6400 Receive Antennas

k9bm .

Mike VE3CKO

k9bm .

So how does this, by anyone's common sense definition, constitute "2 independent receivers?"

Mike VE3CKO

k9bm .

OK, I guess I'm too **** to own a Flex.  It's FOR SALE, for anyone reading this, 3 months old in factory carton, automatic antenna tuner and hand microphone, $2,000 shipped in CONUS.  I'm ordering an Icom 7610, it's $1,000 cheaper than a Flex 6600 and actually DOES have 2 "independent receivers" as far as I can determine.  Please post if interested....

Alan C

Mike VE3CKO

k9bm .

Mike VE3CKO

WQ2H - Jim Poulette

Ken - NM9P

Brad, One thing I did that allowed me to use HF dipoles and a 6 meter antenna at the same time on one antenna ports was to get a Comet CF-360 "duplexer" which splits one antenna into two ports - or combines two antennas into One port.  One for 1.8-30 MHz,  and the other for 49-470 MHz.  I was able to use the antenna on two ports.  

You might find that as a simple way to split your LP to allow using HF on ANT1 and 6 Meters on ANT2)  giving you what you want.

I haven't done it this way, because I was combining two antennas into one port, but it should work.

Ken - NM9P

k9bm .

Ken, that's a really good idea and I would jump on it if I wanted to sell my 160-6 meter solid state amp.  But after scratching my head half the afternoon I just can't up with a way to configure a 6 meter antenna and an HF Yagi to use with the Flex 6400.  All I want to do is monitor 6 while working HF, and I seriously feel someone at Flex should review the dictionary definition of "independent" and then revise their marketing of the 6400. 

An "independent" receiver does not require the use of the same antenna as another receiver, it means 2 separate radios in the same box.  We can talk esoterica all afternoon about spectral capture units and slices, but unless you're a well experienced SDR user or experimenter you will interpret the marketing claim of "2 independent receivers" exactly the same way I did....

Clay N9IO

Brad, The 6400 is most similar to the 6300, 1 scu, 2 slices (receivers.) I started with the 6300 and honestly use my 6600 the same as I did the 6300. Similar to the Antenna Genius I use a SixPak . I set it up to receive on antenna 1 side of the switch and Transmit on the B side.but I am on the same band beit DXing or ragchwing. Two separate bands with two separate antennas is achieved with the 6600 and 6700 models. No disrespect but sounds like you're about to make another under researched decision.

Craig_KØCF

k9bm .

Thanks Craig, I did check and it appears you are correct.  This is all WAY too much for what I'm looking to do.  I think I'm better off just forgetting about 6 meters until I get a ping from a spotting reflector, or just use my old Icom 756PRO hooked up to NiMM which is perfectly capable of handling SO2R.  In fact, I could buy 2 or 3 dial radios that can be computer interfaced before I would reach the cost of an SDR radio with 2 SCUs and true "independent receivers."  I appreciate your help....

Doug Hall

Craig,
The IC-7610 Advanced Manual page 78 shows two ADCs with the ability to select a different antenna for each receiver. Is this incorrect?
73,
Doug K4DSP

Craig_KØCF

Doug, I stand corrected. The review that I saw was wrong. However, the manuals are very brief and vague about dual receive operation. Others have suggested that it does not do full duplex. I would suspect that both receivers are muted when transmitting, which would mean that it would not work in an SO2R contesting situation. But as far as I could find, Icom doesn't say one way or the other.

p.s. I owned an IC-7600 for five years and loved it. But my 6500 is better.

Greg N8GD

I've never done so, but why can't you use the receive only input (RXA IN) or the transverter input (XVTR-A) for your 6M monitoring?  You'd have to switch to the active transmit slice and change to the 6M band to transmit, though.  The RXA IN port is receive only and goes directly into the same spectral capture unit (SCA) that your ANT 1 (slice A?) is connected to, but with no transmit capability.  It will permit that receive only capability on a separate antenna, however.

mikeatthebeach .

Rick WN2C

K4MT

Your correct. Comment above is as clear a peanut butter.

I like you would assume independent receivers not slices.

Say what you mean or mean what you say. Customers can only believe what they read when no familiar with a product.

Bill -VA3WTB

It is more about understanding what SDR is and how it works. In SDR the number of SCUs and or ADCs tells you all you need to know about what a radio can do.

K4MT

whats wrong with advertising that is aimed to new users that might not understand. Not all users are engineers. As usual you take the simplistic fan boy answers.

The objective of advertising is to educate the uneducated and not give confusing information that spawns  a discussion  like this

Mike VE3CKO

Ted VE3TRQ

I hate to break it to you, but the objective of advertising is to sell product :-(

WQ2H - Jim Poulette

k9bm .

Ted VE3TRQ

I would never purchase a transceiver without first looking at a signal flow diagram for the radio. A very perfunctory review of the 6400/6600 signal flow in the 6400/6600 Hardware Manual shows immediately what the capabilities of the radios are. If someone with an amateur radio license cannot read such a diagram, they have no business operating a transceiver. Maybe that's a bit strong, but we really DO need to be a bit more than appliance operators.

k9bm .

Yeah Ted, that is a bit strong.  I was first licensed in 1967, I built my first homebrew electronic keyer that summer on the chassis of a scrapped 5-tube table radio.  I made my living for a few decades as an RF Engineer designing cellular networks and microwave links.  I thought I had researched SDR radios pretty well, I talked to a lot of hams, including some on this forum, and yes I relied upon some of Flex's marketing when they use common, nontechnical terms like "independent" and "receiver."  Shame on me?

You can say I was uninformed, but do not call me an appliance operator.  I was homebrewing ham gear decades before your parents met....

Ted VE3TRQ

k3Tim

CK722 - Germanium - the good old days....