Tis the season.

Patrick Greenlee

Opinion.  I was first lisc in 1962 and was a SWL and electronics hobbyist aficionado much earlier. I started out in physics and math and after deciding computers were not just a passing fad went evenings for a BS in comp sci and MS in software engineering. I am now retired out of a Gov lab as a scientist.  Not bragging just establishing my bona fides.  

I have never come across a more customer oriented and successful business serving our hobby than FRS.  Their product, both H/W and S/W is  G O O D   S T U F F.

I am somewhat amazed at the frequent lamentations of owners about how they are orphaned or deserted.  Most of us own/operate/drive cars and trucks.  When have you been given free updates, new features including the software years after your initial purchase?  Got a GPS in your transportation canister (vehicle)?
Got satellite radio?  Got free GPS updates from your car manufacturer year after year? Got a free sat rad subscription year after year? 

I have a F5000A which I love and may or may not upgrade to the 6K series.  It became an "orphan" soon after I bought it.  Bad timing?  Not really an issue.  It still does everything it ever did (and a little more) and that is plenty.  I have dabbled with the unofficial ham-developer releases and that is fun.  Kudos to the developer.  As a pro in the field of S/W I feel qualified to comment and praise that effort.

Season's best wishes to all the Flexers out there on both sides of the fence, FRS folks and owner/users alike.  Don't let a few folks with less than well thought out complaints spoil anything.  Somehow I am reminded of the little boy accompanying his mom at the grocery store where the grocer gives the boy a free banana.  His mom says, "son, what do you say to the nice man?"  The brat hands the banana back and demands, PEEL IT!"

Patrick        NJ5G

Mark WS7M

Well said Patrick!  Happy Season!

Bob G W1GLV

ditto here.

KY6LA_Howard

My Tesla gives me free software updates and tons of new features like Autopilot every couple of months Breaking the "You are stuck with what you bought mold" has propelled Tesla to No 1 position in luxury class sedan sales worldwide. It seems to be working well for FRS too.

JDE

<Sigh...> This brat was going to give you coal for xmas, but why waste a good chunk of coal. Some of us amateurs don't necessarily have bottomless wells of cash to buy the latest and greatest. We ARE, *VERY, VERY* thankful for what we have. AND, we are *VERY, VERY* thankful for Darren's (KE9NS) extraordinary support for the discontinued lines. We are thankful that FRS has supported Darren's hard work, and hope that the support continues for as long as he's committed to the project.

Ria

Hello Patrick, and  Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy festivus, joyous winter solstice... etc. 

From what I see nobody is really "abandoned" as such. The radio still works. Even the Flex 1500 is still going strong. On the flip side, Icom said it's not making parts anymore for my 10 year old Icom 756Pro3. No firmware updates, no nothing either (don't even see how I could update it). But it still works... and I guess that's what matters, eh?

Elecraft and Flex, the two top tier radio mfgs seem to be committed to product currency and longevity for their customer base. And that is a good thing. 

VK7WH Winston

Ditto again

Patrick Greenlee

Thanks for the moral support Ria and you guys too.  If I could afford a Tesla I would pretty much not care about trivittata like obsolescence of radio gear.  I love my FRS5KA with tuner I don't use and twin receivers which I don't use.  I personally have no big interest in 8 simultaneous slices. I have oodles of fun with what I have and will have more, I hope, when I finish some of my projects in the works like installing my crank-up/tilt-over 70 ft tower, SteppIR DB42, Hex beam awaiting install on another tower and so forth.  So many projects, so little time, and winter weather.

Happy holidays y'all,

Patrick