We love our Flex?

Bill -VA3WTB

I don't know how many new Flex 6000 there are in use out there, but it seems very few owners are found here on the community. It seems to be the same people all the time. I have heard a few people on HF using this site against Flex as they say by reading the post that many are not happy with there radios. Out of all the 6000 out there it would be interesting to know how many are happy. I wonder if we can set up a pole of owners? I bet most are very happy despite what we read hear each day. What do you think?
Bill va3wtb

W2NER

Well, I have had no less then 15 radios. Everything from icom to kenwood. Including some odd ball imports. Flex is by far the best I have ever had.

James Whiteway

I've had my 6300 for a couple of months or so now. Works just fine. What I think you are seeing is,
most posts on a forum such as this one and others, are from people having issues. Either software or pilot error. (I'm guilty of that one more than once) People that are not having issues rarely post
on forums.
So, I really do like my 6300 and I'm looking forward to future releases of SmartSDR.
Oh, and since the API's have been opened up, new and better software is bound to make the
6000 Series even better. I've already started playing in the shallow end of the development pool.
And once I get some of the basics down for communicating with the radio properly, I think it will be fun to see where I can go with it. (even with my limited programming skills)
james
WD5GWY

DK1EY

I am VERY happy. Not despite what I read here every day but because of what I read here every day!

 VY73
Tom
DK1EY

George KF2T

Extremely pleased. Best radio in 40 years of hamming. 225 DXCC entities, 9BWAS, consistent good quality reports. Works every time. Not a radio for the computer challenged or appliance operator, to be sure. But if you enjoy the thrill of the best - this is it.

KY6LA_Howard

I love my 6700 So much so that I sold my 5000 and sold ALL my Icoms because the 6700 so,outperformed everything else I owned.

Neal_K3NC

Just look at how few are appearing for sale. Thats the true test.

Duane_AC5AA

Clearly the folks you are listening to on the air don't understand the reason for this forum, but much more likely it seems they have an axe to grind.  Their problem, not ours.  I'm really enjoying my 6500 even though as recently as a year or less ago I was saying I wouldn't give up a "knobs and dials" radio.  These 6xxx series radios are terrific!

John n0snx

I too have owned MANY radios over the years, way too many to count. I have been playing Flex Radios for about 5 years now.... The 6xxx series radio are without a doubt the best on the market right now...  KNOBS!!!! whats that.....After 5 years I can't go back to a knob radio.My hat is off and waving to FRS for their fine products and customer service......."ONCE YOU HAVE THE BEST YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO THE REST"

To all the nay Sayer's..."try it you'll like it"

Larry

I also have owned many radios. My Flex 6700 is my favorite with 5000A second.

Larry

I also wanted to say, I don't post because I never have any problems with my Flex but read all the posts.

Mike_N1MD

I have a very early SN Flex-6700. I have had absolutely no problems with hardware or software in the entire time I have owned the radio. I love DAX! I love the radio. Would never go back to knobs and dials. In fact, I loved the 6700 so much, I bought at 6300 as a second radio and potential backup.

AA0KM

Same here. I read and read and read to see what the big deal was or was not and I am now the proud owner of a 6500 despite the good and the bad. The thing is improvements are always acknowledged  and fixed from what reading I have done.

Started with 1.3 version and very few things are an issue with me.

People are always complaining of things they may or may not know of.

No radio is perfect for every one!.

This is my first SDR. Love it! + for me.!

Neal_K3NC

I know that I am partial but I just love the radios. Since I have gotten my 6700, I am completely satisfied with what I have in my shack right now. Thats unusual because some of my pleasure in  the hobby is buying new stuff (and I still need to get something with gain and ears for 80 and 160M) but I don't think I would trade a single thing I currently own for anything else, regardless of cost!

Thats until Flex comes out with another super radio, that is!

Brian Morgan VK7RR

I agree with all the positives and I disagree with the negatives. Because I am well known in VK circles, for my love of anything Flex, I have had visiting hams knock on the door asking if they can see my 6500 in action. Their interest is genuine. I thought the Flex 5000 was the best radio I had ever used, but it is eclipsed by the 6500. Mine has not given me one headache, set up was a breeze and performance exceptional. Many posts are from people learning their way around their new radio who want to know if the problem is hardware or human. Often, all they need to know is to persist and they will work out the solution. In the odd case, the fact that Gerald, Tim, Dudley etc, are watching posts and will make a suggestion, gives one more benefit that I don't see with the Japanese products.

Stu Phillips - K6TU

I now have two 6700s as I work to set up SO2R here at the home QTH and have the benefit of a backup for my avid pursuit of contesting.  I wouldn't trade this radio for any other available at the moment.

Several of my contest minded friends have sold their Elecraft K3 and associated components and replaced them with Flex-6000 series radios.  it was an milestone day when I heard that!

I sold my Flex 5000 back in March - it was and is a great radio but its younger sibling has more capabilities and its panadaptor is like watching HDTV - after HD, you can't go back and watch SD.

