Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

Routine 6500 Checkout

Lawrence Gray
Lawrence Gray Member ✭✭
I recently sent my 6500 in for a routine checkout and updating as required.  The Flex folks turned my radio around quickly.  The PA fans were also replaced at no extra charge.

Great service--thanks,

Larry W1IZZ

Comments

  • WK2Y
    WK2Y Member ✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Updating?  What would that be?  Do all 6500's need to have their PA fans replaced or just some serial numbers?
    Thanks and 73,
    Bob
  • James Del Principe
    James Del Principe Member ✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Yes. I would also like to know what updating.   You can easily update software yourself. Was this a hardware update?   Were you experiencing any issues?     Best 73, Jim
  • Lawrence Gray
    Lawrence Gray Member ✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Of course I can update the software myself--been doing it for years. I just sent it in to be checked and updated if there were any hardware updates. There weren't any updates. I've had the 6500 for a long time, used it a lot, and just wanted checked out. The post was to give some praise to the Flex folks for the excellent turnaround. Apparently, I should have just sent a letter to Flex, instead of posting here.
  • k3Tim
    k3Tim Member ✭✭✭
    edited September 2019
    The nice thing about SDR is 99% of the time updates are in firmware and software with the hardware being stable. When I purchased the 6500 years ago it was already rung-out and no h/w updates required.  in the good old era of vacuum tubes rigs required annual alignment. Solid state rigs were better with much less alignment requirements. The Flex 6x00 series self-calibrates at power up; just can't bet it....

    k3Tim

  • James Del Principe
    James Del Principe Member ✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Lawrence, I did not mean to offend you. I was curious if there were any hardware updates. It was good of you to compliment Flex here. 73, Jim.
  • Lawrence Gray
    Lawrence Gray Member ✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Tim, 
    I totally agree.  I just wanted confirmation that my 6500 was working to spec's.  Since I no longer have access to the level of equipment needed to properly test the 6500, I wanted to have confirmation from the folks who designed and built it.  I received that confirmation quickly at a very reasonable cost, along with very prompt answers to my questions.  Great support, in my view.

  • Steve K9ZW
    Steve K9ZW Member ✭✭✭
    edited September 2019
    It is a great reminder that periodically perhaps we all should have our gear checked out.

    Sometimes I think it would be useful to have  a Hobbs Meter on important gear (an in-use hours measuring meter) and schedule inspections & PM (preventive maintenance) base on accumulated Hobbs hours.

    But then would we ignore it when a service interval comes up?

    73

    Steve
    K9ZW

    Blog:  http://k9zw.wordpress.com

  • Bernie W7DMC
    Bernie W7DMC Member ✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Larry
    Like your idea of PM. Good investment. My 6500 has been running 24/7 for >4 years with no problems, luckily. My PGXL did need a little TLC and the service was fantastic Glad you posted your positive comments.
    Bernie
    W7DMC
  • George KF2T
    George KF2T Member ✭✭✭
    edited September 2019
    Amen, brother.
  • Patrick
    Patrick Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Thanks for the post! I’v had mine now for a long time. I think it is time I opened it up and to clean it out and check fans, heat sinks etc. that collect dirt and dust. Your post has acted as a reminder for me.....thanks!

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.