Who wins? Complaints or Praises?

Richard Adkins

As a potential customer, I watch the threads closely to see how the users are feeling about their purchases. Unfortunately, I see lots of problems and complaints  and not nearly  enough  people posting praises.  I know you're out there, so, PLEASE, for the sake of us future users, let us know that things DO work well. 

Bob K8RC

Since this is a support forum, you will see many more posts associated with a problem than with "I unboxed my radio and everything works". The rest of us are generally busy communicating on the radio instead of the internet. For the record: "I unboxed my radio and everything works". for quite some time now. 73, Bob

EA4GLI

I concur with Bob. I think that is the case in all Support Forums, the complaining always outnumbers the praising. But if you are inclined to compare, you should maybe check other manufacturers support forums, and see if they even exist. That in it of itself is a big plus in my book. 

Richard Adkins

Really, that's what I expected.  It's just that with an entire forum category dedicated to PRAISES. I'd love to see it used more often.  After seeing post after post of how this or that is giving technically savvy people challenges, it begins to get intimidating to me. I'm a General but, am NO techie, by far.

If all those happy users would take a moment each month to report their success it would offset the searches for help. I've been saving up and looking forward to buying a 6700 for ages. I am so excited about its arrival.  Seeing how many others are having great times would allay my concerns before making such a large purchase.

Kevin

Read the recent thread "Disappointed, just simply disappointed." Good comments there. I'll quote my own:

Love my Flex. Love what it does. Love the fact I can complain about things that last year I didn't even know were possible. Love the potential. Love that it is getting me into new areas (C# programming).

Then select "PRAISE" near the top and read over some of those comments.

I think what you see in general conversations is some problems, some frustrations, some lack of knowledge or understanding, lots of learning, lots of AH HA! moments, lots of advice and lots of sharing.

Pretty close group I think. Pretty awesome radio without a doubt. And the company ain't so bad, I guess.

Brian Morgan VK7RR

Richard, I have been a Flex user since the start. I had rigs with knobs before then. My experience with Flex has been most rewarding. Apart from a great product, it is evident to anyone who has any dealings with the people behind Flex that they are very much like your extended family, helpful when asked, interested in what you are achieving and prepared to go the extra yard for you.
When you talk about "complaining", I have to disagree with you. This forum is for people to share experiences and if we have a problem, assist each other to resolve it.

 I would interpret very few of the comments as criticisms. Most are requests for ideas or help. Sometimes, out of frustration they might be worded less felicitously than they might be but frustration will do that to most of us. And once the issue is resolved the "criticisms" disappear as a result of the heightened knowledge gained from solving the problem.

So I encourage you to read between the lines and you will quickly come to realise what a great facility we have in this Forum.

I will look for you using your new Flex, sometime soon.

Brian VK7RR/4

Rick - W5FCX

The rare issue with SmartSDR is far outweighed by its unique and powerful capabilities. If you're still on the sidelines, come on in... the water is fine !

Andrew O'Brien

Read eHam reviews for the positive stuff. 

Larry _ NY8T

And on top of what others just posted.

Tim - W4TME

There is a well-known dynamic in psychology that complainers will out voice praises by a wide margin, so you should take this into account.

rfoust

I've had a 6700 for a few years and LOVE IT.  I have never regretted my purchase.  

Jeffrey Kerber, N3VE

Richard, I have been a ham for 25 years and love working HF, before Flex you could not 'SEE' the band.  This makes all the difference.  Give it a try!

Jeff N3VE

W3DCB

Most of us out here just quietly use our radios w/o problems w/o fanfair.  Actually, I've most often been puzzled regarding the many posts where users are asking for help with various difficulties which have never arisen for me.  I have rarely had a problem which I could not solve myself by carefully thinking it through as well as some good fashioned old trial & error.  I believe that all to often people tend to pull the alarm a bit soon before some simple trial & error.  It is likely the anonymity of the internet which encourages people to post first and think later...I will be roasted for that one!  Just wait for the attacks, LOL!  Moreover, people are rated, so-to-speak, and credited according to the number of posts on the community board.  It has become a badge of honor to initiate a maximum number of these threads...In truth, the Flex 6000 signature series is plug and play.  The radio simply works...

