Is this product still in Alpha?

JonR

I have just spent the last 4 or so hours playing with my shiny new 6300.... and am now packing it back in to it's box ready for return to the supplier.

This product is nowhere near ready to go to market and I think Flex should be ashamed of themselves for releasing something that is so feature short and buggy!

Ken N9VV

Sure sorry to hear you are unhappy with your new rig JonR.  Did you try to make a contact on Phone or CW or digital modes? there are hundreds of Hams out here who have found the 6300 to be a great Transceiver with a wonderful SDR future ahead of it.  They do not share your your unhappy experience.  Perhaps if you gave it a few more days or hours, you would find that you can make wonderful DX QSOs using any FLEX equipment.  Be patient and give it a try on-the-air.  Thanks for your consideration.
73 de Ken N9VV

Ken - NM9P

Myself and many others have found it to be superior to anything we have ever used. It is kicking some serious **** at my station on CW, SSB, and digital modes. But there is a learning curve, because it operates a bit differently from your standard knob radio. If you can be patient and ask your questions of this group, I am sure we can get you on track. There are many ops here who are willing and able to help the new owners learn the ropes.

JonR

Thanks Ken(s).

For the record,  I am already a Flex owner and run a 3000 at home and a 1500 when I'm out and about.  I love both radios and it was the quality of them (and PowerSDR) that made me purchase the 6300.

I have no doubt at all that the 6300 hardware is as good as its predecessors,  but the SmartSDR software is truly appalling and is far from finished!  As my original post says...  Is this an Alpha release?

Strikes me that Flex had finished the HW side of the radio but were struggling to finish the SW... so, rather than wait,  they released before it was fit for purpose!

KY6LA_Howard

I wonder what u think is missing. The 6700 so blew way my 5000 and Pro3 that I put them up for sake.

Robert -- N5IKD

Can you be more specific? 

Lewis Cheek

I agree software is not fully developed, however I never expected it was. Other than waiting on software development I'm VERY happy with my Flex-6300. Just hope software roll out will be forthcoming in near term.

Lew
N4CO

Jon_KF2E

I'm curious how you could evaluate the radio and software in just four hours. It would be helpful if you could cite specific shortcomings so we can understand your disappointment.

Jon...kf2e

John n0snx

 "Change is Hard and we all resist change" I have ran Flexes for the last 5 years (2)1500 (2)3000 (1) 5000 and know PSDR front to back.  I now have the 6300.... and had to throw out all the PSDR tricks i learned.  Now I learning new tricks with SSDR...Granted there are a few bells and whistles not yet implemented but it is a great rig.... 4 hours is not even close to enough time to learn a whole new program.... I am on my 3rd week and am still learning new stuff....You need to open you mind up to change i.e. new gui interface and don't give up on it in just 4 hours.....With a little time you will see just what the radio can do.... and the software is still evolving.... Hang in there and don't pass judgement to quickly,,, it will get better I promise

Drax

He does have a point.  The SmartSDR does lack a certain fit and finish.  It does work well, but then again there's that level of goofiness that's annoying about it.  Like when I startup and there's 3 panadapters open that I never opened.

JonR

Sorry for the slow response,  I have been having another play with it and am even less impressed than I was to start off with!  Jeez,  I can't even find out how to factory reset it before sending it back!

If you want to know what the "shortcomings" are just list all the features that were included in PowerSDR that aren't included in SmartSDR... it will be a long list.  Even some basics like frequency memories, VFO stacking, spectrum & scope views, theme personalisation or even FM would have been nice.

As I said in my earlier post,  I have no doubt the hardware is excellent but releasing software that lacks so many existing features is crazy.  I work for a software company and can guarantee that if we were to release new software that lacked all the functionality of our older software we'd have some very unhappy customers!

Back to my beloved 3000.

Dave - WB5NHL

I agree with everyone else that expressed their sorrow at your disappointment with SmartSDR. As an owner of one of the first 6500's I also am impressed with it's performance. Flex has made VERY rapid advances with the software. Your criticism may have been valid in the very first releases and we all knew it wasn't polished.  It is a little unfair to compare PowerSDR with it's 5+ years of development with SmartSDR within a little over a year. Unlike previous Flex radios, the Flex 6000 is a major technology leap that incorporates seven (7) separate programmable elements. What was PowerSDR like with it's first year or 2? It is also unrealistic to expect Flex to wait for years of development before releasing software. Whether we talk about about Linux or Microsoft Windows, the entire software industry makes releases when a product provides basis functionality and value. It then works over time on releases to incorporate customer feedback, improvements and ,yes, fix bugs.

Greg - K5GJ

Jon:

I'm sorry you've had a negative reaction to our latest radio.  I see that you've been an avid Flex owner for some time and have several radios.  I must tell you in the year we've been shipping FLEX-6000 Series radios with SmartSDR, we've had just a few folks like yourself that have had a very strong reaction to the differences between SmartSDR and PowerSDR.  I can distinctly remember trying to run my first contest (I'm a lamer but I do try!) with the FLEX-6000 and really struggling because I've got 5 years of PowerSDR brain/muscle memory.  Experience has shown that a bit of time with the rig will fix that.

I'm actually more troubled about your concern for the state of the SmartSDR software.  Absolutely, there is a small list of things left to complete and we've been very open and public about where we are on the list and what the plan is.  We're even regularly updating and publishing a roadmap for all of our active and potential customers to see.  Here is the link to the latest:  http://www.flexradio.com/files/smartsdr-product-roadmap-pdf/

For instance, Profiles, Expanded CW Keyer, Keyboard, and MACRO support, simple diversity (FLEX-6700 only), and basic transverter support are due out in July.  FM, which I'm waiting for... includes channel memories, CTCSS tones, and repeater offsets; plus full "inside the LAN" support is due in Q4 of this year.  

Jon, my concern is that you weren't aware of this staged progress when you made your purchase.  I know we are several timezones apart but I'd like to figure out a way to speak with you soon to determine if there is a better way for FlexRadio to get the word out regarding our progress.  I would prefer to continue this conversation offline as it's more about how our company can do better for you.  I'd appreciate the time if you are interested.  

Please drop me a direct note to greg@flexradio.com and we'll set up a time to chat if you would.  Perhaps I can fill in some details and answer specifics regarding the features that you are really missing.  I want to make sure we we don't have any more lost comms on this.

Also, thanks to everyone for your thoughtful, respectful, and considerate comments to Jon.  As one of those "reaction" guys, I can appreciate where Jon is coming from!

73,
Greg Jurrens - K5GJ
VP Sales, FlexRadio Systems