New Flex radios at Dayton this year

Manuel Maseda

Anyone want to speculate on what new radio Flex will introduce this year? I’m betting on a replacement for the 6700.

AH0U

I think a 6700M .... the Maestro can be replaced by an iPad

Ken - NM9P

A series of 6000’s for vhf/uhf with 1 or 2 SCU’s for full duplex satellite and terrestrial work. Perhaps with 144,430,1200 bands and transverter outputs from each band for use on microwaves....can you imagine SO2R on 144/432 during the contest?

John - K3MA

Seems to me the introduction of new hardware takes away from the speed of software enhancements.  From the operator perspective I think there is much more functionality improvement available via software development than with new hardware.  I could live with a year or two of no new hardware if the pace of software development increased significantly.

Wayne

Software dont pay the bills ... the hardware sales pay the bills ... everyone prioritizes and chases the dollar ... software not so much.

KF4HR

220 and 900mhz too!

K2CB Eric Dobrowansky

Eventually no one will want the hardware if the software is still lacking. This is SOFTWARE Defined Radio, after all!

Joe N9VX

Flex 1500 replacement.

David Kowell

that is what I want vhf uhf  1.2 gig flex radio

W9OY

I would like to see a set of smart antenna devices like wireless rotor controls, relay boxes, 4 square controllers, steppir controllers etc which are integrated into the Flex ecosystem.

73  W9OY

W2PP

I'd like to see the current hardware "in inventory" before more "stuff" is released.  Old before new.  I also agree the software should be stabilized further first.  PGXL, antenna tuner, antenna switch, lets get the basics done before more is added to an apparently full platter.
Peter

N8FNR

I am betting on a 6100 that puts out 5 watts and has a smaller form factor than the current rigs. Price around $750. Also a 6200 that is a stripped down version of the 6400. It would have a lot fewer port options on the back panel and would be more like the old 3000 verses the 5000. Only 1 antenna port and no transverter ports. Price around $1250. Why else would Flex leave the names 6100 and 6200 unused unless they had plans for future rigs? But then I could be wrong too!

Craig Williams

I would guess they have a few hardware engineers who don't know how to write software? They could invent without hindering software improvements.

Craig Williams

$200.00 upgrade prices should pay a few bills? That's what is keeping from buying a used 6300 at this time which is good as I really want to save up for a 6400.

Bill -VA3WTB

The $200.00 barely scratches the surface, but it does help offset the cost of software development. As wayne said, they would make very little on software if any at all.

Mike VE3CKO

I too agree that more should be done to solidify the software for current line of products. The flagship 6700 still does not have any calibration for 2m. Each time I go to 2m I have to manually set the XIT/RIT. It's an embarrassment when I forget, "oh you have the best Flexradio available and they haven't got 2m working proper yet"? Please at least have the capability to save RIT/XIT setting for 2m. As much as am a fan of Flexradio, that is my pet peeve. Adjustable diversity for the 6400/6700s would be another desired enhancement. Adding the capability to select antenna settings on the AG from SmartSDR and Maestro. There are plenty more fixes and suggestions others have made too.
I don't Flexradio will or should break the $1000 price barrier. So much cost cutting would have to be done, housing, components, software and there will even more competition for the low end SDR market. May never be able to recover the development costs of that lower end product. I think they have positioned themselves quite good, mid to high end SDR market, but you never know. The 6800 or whatever the replacement of the 6700 will be, is more likely the direction they will be going. To separate it from the 6400 it will have to have 144/432 internal and/or some other features such as ROD, rotator on demand. Yes I just made it up, but they had been developing something related. I vision an external box connected to SmartSDR via ethernet to interface to common rotators controllable via SmartSDR/Maestro. Like the tuner it should be able to at the base of a tower via relays to directly control rotators, or in the shack interfaced to common rotator control boxes. On second thought maybe ROD isn't a good name after all, as some of will be playing with it.

W9OY

Why don't you use DDUTIL to write a macro to set the offset for 2 meters?  I have a macro that sets XIT to +2 khz (since I generally work LSB low bands) for when I tune up.  After tuning he XIT automatically cancels.  

Mike VE3CKO

Good thinking Lee. Never used macros with DDUTil. Ok, did a quick review and just setup to invoke when 2m band selected to change freq, profiles so got that going but I don't see the macro in wiki for XIT, RIT. The wiki link is an incomplete list of commands ? I found the CatCommandReferenceGuide.pdf
Got this macro working when I switch band to 2m:
DD6TTP065; set power output for DEMI 2MLDPA
ZZRT1; turn on RIT button
ZZRF+00900; set RIT offset
ZZXS1; turn on XIT button
ZZXF+00400; set XIT offset

Thanks for the suggestion Lee, using DDUtil macros was much easier than it looks just was too lazy to learn I guess.

W9OY

Yep those are the commands.  you can toggle a button using DDTG command so you can toggle one button for + or - and another for off and on for simplex/repeater  You can also  add colors to the toggle to see which state you are in.

73

W9OY

Make sure you save the macro file once you get it set up.  I save mine to the cloud

Tony WV2C

I would love to see a 2 meter transverter!

Ria

I can't comment on what is coming obviously (I actually don't know, and if I did I couldn't say) but I do see some of the ideas here being viable products that should be made. The question is, when and what exactly.  I would love a portable QRP radio like the KX3 or McHF. Maybe with built in wifi. 

Bill -VA3WTB

An SDR headset?

ctate243

(I know nothing about what FRS have in the new product channel)

but I would hope a new QRP rig.  existing one is old tech, so that seems to make the most sense.  Something that is small, full featured and would have decent live on batteries and supported SSDR-W as a control interface.

AE0MW

My Flex Wishlist for Dayton:

QRP Flex (~$1000ish)
-Built in tuner
-Built in WiFi AP (for the iOS app)
-Built in USB-C port (Internal USB -> Ethernet bridge)

SmartSDR Enhancements
-Plugin
architecture similar to Waveforms for USB connected devices (Just let me have a UI window as part of SmartSDR and send me the serial port data. I'll figure out what to do with it. We need to control station peripherals remotely!)
-Remote Improvements (Fix the fragmented packets, Digital mode support)

Bill -VA3WTB

Perhaps a smaller amp, say 600w to bridge between the mother off all amps to something more affordable. I think this will be coming, the same as having different radio models.

Tim - W4TME

All our engineers can write software.  Even some of our support staff.

W2PP

My wish is the PGXL gets sorted and is shipping immediately!

N8FNR

You could get a Elecraft KPA500 now. 

W2PP

Not reallytgey are back ordered and it won’t be as powerful or as well integrated.

N8FNR

What does the KPA500 not do that you need. I use DDUTIL and it tracks the bands. You can also preset the power with DDUTIL.