6400 Hardware reliability

Gerald

How repairable is the 6400?

Is it modular enough to allow field
replacement of components?

Can components be field diagnosed and replaced?

I understand that the 6400 is new and it's hardware reliability may be too soon to assess. The construction trend to most transceivers are that they are constructed so that they must be returned to the manufacturer for repair due to their highly compact/integrated design. 
kd6et

Bill -VA3WTB

The radio is modular yes, but I think that is to aid repair at Flex, not so much in the field.
Most components would not be just plug and play, they may need alignment or programing and the deeded software for all this is not open to the end user.

Gerald

Thank you for such a quick response. Comments on reliability may take some in-use time. I have had a series of compact radios that work wonderfully for about two years then fail requiring an expensive long term delay in it's return. Radios are a small market and the off-loading of most of the components to computers of which the are millions increases the radio hardware's reliability.  

Bill -VA3WTB

This is true, how ever Flex Radio has a long history of experience in doing this, for many years. It was Flex that gave ham radio SDR.
The technology Flex uses reaches out past ham radio to private and governments around the world including the space center in orbit.

If we trace Flex Radio over the years we find very well made radios with robust hardware.
But nothing is impossible. As for the servicing of their radios? The turn around time is pretty good depending on work flow.

Jim Gilliam

My experience is the weak links in the chain are the fans.

Elliot Skultin

I think we should consider Flex Radio’s extensive commercial and government background along with the legacy radios out in the field that are still going strong. The 6000 series is wildly popular and should really boost the strength of the company. Every new design builds upon the experience gleaned from the previous. Sure, occasionally components fail, but I’m not worried.

Ria

Most repairs require a specialized test stand and software to diagnose and calibrate. So repairs will usually have to go back to Flex. 

Paul - K6HR

I had to send my 6300 in for service, and while this may not be typical, the repair was completed the day after they received the radio. My VU5K has not required service yet.

WA2SQQ

Radios are like people - we occasionally get ill and you have to see the doctor. You call the doc and he says, please come in and lets see what's going on.

Gerald

It seems odd that there is no website or general summary of reliability of the hardware we used to have measures called meantime to failure or failures in the first hundred hundred days or or failure in the number of years but they don’t seem to have that too available any anyway so it is . It would be nice to see a review in a magazine like a ‘consumer reports ‘. Kd6et

Bill -VA3WTB

If you are wondering if Flex has more reliability issues then other ham radio 
Manufacturers? I don't think so. Most other companies do not have a forum set up like this were things are in the open.

Gerald said a few weeks ago that almost all problems reported with the new radios were posted here on the board, only a few used emails or phone. This amount of problem traffic in view of the amount of shipped radios seemed to me to be very few.
But Gerald said any are to many in his view.

Tim - W4TME

Bill's answer is correct.