My New "All Flex" HF station....

Ross - K9COX

Now that is a Man's amplifier

Mark-NA6M

My wife, N5BW says it is hers too.

Jay Nation

I was wondering what I'd do if I had 2 Signature rigs.
Thanks Mark (now I know I'd rack mount em) errr Stack em.
The Wheatstone Vorsis M1 answered another question.
Question now is. How much is an M1 and how soon can it get here?
Same exact question I had when I fist saw the FLEX6500.
Wow! durned internet just keeps spending my money.
Answered my questions and decided I could just dream about the Vorsis a little longer. You have my envy, Mark 

73, Jay - NO5J

Ken - NM9P

Steve is partly right... I want to see my investment. Other reasons initially had to do with available cable lengths and interfaces. I am constantly rearranging and changing equipment around. So at least until I finalize my setup, it stays in the open. But when I build the ne w desk, I may fashion a makeshift rack....

Ken - NM9P

Haven't picked out an amp yet. First things first.... Got to get my tower and T-11 LP up.

Walt - KZ1F

Ken, what kind of chair is that?

Walt - KZ1F

Howard, I think you described this previously but would you point me to how you set up the all battery dc power system?

Walt

Walt - KZ1F

I wanna get one of those big displays where one can 'flick' a window from one side of the room to the other, like on Hawaii 5 - 0.

Ross - K9COX

Reminds me of a dental chair

Dan -- KC4GO

Walt Corey and others
             Howard's power setup and other good stuff is in the How to build a quiet station 
https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/how-to-build-a-quiet-station

Good reading 

Dan --- KC4GO

Stan VA7NF

My dictionary appears to be more general and less self-serving.  There are 6 other meanings of which only 1 relates to money.

e.g. a devoting, using, or giving of time, talent, emotional energy, etc., as for a purpose or to achieve something:

I invest time with personal satisfaction as the dividend (non financial definition)

James Whiteway

I think you should Bert! It's the wave of the future according to my grand daughters.

DrTeeth

Looks like you have missed the boat on that one Burt, http://blog.pricecharting.com/2012/07/the-10-rarest-most-expensive-video-games.html

Walt - KZ1F

1.4 will operate off the LAN BUT....(there is always a ****) I think most people will still want a really good microphone and really good headset, not a Mr Spock (RIP Lennie) ear piece. So that, I believe answers why is it in close proximity to the main operating position. For instance, my ARRL Centennial Keyer came with a 3' cord. I had to change that to a 6' cord and, at that, I would have liked it longer. There is no where on an iPhone to plug a keyer in, or a good headset, or a good mic.

I realize this is a comment on someone else's thread but speaking of 1.4...What do people perceive they are going to use as a remote? I really believe the notion of operating from the BBQ pit will prove problematic. There is 'one can' and then there is 'one wants to'. But, hold that thought, I am close to unveiling a kick-**** solution, well, if you like Android.

Walt - KZ1F

I was thinking about getting a Aeron Miller chair but they want about $1,000 for it. I think that is what they use on the set of Suits. I retired before I could convince my wife I needed it.

James Whiteway

Sounds like something fun heading our way!! Make it work on a cheap $49.00 , 7"  tablet from Best Buy and you'll be almost rich in no time!
james
WD5GWY

Walt - KZ1F

Howard, that is really ingenious, yet brilliant in its simplicity. I should do something like that here. My shack, viewable from my QRZ page, has the radio, KPA, and KAT on the right wing. As I am left handed my keyer is in front of the left most display, the phone in front of my keyboard ensuring I don't over modulate. If I could get that TV out of the way I'd have more room for stuff. Ken, dump the RC-4, it's junk. I am awed by how much better my reception is without it and no noise when the antenna turns, back when the antenna turned. Now I have two runs of RG-213.

Walt - KZ1F

Ken, would you elaborate on using the 1500 and 6500 simultaneously? Why? Part of why I am asking is I still have my 1500 but not sure why I shouldn't sell it. It might offset my replacement rotor. If I want to go through the effort to do QRP I can always throttle the 6500 back to 10 watts or 5 or 1 or whatever. But you not only are hanging on to your, you integrated it into your all Flex shack.

Walt

Steve W6SDM

Marketing folks misuse the word "investment" just as they misuse the word "save".  For example, when they tell you to come in and save, they're knowing that you'll come in and spend.  The only way you save is to not buy anything.

