobile hotspot. This is something I never could do well before.
I held off looking at FlexRadio rigs due to a reputation of buggy software. However, my last rig was a flagship rig from a major ham radio manufacturer and had many software bugs that frustrated me TO NO END. The FlexRadio software looks to me to work quite well. I haven’t found any problems that have kept me from doing anything I wanted to do. I realize my setup is pretty simple though. I have however found many things that allow me to do things I never dreamed of.
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|
| F5NZY |
Rating: |
2022-05-08 | |
| Good RX but not for me... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
First contact. The TRX is very light (it's not cast aluminum).
The VFO A and VFO B knobs are not pleasant to touch, let alone turn.
The rest of the knobs are, at times, poorly placed, and of very cheap plastic.
Pros:
The receiver is really good quality.
The AGC-T is particularly powerful and on 80m, it feels like being in VHF.
Cons:
Bad feeling with the buttons.
Impossible to connect a mouse or keyboard directly to the TRX.
No Auto-Tune (SPOT on Elecraft).
No band stacking.
TX profile does not work with the Expert 1K-FA.
Remote latency causes a lag between the Panadapter and the audio.
No sidetone, in remote, with a Contest software.
In practice:
For the TX profile not working with the SPE Expert 1k-fa, I was told it was an older PA and the software was poorly written.
I take this as a joke because the 1k-fa works perfectly with Icom, Kenwood and Elecraft!
For the latency, I was told that it was due to the Windows drivers (250ms delay) and that I had to get used to it. No way!
This latency does not exist between RSBA1 and Icom TRX !
I conclude that the problem does not necessarily come from the others (once again)!
My personal conclusion is that it is a very expensive transceiver and that it is far from giving me satisfaction (I sold it after one month).
Three stars for the qualities of the AGC-T and the selectivity.
For the rest, not so good!
73 de Steph, F5NZY. |
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| N3DF |
Rating: |
2022-04-22 | |
| Outstanding Radio & Company! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
April 2022: Price of 6600M now $5,499.
My Flexradio 6600M is a joy to operate. I never dreamed that I would own a radio this capable and this much fun.
This past Sunday afternoon, a Windows 10 update corrupted the Flexradio's digital mode drivers on my PC. I submitted an online help ticket. On Monday morning, a Flexradio technician "Teamviewered" into my PC, repaired the drivers, and got me back on the air on FT8. In 50+ years of ham operating, I have never before encountered such outstanding service.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by N3DF on 2018-11-27
I greatly enjoy operating my Flex 6600M while traveling, using my iPhone, iPad, or Mac or Windows laptop computer. I am not technically-oriented, but found setting up the rig for remote operation was a snap. Couldn't be easier. Only real requirement is a decent internet connection. Very enjoyable to check into nets and otherwise operate from restaurants, friends' houses, etc., even halfway around the world! Only wish I could have had this capability for the past 50 years! |
|
| W6LAX |
Rating: |
2021-09-05 | |
| From a Flex Skeptic |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I was skeptical about purchasing a FlexRadio for several reasons. This short review is addressed to fellow skeptics of Flex.
First, since I hadn’t really explored their line of products, I wrongly assumed the FlexRadios are still only operated from computer monitors with no knobs or buttons, which I had no interest in.
Also, I had heard rumors about Flex’s poor QSK and their dropping leading dits from letters sent in the 30+ WPM range, and since nearly all my operating is CW, this was a concern.
And third, the Sherwood Engineering data led me to wonder if I would sacrifice performance versus my Elecraft K3.
But I was anxious to see what direct sampling software-defined radio is all about, and since Flex was offering a 30-day full refund policy, I decided to purchase a used 6400M, thinking that I might return it after a few weeks.
When I first turned on the rig, I thought the receiver sounded a bit dead – but I soon realized that it was just quiet. I did several side-by-side comparisons of very weak CW signals between the Elecraft and the Flex and found them essentially equal.
I was able to hear recordings of my CW signal made across the country under a variety of conditions and was very pleased with its punch and clarity … and no dropped “dits” at about 35 wpm. The QSK is good; it doesn’t feel quite as smooth as Elecraft, but that might be quibbling.
Flex’s filtering is sharp with no ringing on narrow settings and I sense no AGC pumping when operating close to strong signals.
The 8” monitor on the front of the “M” models is a wonder, and after using it for a couple of months I can’t imagine going back to anything less. You can make its band spread as narrow or wide as you like, and the stations’ calls are displayed right on the panadapter; you can tune them with the knob, by tapping them with your finger, our mouse-clicking on the Telnet band plan on your monitor.
The on-screen menus are hidden so they don’t occupy valuable screen space, but they are easy to access and are intuitive to use. There are no submenus: with a tap of the screen, you have everything you need right in front of you. In addition, the knobs on the front panel are large and widely spaced from one another.
After about three weeks of using the 6400M I did, indeed, take advantage of their 30-day exchange program, but it was to upgrade to a new 6600M. Now with two panadapters running side-by-side, either set on different parts of the band or on separate bands, I can see exactly what’s going on and jump between them with a tap of my finger (or a keystroke of N1MM); the radio keeps track of which antenna to engage. Thus, SO2R does not require two radios – it’s all displayed and accessible on the front panel of the 6600M.
Flex makes setting up various ports easy and allows you to do things like simultaneously run multiple logging programs – no more logging off of N1MM to run DX Labs, for example.
My experience with customer service has been excellent. I had a newbie issue with getting the digital modes to run, and within a couple of hours, someone was on the phone guiding me through the setup. Another time the rig froze (I had an RFI problem in the shack that I later resolved), and within thirty minutes of contacting the help desk I got a detailed response walking me through how to get the radio running again.
There is a learning curve when switching to Flex. As I operated the first few months, I kept a list of questions and disappointments I had with the rig, but after about four months I took several evenings to re-read the manual from beginning to end and – voila – all my questions and concerns were resolved.
After eight months of running the Flex, I decided to commit to the entire line, retiring my Alpha for the Flex PGXL amp and ordering their antenna tuner. They all integrate seamlessly and make for a station that I could hardly have conceived of ten or fifteen years ago.
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