New FlexRadio 6000 Announced

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Specs and technical details look impressive.



Flex 6500 Transceiver - intro pricing stated as   $3999
Flex 6700 Transceiver -    "       "          "      "   $6999
Flex 6700R Receiver   -    "       "          "      "   $5999

Target date 4QT 2012

Additional details here: http://cart.flexradio.com/Signature-Series-Radios_c_17.html
Product brochure is here: http://www.flex-radio.com/FLEX-6000.pdf

[K5UJ]

Oh, y'all who want to work ham radio by operating a computer must be about to die and go to heaven 

I'm thinking about all the wonderful boat anchors I could get for $7000.   I could put up a damn fine antenna for that money.

[WD8BIL]

Yet another "Last radio you'll ever need!"

[WA3VJB]

Tragically, unlike the German transceiver we have seen, this one does not come in a variety of colours.

Can't get it past the front door, therefore.

[W3RSW]

Whew!  what with all the negative replies, do I detect fear of the future?  I wonder what y'all're typing on to send these messages around?

I wonder how many computers you've replaced since you religiously placed your treasured Commodore 64k on the display shelf, never to be thrown away and spoken of in hushed tones to the annointed only?

Well DDS is here to stay, whether the display is separate with keyboard or buried deep within the rig.  It will only get more bandwidth, resolution and programming features.

The only curve not followed yet is price, most likely because the ham equipment market is so small compared to mass consumer electronic market.

Those of us who hoard ancient parts, are still able to build, repair and find such for repairable rigs are fastly becoming even more of a minority.

Soon, in quasi-geologic terms, our cherished anchors will be found only on museum shelves, admired for quaintness and useless in a digital world.

How many analog TV stations are still transmitting?  How many of you are still glued to your CRT TV's?  Have you tried the internet on many TV's and virtually all DVD players now sold?

Soon we'll all be speaking in "Dige",that is if we can get by Dec 12. 

[WA1GFZ]

Very interesting. They copied HPSDR and raised the bar with faster A/D and FPGAs.
But then I don't have anywhere that kind of money invested.
The only downside I see is clock phase noise. I've worked on SAW oscillators in the 1GHz range. They are about as quiet as it gets.
When you take a low frequency clock and PLL it up in an FPGA the close in phase noise suffers. Notice there is no phase noise spec inside
10kHz. DDC needs very low clock jitter to work properly so we will see when they drag it out to the quarter mile and bleach the slicks.
So we will see but it clearly raises the bar if they can make it take advantage of the faster clock.
Flex 5000s should be real cheap soon

[K1ZJH]

Tragically, unlike the German transceiver we have seen, this one does not come in a variety of colours.

Can't get it past the front door, therefore.

There's always the The DZ Sienna HF rig, it is available with different face plate
color schemes 

These new SDR rigs should be dirt cheap in another several years as the latest
and greatest models emerge.

Pete

[w1vtp]

I feel a serious SMUG ATTACK coming on!!      

[W3GMS]

I feel a serious SMUG ATTACK coming on!!      

It may make a nice retirement present Al!!  With Yaesu and Kenwood selling rigs for greater than 10K the Flex seems like a real bargain plus they sound excellent on AM. 

Joe, W3GMS

[K5UJ]

Whew!  what with all the negative replies, do I detect fear of the future?  I wonder what y'all're typing on to send these messages around?

Um, the website says, "Your On-Line Guide to AM and Vintage Radio"  so what did you expect? 

Someone has to convince me there's something vintage about the Flex Radio.  Good luck.

[WD8BIL]

Why does A.M. HAFTA be Vintage, Rob?

[K5UJ]

Why does A.M. HAFTA be Vintage, Rob?

It doesn't have to be vintage Budley but up at the top it says

...AM and Vintage Radio.

not

AM or Vintage Radio.

I extend your point logically to also mean that

if it is one OR the other, than any vintage radio topic is okay

vintage slopbucket...vintage CW....and maybe that is true.

My point was not about approval of topics since that's not my job but rather that a little derision is to be expected in an on-line location frequented by vintage radio enthusiasts.

[WA1GFZ]

I'm into my dual RX HPSDR for under $1500
16 bits 122 MHz sample

The new Hermes single RX XCVR board will run about $900 and all you need is a final.
QSR1 with the exciter plug in will run you about $1100.
I want to run CW that sounds like W2ZM's spark rig.