If that four-color full-page add said "Come in and add to your debt", you would likely stay home.

Ken - NM9P

Walt,
I keep the 1500 for five reasons....
1) I use it to monitor my 6500 when I make audio adjustments.  The "Spectrum" display is a great help to balancing my SSB audio profiles.  I have about 4 or 5 for various purposes on SSB with my main mike (Heil PR22UT) and several others for legacy and experimental mikes, including boom headsets, etc.

Nothing beats recording myself on a quality receiver and playing it back on the same speakers I use on my main rig.  Listening to myself via headphones just doesn't cut it.  

2)  I want to be able to use it for another dransverter in event that I someday use two (one on each flex) in order to work Satellites full-duplex.  Or If I want to use a transverter while also working HF.  Since the 6500 doesn't have 2 SCU's this is one way I can receive multiple bands on two different antennas.

3) I want to be able to set it up to run WSJT-x or WSPR on a different antenna as a dedicated outfit, 

4) It is fun to brush it off and run QRP.  Occasionally I will switch in mid conversation with my rag chew bunch and see if anyone notices.  When all they say is that they noticed my signal dropped off in strength, I know I have the audio set just about right!

5) It makes a nice emergency back-up rig.  If something happens to the Big Kahuna, I can just throw the antenna switch and PTT line switch and I'm good to go.

Ken - NM9P

Walt - KZ1F

I was really jonesing to do satellite but sadly didn't catch the P3C birds while they were still operational. I've spoken to Barry Baines at length about the Fox project. I actually made a few big donations to that but, at the end of the day, it'll be an FM repeater whizzing by in LEO. Not terribly exciting. From what Barry was saying they just can't fund and launch another P3C. I think we're stuck with Fox. I let my AMSAT membership lapse so my info is somewhat dated but Fox 1a hasn't even launched yet and ham is not even the primary user for a year. We should discuss that whole subject off line. I'd still love to do them but there is a big stand of trees just to our south. That kind of puts a dent not only in solar panels but EME.

Walt - KZ1F

James, when the time is right I will announce on here...stay tuned. I've had a few peaks, I've had a few valleys. Right now it's back to being awesome. I can't wait to do the YouTube vids...which someone will have to explain to me how that is done. What is Nixie's email addr?

Walt - KZ1F

Thanks Dan...that's great! I downloaded that as a pptx. Some of it made sense, some didn't. I will start another thread for this but I have questions about noise.

Walt - KZ1F

Ken, I have a M-squared ruggedized version of the T7LP. I wish I could support a T-11. I got an Elecraft KPA-500 and love it. It's not a Promethius or Alpha or SPE 2kfa, but it also isn't $11,000. Now that my rotor doesn't it is extremely helpful for anything not in the south pacific. It doesn't hurt for those SP stations either. Not entirely deliberately but I've had it up to 700w. Likely shouldn't press my luck, the difference between 500 and 700 likely isn't terribly noticeable.

KY6LA_Howard

@Walt

Here is a image of how to hook up a PowerGate so that your station basically runs from DC Power

At least on receive or if you have very large batteries (I have 200AH) then you will be on DC most of the time... On transmit, you will start to run down the battery and the Powergate will allow the Powersupply to charge the batteries..

The Powergate has built in Hysteresis so that even though the Supply Voltage is higher than the battery, it does not cut in right away...

 

KY6LA_Howard

@Walt

TV on desk?   TV's belong on the wall....


Here is a shot of the other side of my ham shack...where I do most of my writing and other work besides ham radio

Some day when I actually clean up my office/shack (Don't tell my XYL that my office can actually be cleaned up)   I will do a full pictorial of the layout....  But right now...too much test equipment, parts and stacks of paper on the desks to make sense of it...

Of course, with multiple computers and lots of 27" monitors, virtually total automation of everything,  I can work my 6700 from a number of different positions around the room...but for serious stuff like contesting, it's better to use the 3 monitor workstation that I dedicated to the 6700 on the other side of the room.

DrTeeth

May I recommend that you have a bad back so you cannot go shopping or do chores etc as you have to sit on a crummy chair in the shack. She *will* give in if you do not do so first.

KY6LA_Howard

@Guy

That excuse only works for you...
What do I use as an excuse when XYL has the bad back

DrTeeth

You can have one too! Loving is sharing ;-).

George KF2T

My "Flex-ible" operating location:-)