This radio has no equal!
Stu K6TU

Steve K9ZW

Would guess I have about twenty radios, but after receiving Flex-6700 #11 I've been so pleased that the rest of my radios are covered in dust. That is until I bought another ham's Flex-6300 so as to have a SmarthSDR/FlexRadio for use at my Island weekend QTH. In radio sales, happy is where the client opens their checkbook and buys, which makes it look like there are a lot of happy Flexers out there. 73 Steve K9ZW

Alan C

Sorry for my ignorance: VK Circles?

KY6LA_Howard

Now someone needs to win a significant contest with a Flex and then even the Luddites will be convinced

Ernest - W4EG

As a proud owner of the best radio in production, my Flex-6700LE GPSDO is the greatest performing unit I have ever used.

I believe and trust FlexRadio System; that when they were taking money for this project, I placed my money on a unseeing and no details of the radio: I was not disappointed with the results.

I have owned every radio that they have produced since the inception of the Flex-1000 more than 11 years ago.

Thank you FRS for the best and most enjoyable years of my amateur radio experience.

Steve W6SDM

My 6300 is my third Flex.  I have lived through the growing pains of PowerSDR and am still living through those in SSDR.  Of course there are going to be development issues and we're going to  have to experiment, identify problems, and solve them.

One of the reasons for this community forum is so that we can collaborate on problem solving - with Flex and with each other.  The people you see on here a lot are those who tinker with things until they find something that doesn't work - then they discuss it and learn how to fix it.

When I buy a smart phone, I expect it to work the way it should right out of the box and never have any issues.  When I buy something as cutting edge as a Flex 6x and SSDR, I expect some trial, error, mild frustration, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you figure something out.

Oh, and those Flex owners that never post here?  They're either spending their time  rag chewing, DXing, or racking up contest points. 

73,

Steve

Takeshi Yamada

I have 6500 for a year and peeping some contests.  I sold Icom 7700 to buy Flex6500, but no regret. I have K3 and KWM2-A, but 6500 does not give any chances to these legacy kings to turn on the switch - they are just for my museum, or about to ready for sale.
Recent CQ WW RTTY gave me another excellent impression of 6500 + Fldigi.  Filters were super and I experienced almost non QRMs.

I thank to FRS for giving me such a pleasant DXing and contesting experiences

73 de JI1BNU, JA2IYJ/1

DrTeeth

I have to say that this forum is SO MUCH better than the FRS helpdesk for support.

To the OP, a support forum has people with problems and questions. Any support forum makes a product look bad. Even in my moments of doubt being a noob Flexer, I stuck with the radio as it can do many things a standard rig cannot. I *almost* swapped it for an Icom 7600. When I saw that that rig had not had a firmware update since 2011 I stayed put - glad I did. Great bunch of people here.

Ken - NM9P

I have been a 6500 owner since last August as part of the "second wave" of early adopters.  I love it.  It is the best rig I have ever owned.  Are there a few frustrations?  Yes.  But FRS software engineers are working on them.  And they are "frustrations" and not even close to becoming "deal breakers."

In the mean time, I get to use a rig with a very quiet receiver, unsurpassed dynamic range, brickwall filtering orders of magnitude better than my older TS-850, amazing graphic display of the band/bands I want to monitor, is a performance machine when it comes to working splits, and is capable of putting out some of the best transmit audio on the air.  And this is just the beginning.  New software developments are released approximately every quarter that are actually responsive to the customer base, and a support forum that encourages and supports the long-standing concept of the "Elmer" by connecting newbies to experienced users in a way that enables people to get advice and support in a timely manner, sometimes even faster than the top-notch support team at Flex itself can produce.  (But seriously, guys, the folks at FRS do need to take their days off, sleep, eat, and see to other needs, not to mention their own families.  But even then, they are often available on holidays and weekends, and even in the middle of major contests when they would prefer to be operating themselves!)  Can you say that any of the other companies can come even close to this?

My $.02 worth.  (I might even apply to work for FRS when I retire so I can feed my FLEX "habit.")
Ken - NM9P

Bill -VA3WTB

There you go, I hope for all of you who have talked to me telling me Flex Radio Is in trouble and people are unhappy with there radios read all this carefully. This forum should not be used to see if Flex is failing. It is were we talk about ideas and problems that are there in order to help each other.

I heard a nut say a few weeks ago that the problems are in the hundreds and was telling others this. What he didn't mention, is that list was starting from the very beginning, a few years ago. Wow

Thanks for replying everyone, I'm just tired of Flex bashing from people that just have no idea and don't care to, yes you know who you are....

Steve W6SDM

Since there has been Flex, there have been naysayers.  Just check the archives at e-Ham.  The Wright brothers didn't get it right the first time either.  My feeling is that if you want to be part of the leading edge of new communications technology, then there are going to be some bumps in the road.

I was around when single sideband first came out.  There were those who thought it would be the downfall of amateur radio.  Rumors were that the government was going to take away half the band allocation because we would only be using half as much bandwidth.  Really.

I think we can agree that Flex isn't for everyone.  Neither is kit building, digital modes, EME, contesting, or many of the other venues of ham radio.  They all have their place and their audience.

James Kirk

As long as you are happy is all that really matters.

Norm - W7CK

I love my 6700 and I am looking forward to getting a new rig every time FRS releases a software update!  

I guess you could say, I"M HAPPY!!!