Thinking of buying a Flex 6400M

Eric-K0ELB

I'm getting my ticket soon, and do not have ANY experience with amateur radio at all, and I'm seriously considering the 6400M as my first transceiver. From the research I've been doing the last few months, this seems like the rig for me. I'm wanting something that I won't grow out of after a few years, and something that will last a long time. Any hints, suggestions, ideas for this first timer?

KL4QG

Love my 6400M had week
It’s best HF radio out there
I have owned yaesu 3000 ,Icom 7300,7610 7700
The controls and Digital NR ect just let you tune noise
Out to hear weak signals .
AGCT /AF combo is your best friend try 35/50 Combo adjust noise to lowest level with AGCT than adjust AF volume to normal hearing range
Oh NR when I use it not much I keep at lowest settings

Eric-K0ELB

I'm also thinking of adding the ATU, since that'll be one less thing on the desk. How well does the factory ATU perform, compared to external ones?

KL4QG

Works very good tunes well -fast -

Eric-K0ELB

Thanks for the quick reply! I was wondering about that, still researching all my options.

Ha Gei

FISHULA X

Eric-K0ELB

Funny you mention that, I build jets for a living, and work on avionics.

Eric-K0ELB

From everything I've read and watched on YouTube it seems like a pretty simple radio to operate. And, I have no problem reading the manual before turning it on.

KL4QG

My friend I disagree with the complex answer like any
HF there a learning curve
Plus if you get stuck ask question here on flex forums
Took me about 45 mins learn basic things I had **** so I not a fast as before
Why waste money buying cheap start at top and Flex 6400 M at top
To many people out there today trying belittle people that they are smarter getting worse everyday

KL4QG

**** Put Flex 6400M on Shelf for year **** Damage the Flex **** FISHULA ****
Eric not sure what’s going on here tonight I think we are getting invaded with Area 51 Grays tonight ****

Johan _ SE3X

Ha Gei

Eric,

if you feel smart enough..go for it. I had all sorts of radios over 45 years now. This includes TS990, 590 K3´s and other big and small boxes. the 6K4 is more fun, performs nearly as good as a K3 or 990 ...  that is sure. But you will have a steep learning curve to understand how the Flex does things, you don´´t even know about there existence yet.Ham radio is more than Click and Shoot. There is antennas, suncycles, grayline, RFI etc. etc. etc.   all the stuff you have to master and think about in your ham radio life.

I don´t work with planes...just used to fly them, but there is not much of thing to compare with these high tech boxes , rather than a complex plane.

KL4QG

I don own at computer and we don’t have internet here I live in Eskimo village in AK But my 6400M working great

Eric-K0ELB

To answer those questions is have to say yes and yes to both of them. I have both Windows and Mac computers in the house, although I'd have to be honest and say that I'm far more a Mac fan than a Windows fan, I do great with both. Ever worked with Garmin avionics? There's some really fun stuff there, let me tell you. Reminds me of a bipolar woman that can never make up her mind, then suddenly everything's ok.

Eric-K0ELB

My main thinking is that I don't want to waste money on something that I'll grow out of in 6 months to a year and then be right back to shopping for another radio. I'm a "buy once, cry once" kind of guy.

Johan _ SE3X

Johan _ SE3X

Eric-K0ELB

Thanks for the reply Johan! I'm planning on using my Mac Mini in conjunction with whatever radio that I buy, and seeing how well the Flex radios work with Mac OS, as well as Apple iOS, really made the decision for me. Sitting in the parking lot on my lunch break listening to my radio at home on my iPhone just seems like a lot of fun to me, and is a big plus towards my decision.

Eric-K0ELB

I have a Mac Mini that will be dedicated to this radio, as well as a nice 32" flat screen tv.

Burt Fisher

Get an Icom 7300, after a year the 6400M as it is complex.

Burt Fisher

What Eskimo village? I lived in one.

Ernest - W4EG

Andrew VK5CV

Alan

Steve K9ZW

Hi Eric The only upward path would be to a dual SCU radio (6600/6600M/6700). At the level of performance you are considering marketplace alternatives are typical peer level offerings in complexity - just they may offer knobs & menus vs software only menus. Two days ago by telephone while I was on a ferry boat out on Lake Michigan I helped a new FlexRadio owner get SmartSDR up and running in about 20 minutes, and he was starting from scratch and going remote right from the start! You’re in a better place with a M-model as things are ready to go from the start. For much of the external software the straightforward operating system presently is Windows, so anticipate the macOS complications. Hams report here at the community they have the setup licked but my attempts have found it not as straightforward. On the flip side the iPad and iPhone iOS versions are very straightforward. With your avionics background that systematic approach to navigating through. modest levels of complexity will serve you well with a Flex-6000. Actually a great advantage is not being conditioned with the limitations of older generations of radios. All my encouragement should be tempered with a confession that I do keep a tranditional radio setup in my shacks, in each case a nice set of Collins S-Line radios. They serve as a counterpoint in a tangible way to the virtualization of a software based radio. I’ve found that I seldom turn on the old style gear, but it is good fun to have them. GL and 73 Steve K9ZW Blog: http://K9ZW.wordpress.com Edit was I had to correct the Apple OS for platforms

Eric-K0ELB

Thanks for the reply, I'm used to things not playing nice with Mac OS, so that sure won't come as a sudden surprise to me. The radios that i have been considering have all been SDR's, mainly because from what I've been reading it seems that's where the future of ham radio is heading. (Along with everything else in life!) And the reason why I'm wanting an SDR as my first radio is that I'm already very used to computers and touch screens, and I want to get my kids involved in the hobby, they're 4 and 6 right now, and can pretty much do anything on an iPad that my 43 year old **** can do.

N8SDR

Eric-K0ELB

Garmin is a fun beast, it always comes down to the "did you cycle power?" question when getting errors, and that usually fixes about 90% of the problems we have when programming and doing rigging. Needless to say, it only took me about 3 months to feel fully capable in doing things like setting up the FDR's, which is pretty complicated to a lot of people. I cannot see a Flex radio being that complicated.

Eric-K0ELB

My question is more of an "is it worth it" question.

Eric-K0ELB

I gave the 7300 serious thought, but it doesn't meet all the requirements that I set for myself, #1 being more than one antenna connector. That's when I started looking at the 7610, and seriously considered that, but for the price, the 6400M seems like a far better radio for a lot less money.