SmartSDR Purchase?

Gary Schulz

Thanks guys...  I have a "Signature Series" radio (not sure if that means anything) and I did pre-order it before it was available but I do not see any signatures anywhere on the radio.

What is strange here is long after I ordered it I found out that the radio did start to ship and after contacting Flex they appeared to have lost or somehow misplaced my order.  I honestly don't remember what the issue was but they did eventually send it to me.  Maybe something was lost in confusion here?

Steve K9ZW

Hi Gary Sounds like a good time to have a phone chat with FRS, as the community won’t be able to sort out your status question for version 2 being included or not. You may be a special case perhaps having v2 included but not being supplied an actual limited edition unit with signatures? They could sort that out if it is the case. I’ve found major version paid updates a good value -YMMV. I’ve got to check my notes as I may still be prepaid a future upgrade on my original 6700. GL and 73 Steve K9ZW

Ernest

John N3HEE,
I ditto your comments! 
Call Flex and verify your date of purchase, they have a fantastic Customer Service.
Or Shell out the bucks and use the lower software versions. 

Oxford English

Seems to me that some people are missing the point.

The 6XXX series of Flex radios are 'radio servers' i.e. they are a computer driven radio and computers need operating systems. So think of your radio as a computer and then look at the price of Windows for a PC. If you want to upgrade to the latest version, you have to pay. Yes I know that Microsoft 'gave away' Windows 10 but that's a whole other discussion.

When you bought the 6700 it came with version 1x of SSDR. You were happy to pay the price for the radio and the included software.

Now, you are complaining that to upgrade to V2x of the software is going to cost $200. But by buying the software, you radio is going to be vastly improved. If you don't want to pay then don't, just download the latest version, 1.11 and carry on using the radio. It won't stop working because there will be no further releases of V1.

Incidentally there was a new version of V1 after v2 was released.

With regard to the boot time, it normally takes 60 seconds for my 6300 to boot and I understand that the 6500 & 6700 take similar times. OK, so X radio boots in 10 seconds. My last radio with knobs was an Icom 775DSP and it was ready to use in about 3 seconds. I can't see the problem with a 60 second boot time.

The Flex 6XXX radios are amazing, in nearly 60 years of being a Ham, I have never experienced such an amazing receiver and had such consistently good audio reports, usually unsolicited.

I spoke to Flex last week to buy a new radio, the service I got was second to none. Name one of the other manufacturers who have a discussion board like this one, where the owners son takes calls from a customer he's never met, where you get an email to tell you that your rather convoluted delivery requirements were being looked after? I felt like I was dealing with a company who's service values were stuck in the 60s (thank the powers that be) whilst selling equipment that is way out in front of the competition.

All I know is that in me, Flex have a customer for life, less the 60 seconds it takes for the radio to boot up!

Seems to me that some folks cannot stop having little niggles.

Please get a life. 

Tim

Scott Russell - N1SER

There are a lot versions from v2.4.9 to 5.0 so let's hope Flex will add some meat to v2.x and not little niggles.

Bill -VA3WTB

Each version has a focal point in it, In version 2 it has been smart link remote,,no small feat. V3 is slated to see multi client, another first in ham radio.

Andy - KU7T

Bill, If that is true it would be a great present for the holidays. Multi client would be a huge differentiator. Andy KU7T

Bill -VA3WTB

Yes it would, but there should be another v2 upgrade sometime, Won't be v3 for Christmas, I don't think. And we don't really know what multi client will look like yet.