[WA1GFZ]

Notice the $199 charge for software upgrades and support for 1 year. Not for me
Flex must think they are zuckerburg.

[W1AEX]

Yay, it has rack handles!!!! I'm gonna buy one for my wife for her next birthday! I'll let you know how that plan works out!

Rob W1AEX

[W3RSW]

Interesting Frank. Another shoe drops, a yearly rental fee on a closed system.
You were right in your notes about the uocoming Flex before announcement.

As you know, but for others, For the record I don't have a Flex but do have a QS1R and enjoy it very much, particularly the ability to see activity across whole bands, what bands are open when viewing the entire 60 MHz sweep, who's loud, who's ragged, who's swishing their vfo's, etc. Lots of fun.

As to vintage, other Frank, whole topics are devoted to class d and e on this board.  Welcome to the 21st century.

It's also fun to fire up my 32v,  hb 813's, and confab with the "greats" of AM.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Why does A.M. HAFTA be Vintage, Rob?

It doesn't have to be vintage Budley but up at the top it says

...AM and Vintage Radio.

not

AM or Vintage Radio.

I extend your point logically to also mean that

if it is one OR the other, than any vintage radio topic is okay

vintage slopbucket...vintage CW....and maybe that is true.

My point was not about approval of topics since that's not my job but rather that a little derision is to be expected in an on-line location frequented by vintage radio enthusiasts.

There are many members here that no longer use vintage anything to operate AM. Discussions about "vintage" SSB, CW, technical(as it relates to our hobby), etc. are not uncommon here.

From: READ BEFORE POSTING ON THIS SITE
This is a radio site dedicated to AM Radio. The reason most come here is to meet and exchange information about our mode and hobby.
In an effort to provide our community a meeting place on the internet for AMers we had conceived the QSO section for general topics.

If the topic doesn't interest you, don't read it.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Notice the $199 charge for software upgrades and support for 1 year. Not for me
Flex must think they are zuckerburg.

Entirely new software (SmartSDR) and not open-source. PowerSDR for the Flex 1500, 3000, and 5000 will remain without any yearly fee.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Tragically, unlike the German transceiver we have seen, this one does not come in a variety of colours.

Can't get it past the front door, therefore.

Actually the color of the box is unimportant. There's nothing to look at or diddle with. The viewing color/style is on the screen. See some of Rob's PowerSDR screen skins: http://www.w1aex.com/psdr/psdr.html

[KF1Z]

I'm into my dual RX HPSDR for under $1500
16 bits 122 MHz sample

The new Hermes single RX XCVR board will run about $900 and all you need is a final.
QSR1 with the exciter plug in will run you about $1100.
I want to run CW that sounds like W2ZM's spark rig.

I wonder what ADC they are using...
All it says is the sample rate is 245mhz

[W3RSW]

Rats, just missed 2 meters natural. 
Well, we'll just have to over sample.

...only a matter of time.

Pete, those skins were pretty nice.

[WA1GFZ]

Heck I would love to build a big spark rig but as you say Rick, the spectrum display is great.
This stuff is magic to me. Just like a 6V6 and a crystal back in '63.
It's all cool

[WA1GFZ]

I just looked up the A/D used in the new Flex.
Check out effective number of bits. (Hint 12 bits above 5MHz input)
Now look up the 16 bit converter used in QSR1 and HPSDR yea only clocking 130 MHz max.

[ka1bwo]

Specs and technical details look impressive.



Flex 6500 Transceiver - intro pricing stated as   $3999
Flex 6700 Transceiver -    "       "          "      "   $6999
Flex 6700R Receiver   -    "       "          "      "   $5999

Target date 4QT 2012
Additional details here: http://cart.flexradio.com/Signature-Series-Radios_c_17.html
Product brochure is here: http://www.flex-radio.com/FLEX-6000.pdf

Does the Flex 6000 have the same audio bandwidth ?(Transmit Bandwidth Default 300-2700 Hz (Variable 50-5000 Hz) for both 6500 & 6700

[KF1Z]

I just looked up the A/D used in the new Flex.
Check out effective number of bits. (Hint 12 bits above 5MHz input)
Now look up the 16 bit converter used in QSR1 and HPSDR yea only clocking 130 MHz max.

Yes, I finally found it in the documentation...

The 6700 using AD9467 at 16-bit 245.76 Msps

Read right over it twice, and somehow missed it.. :-)