Multi-Flex: What's Next? Com link between operators

Mike VE3CKO

Now that Mult-Flex will soon be released, I was thinking beside the many features already requested, (such as the ability to switch antenna inputs of the Antenna Genius directly from Maestro or SmartSDR, hint!), what's next? A couple suggestions:

1. How about an operator to operator com link. The hard stuff is already there, MIC DAX and one of DAX's to receive. How valuable would that be in a contest or mentoring situation?
2. Mentoring mode, this would have an open com link between the mentor and trainee with the capability of the mentor to swap control/monitor features. This would allow the mentor to demonstrate to the trainee and verbally explain at the same time while the trainee watches and listens, then the mentor could SWAP and reverse roles.
   
3. Maestro as a controller from SmartSDR display has my vote too.
   

Not sure if 3rd party developers would have the kind of access to develop a com link on Multi-Flex. I wish I had the time but not in the position currently to dedicate the volume of time needed to get back to software coding.

N2TU

Item 1. Sounds a lot like Team Viewer....SKYPE, IM etc. ...Maestro excluded!  Maybe a third Party wants to take this on?

Item 2. is one of the probably most asked for options on this board.

Ken Hansen

I like the idea, but it sounds like you want Flex to recreate Microsoft's Remote Assistance, which enables someone else to 'take over' your computer, and supports a chat session between users. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026516/windows-use-remote-assistance-to-let-someone-fix-your-pc

Mike VE3CKO

No, just a MENTOR SWAP button, like the legacy radios have swap VFOs

Bill -VA3WTB

My vote would be to simply complete features already there. Finish the DSP filters. Things like that. Just pollish up the things we have now.

Kes-m0pkz

Can be added voicekeyer...so can be recorded and played messages without 3rd party soft

Mike VE3CKO

I've seen requests for mentoring yes, hence Mult-Flex will allow that but I'm describing an actual com link mode that would take it to another level, contest applications to. Just think, if your in a contest, you could hit the COMLINK button on the corner of the Maestro and say to your partner in crime, "Hey Chuck you bonehead, wanna refill my coffee?", or "I just got P5 on 80m what say you?"

ctate243

Lou I would say #3 is also way up on the list.

Ken Hansen

Because hitting the COMLINK button is easier than hitting the Skype button?

Bill -VA3WTB

Mike, this is something I have thought about for some time. What if your Flex could tell you what other Flexes are on the air, by call sign, ip add?

Lets say your talking in a group and few are using Flex radios, these radios can give us a list of Flexes in the group, so by chosing one we could send a message to that person by keyboard if the message is just for that person,,,or sellect all to send a message to all. Being connected to the net may allow this?

Perhaps a window will open up with the message from another Flex user, or just send it to the panadapter.

Ken Hansen

So thinking about the implementation of this, it would look like this: A flex user keys the mic, touched their key/paddle, or transmits a digital mode signal. When a transmission 'event' occurs, a ping is sent to a database server on the internet (peekaboo.flexradio.com) registering a Flex user on a certain freq at a certain time. Another flex user, just receiving, engages the 'peekaboo' feature and his radio, and on a regular basis, his SmartSDR client queries the database for the last so many seconds for any flex radios that have transmitted between the upper and lower edges of their panadapter and displays the flex users call sign, location, whatever. This feature could be further refined to limit returned callsigns to a select list of friends (certain call signs), ITU region, grid square, political entity, etc. Of course, this would qualify as an 'assist' for contesting, but could be interesting... So, who's up for a 'peekaboo' feature in SmartSDR 4.0?!

Mark_WS7M

I actually implemented something like this in 2015 called HamRadioInfo at the time.  You simply installed an agent I wrote that connected to your radio and monitored where your slices were.

In the agent you could set some personal data fields and and your info was updated online to web page.

It was designed as a way to find other flex users.

Had a few users at the time but not everyone thought it was a great idea.

Now that we have spots on the pan it would be trivial to make it post spots for Flex users.

ctate243

this is absolutely the way this should be done.. (3rd party via API)  but it looks like it was not received well by some.

Mike-VA3MW

Hi Kes, I doubt you will see an onboard voice keyer in the near future.  Mike 

Mike VE3CKO

Of course Bill, we all want things finished up, I said that, "besides the many features already requested", but purpose of post was to spark the imagination of what could come next, or after the next. Lots of legacy radios out there that can do the legacy stuff, and yes we are still waiting for some legacy radio features to be finished in SmartSDR. I'm talking about putting our thinking caps on and come up with something more than just legacy radio features.