KF4HR

Richard - I wouldn't give too much weight to the problems you read on this forum.  Issues do occasionally surface, but are many times these issues are not directly related to the Flex rig itself.  A perfect example is when you see FRS release a software update.  Some people have issues, but most quietly update their Flex and happily continue on.  On the rare times an issue does surface, rest assured  FRS has an excellent technical support team that responds quickly and stands behind their product 100%   Perhaps the reason you don't see more praise on this forum is most of the time we'd rather be on the air enjoying our Flex equipment, than writing praise about it.  

I own several pieces of high end ham gear.  I can tell you without reservation that if I could only own one rig, it would be my Flex-6700.  Take W8LLL's advice and give one a try.  You'll be glad you did.  

VE2MBT

So you say you are a potential buyer of Flex but you wait comment from other users to make your own opinion ?? humm weird to me... (sound like: go go cross the battlefield and if you dont fall i'll go me too ) if you are really serious you should buy one and try it by yourself, if you don't like it you will sell it about the same price you just paid within minutes.... You can't say that from ANY OTHER radio on the market today

Michael Coslo

Here's the deal as far as I can see. Any problem I've had with other radios just isn't fixed. I had a Kenwood D-700 that made a farting siren noise on transmit every so often on cold mornings. Others had the same problem. Kenwood fixed this problem by declaring it didn't exist. With legacy radios, you usually buy them, and that's what you get. I've had Icoms with pcboard trimmer caps that last until the warranty is up.

What you need to do, is read the problems, and see the answers and the results.

Michael Coslo

I've also found that my highest praises have come to me via private email, and my problems exposed in public forums, to the world.... 8^)

PE3DON

hi Richard
many things around our Flex are now very well documented and accessible to all of us. I assure you it is very helpfull and instructive.

73, PE3DON
Don

Roy Laufer

... and this just in: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!

There are just some things that we take for granted, and one of those things is the incredible power and versatility of SDR technology in general and the Flex Radio 6000 Series in particular.

Is it "perfect", heck no, but nothing that I am aware of is perfect.

There are problems, which are discussed here, and dreams for future capabilities.

Previous generations of radios had their feature set and limitations pre-ordained while they are being designed by their manufacturers.

There are features which the 6000 Series will develop in the future that haven't been thought of, even after they began shipping them to customers.

This is the most promising, yet never fully formed, radio that the industry has provided.

You can't please everyone, that's just human nature. Some have sold their radios and moved on. Some just use their radios and are too busy 'playing radio' to 'play computer' on this forum.

If you are looking for the past of this hobby, look elsewhere.

If you are looking for the future of this hobby, right here is an excellent vantage point.

The sky is the limit.

It would just get very boring reading and writing an endless stream of love letters (and we don't want anyone to get a swelled head).

We all may see a slightly different future feature set for our radios, but we all see them as  an aspect of the 6000 Series.

I think that few Hams have regretted their purchase.

Vy 73,
Roy AC2GS

Rick Hadley - W0FG

In the three years I've had my 6500, I've been too busy working DX to complain.  I've completed single-band DXCC on all bands 40-10,DXCC on RTTY, finally made it over 300 total confirmed, made DXCC Challenge, and am well over half-way to my 1500 medallion, all barefoot with simple antennas.  I've installed every update as it came out, usually within hours of release, and never looked back.  Any bugs I've had have almost always been computer/network issues, not with SSDR. Flex makes working CW pileups a real joy.  If I was any happier, my face would break!  

Rick WN2C

I have one regret with my 6300 purchase *&!# ^!!

I should have bought the 6500!!!!
Otherwise I love my 6300

Tim - W4TME

We can easily solve that "problem"  Contact Sales and inquire about a Trade-UP!

http://www.flexradio.com/amateur-products/purchase-programs/#purchase-programs-tab-1

Bill -VA3WTB

To bad I can't do that here in Toronto..

Tim - W4TME

Bill, you may want to contact Angelo @ Radioworld and inquire if something like our Trade-UP! program is available.  It never hurts to ask.

Ernest

 

I have been using SDR radios since the days of TenTec, Pegasus, and Kachina.

And as today I have owned all the model of radios Flex has manufactured; 1000/1500/3000 and currently the 6700LE Signature radio.

The new 6x000 series radios are super:  The Performance and operations; I can simply say "there is nothing out there to compare it to."

The operation is simple, the learning curve is modest, and you are not required to have a computer science degree.

Why do I appreciate this radio? Is simple; I don't have to tweak knobs! It's all done by software.

And it keeps getting better every time the software is updated.

Burch - K4QXX

I have complained about a few issues with my flex radios over the years just like I have with Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood radios.  The difference is the flex keeps getting better and better where as the other radios stayed the same from the day I purchased them to the day I sold them.  If you are a potential buyer, even though I have had a couple of complaints in the past, I have owned every Flex radio except the 3000 since the beginning (1000, two 1500s, 5000 with the VHF/UHF and second receiver, 6300, 6500 and now the 6700).  I also have a Maestro and hopefully one day the new Flex amp. I couldn't even imagine even the thought of purchasing a non flex radio as this point. 

mikeatthebeach .

Started with 6300 then went to 6500 and finally 6700
with TradeUp Program

Got a IC-7851 almost new in Box & K3/P3 combo collecting Dust right now !
Wondered in Flex would take any of this stuff for the New Flex Amp ?

Frederic HB9CQK

Hi Richard

I can only recommend a FlexRadio Product, why? Here is a very recent example for you:

FlexRadio has just released a beta version of the SSDR software for Windows. I installed it knowing that there may be issues. I was confident that even if I ran into problems those would be taken care of by FlexRadio support. What happened? My 6700 locks up every couple of hours of operation. Is this an issue for me? Not really, I am totally relaxed. First of all FlexRadio support reacted almost immediately to my post here and secondly I can always downgrade to the previous version if I decide to do so. But what a radio this is! I am using it on eight (8) bands in parallel with the digital modes, do diversity on 6m, etc, etc.. Go for it, you will not regret it, just be prepared to spend some time upgrading, also to get new features.

73 and good DX, Frédéric, HB9CQK

Ken Gilcrest

Ok, I unboxed my radio several years ago and it has worked fine ever since then. 

FWIW: I was at a radio club meeting last night and someone said to me: you always complain about every radio you buy. And he is mostly right: I am very critical of radio equipment and almost always think that radios should have more features than they do and I often feel that most radios I buy arn't using current technology to provide truly innovative features..........BUT,  I just let his comment pass.  I was TEMPTED to argue that no, I don't complain about every radio I buy: I have never complained about my Flex 6700 or before that my Flex 1500. They have worked flawlessly and I am constantly amazed at how well they work, how innovative they are, how easy they are to use. I could almost say I am completely satisfied but by the nature of the Flex radio I am not completely satisfied because I am always waiting on the next firmware/software updates to see what new wonders they will contain.  I can't even imagine buying any other HF radio. It boggles my mind when I hear someone talking about buying anything else. 

N6OIL

Just buy it!! Richard I was on the fence for a long time, built a few SoftRocks was almost going to buy an K3 but I went for the 6500 and have been really glad I did. Yes I had some hardware issues with the radio which FRS stepped up and handled them like pros. Right now my biggest worry is something better will come out that will turn ham radio on it's head just like the Flex did, it's just sad that so many hams hang on to the old tech. But I think the IC-7300 did more good for the SDR hobby and opened people's mindset  to the fact that Flex builds a really great SDR radio. My prior radio, don't laugh but it was a Icom 718. The 6500 really made the 718 look like a kids toy as far as performance. I can hear and SEE so much now which is a awesome when contesting.

Ok I could ramble on and on but like others said try one on for size and if you can afford it try to get as much radio as you can.

Good luck Richard and let us know which way you go.

Rory
73

Kevin

The one area where I think a full-SDR radio would shine is for portable and emergency operations. The KX-3 does have a a definite advantage in this regard and I think it's a valid reason for buying something else.

I'd love to see a portable Flex. Something small enough to fit in the motorcycle bags and power efficient enough to give a day of operation off a reasonably sized battery. I don't see that as a focus for Flex (unfortunately) but I do see the KX-3 as an outstanding alternative.

Flex rules the roost but not the road I think.

Kev K4VD