6500 discontinued

Steve K9ZW

When folk neither take the effort to read the current threads, read the official data sheets, nor take the time to watch the interviews pointing to the FAQs is appropriate.

Sometimes we all miss or misunderstand a bit of information, and asking for clarity is appropriate.

I've heard the term "High Tech Luddities" applied to both those who won't do a spot of research, and those who would have progress halt until they give permission for an advance.

Reality is some of our community members do not have the best of motives at times, some seem to live just to help others, some have scrimped to set aside enough to have their Flex-6000 experience, some can afford to buy one of most every new radio that comes on the market at will, some have very modest stations, and some have monster stations, some... well it is just a big community with all the lumpy parts that come with side a wide ranging group.

Add the differences in native language (BTW I appreciate when someone posts their English Text and ALSO includes what they are trying to say in the native language right after it in the post - very helpful towards making themselves understood), differences in senses of humor & temperaments, well pretty soon it like a big old family reunion.

There are a couple things that would be helpful:

• - do take a peek at the existing current threads.  There is simply no reason to have a half dozen threads asking what is the v2.x upgrade costs & policy.

• - do put yourself in the other reader's shoes to help make sure your question is understandable and reduced in the emotive stuff that gets in the way of the answers you seek.

• - don't forget you can ask FRS directly and even make suggestions to them directly.  That really should be more than just a few shared words at a show, as a follow up email is going to help them remember and understand shat you wanted to share.

• - remember that others speaking (including me, as I am just another Flex-6000 user) is simply NOT the same as a position statement from FRS.

• - respect the FRS need to be commercially viable and to run their own business as they chose to do so.  Talk to them about taking an equity stake if you think your contribution to their business is that important, but otherwise remember as a customer our stakeholder enfranchisement is pretty much limited to whether we spend money with FRS or we don't. 

• - recognize that this community is something awesome that few manufacturers in any industry offer.  Treat it with respect.

• - don't lose your situational awareness - if you post in the wee hours (based on Austin time) on a ham fest or holiday weekend you cannot expect FRS to reply before dawn!

• - make your suggestions, critiques and criticisms persuasive rather than punitive.  It may sound a trite formula, but presenting the problem followed by observation followed by suggestion including benefit of adoption is powerful stuff.  The loss/delay in adopting good ideas by emotional and factually incomplete rants can be reduced by laying each logical observation & step out in order and phrasing the recommendation along the lines of If you tell the story well, logically and emotionally groomed to engage the reader to give your idea a decent fair consideration you will experience more of your suggestions being adopted.

• - make sure what is humor is clearly humor, rather than snide.  It is really hard to do humor in a language you are not fluent in, and more obscure humor won't easily be understood as humor by a non-native reader.

I do have some suggestions for FRS:

• The FAQs are awesome and perhaps could have been put out early in the show process to increase awareness of the facts and reduce FRS (and others) frustrations.

• The FlexInsider was a wonderful way to share things FRS and could return as part of the FRS post-purchase support marketing as well as leadership in promoting new opportunities.  Perhaps an issue timed to go out at the gates open for Hamvention would have been useful? 

• As the Get Satisfaction Community is difficult to search, and in keeping with both FRS ultra-low moderation policy & with SMartSDR advancing all the time, that perhaps a curated "Best Of Community" go-to resources could be developed? 

73

Steve K9ZW

Tim - W4TME

We are waiting on 100% acceptance.  As Kermit said, "It's good to be green"

rfoust

I love my Keurig...I know it's not green but man it's so easy to make a quick cup of coffee in that thing.  

Tim - W4TME

To Michael's comment, I'd rather have a craft **** tap and a rib warming oven for those lulls in contesting.  I guess' I'll need some way to wash up and get the BBQ sauce off the keyboard and display too.

Ken - NM9P

Are those Texas style beef ribs or Kansas City style pork ribs?

Tim - W4TME

North Carolina Baby Backs using my special secret homemade finishing sauce.  This is an example of my work.

rfoust

This looks like a good reason to have a local FlexRadio users group meeting at Tim's house.

Ken - NM9P

I can go split with a second slice in many different ways:
1) right-click at the location of desired split frequency, and select "open new slice." I can then use my FlexControl knob to adjust frequency.
2) use the +RX button on the left hand drop down. It adds a second slice spaced at 1 kHz on CW or 5 kHz on SSB.
3) DDUtil allows you to hit one button with a mouse and set up a second-slice split easily.
4) DDUtil allows you to set up a panel of up to 48 different macro buttons. One of them can be a "split" button.

Btw: those who want A=B or A<>B can use DDUtil to accomplish this easily as well.

If you wish, you can assign your FlexControl Knob to DDUtil and it will do more functions than the standard Flex interface. You can then assign certain DDUtil macros to some of the AUX buttons, which in DDUtil have single click, double click, or long-press options.

These functions and many others are readily available to those who wish to take advantage of FREE third party software.

SDRStack is another very nice program that offers easy vfo/memory manipulation, muting, squelch, and many other functions that are the targets of many complaints of a few dissatisfied flex users.

BOBSmeter is a wonderful utility that gives you a large S-meter that has customizable peak and average settings.

flexMeter is a great utility that allows you to create power, SWR, mic level, AGC level, and many other meters for your rig.

There are utilities available, again free, that allow you to connect a midi controller to the rig.

N4PY's Pegasus Plus is a paid program that has a fully programable MIDI interface compatible with a variety of different controllers.

The list goes on. Including logging and contest programs that have their own macros to do some of the needed functions.

It is funny. There are users who pine away for pop-out windows and control panels in SSDR, but refuse to use 3rd party utilities that could easily solve many of their problems because the don't want to open a separate program, or because "Flex should put it all in the same program". Or "I want it all on the main control panel."

I agree, there are still a few functions that need to be improved - WNB, NF, ANF, NR.... but these HAVE improved somewhat, and Flex is still working on them. While some of these improvements may not make it into the first release of V.2.0, I am confident that they are on the list.

On the other hand, taking the time to put them into V.1.x and then needing to turn around and fold them into V.2.x which is already in development -- thus keeping two different tracks of software development running concurrently doesn't seem to me to make sense from an economic or personnel perspective.

Ken - NM9P

Tim - W4TME

My smoker isn't that accommodating ;-)

Dan -- KC4GO

Steve, 
     Your first statement is "called don't confuse me with facts my mind is made up."   (making sure my humor is taken as humor) 
As a Gunny Sgt once told me " it's a good day when there's no blood on the ground and no one dies" (South East Asia 1967)
I don't care if my 6500 is only worth a $1.00 I'll still enjoy everyday I get to use it. 
Puts thing in perspective. 
Thanks, 
Dan  

Michael Coslo

Excellent post, Ken. The add-on enhancements are the way to go as they introduce a level of user control that is entirely voluntary. If someone wants an analog looking meter, they can get it. Or any of the other things you mentioned.

Baking every single demand right into SSDR would just turn it into bloatware. And bloatware is bad.

Michael Coslo

I can only imagine my keyboard after a contest where I was eating ribs.  But yes Tim, a **** tap would be tremendous. We could call it the Flex 807. 

Tim - W4TME

We could call it the Flex 807. 

That made me smile.  Thanks

Gerald

Wait! The 6400 can go under the seat and your Maestro can be up front. What form factor?

Andrew VK5CV

G’day Gerald, Maybe a Mini Maestro with hands free and voice control. Or an TS480, IC7000 or FT891 form factor with a direct sampling front end. The new IC705 will be close but is QRP. QRPp on a mobile antenna without amps. In a mobile station distraction is an issue so a minimal display will be an important consideration. All the best. Andrew VK5CV

Tony Hateley

Anyone else see how many 6400 for sale and people after 6500,I wonder why?

WC9CA

Shoot, guys, I've got an "obsolete" TS-2000B Kenwood I still don't know how to use to the full extent. I will be obsolete long before my 6500M is... :smiley: