Interim Update to Smart SDR

Philip KA4KOE

Whilst booting up my radio this morning, some sort of interim update occurred without my knowledge. The flashing green light was not green but an off shade of blue. Well, after everything was said and done, all of my profiles were DAS KAPUT. I run V.2.5.1 for the time being as it seems that newer versions have issues, etc. I wish we had some sort of option to download an interim update instead of this situation. Highly annoying, to say the least....mic profiles, power settings, the works, all gone. Instead I get a whole set of useless mic profiles which I will now have to go in and delete.

Philip KA4KOE

Paul - K6HR

It's a good idea to keep backup copies of all your profiles for just such emergencies. After you get everything back the way you had it, make a backup copy right then and there.

Brian Denley KB1VBF

What interim update?  Did that happen?

Ken Hansen

No. We shouldn't have to take defensive measures against random, unannounced updates to our radios. That can not be the new norm.

Keeping backups of user-profiles and settings is 100% good idea.

The issue is the unannounced update - SSDR must have a mechanism to alert the user before installing such an update, if it doesn't have such a function today, and if interim updates are going to be a 'thing' going forward, it needs to get such a facility to announce pending updates and offer the user to either install or defer the update.

WX7Y

Flex does not send out interim updates that auto install to the radio but WINDOWS sure does but not to the Radio.
Sound to me that if your radio had a blue light and you didn't hit the wrong ICON (if your using the M head or Maestro)  when you turned it on to do a upgrade/downgrade then it did a hard reset for one reason or another which erases all the profiles in the radio and bring the radio up on the factory defaults and shows 14.100, Using your computer with same version of SmartSDR If you had simply exported your settings to say your desk top then it would take a matter of seconds to restore your radio's setting.
It is ALWAYS a good idea to save your Profiles to a different name THEN make a couple exported backups by doing the export command under Profiles, doing this often will let you go back to a known good working setup. 
All this is in the manual and is not hidden, and ALL of us have had to learn the hard way by having to recover all our settings by hand to be sure to EXPORT them. 

IMPORTANT: Saving profiles is NOT the same as Exporting your database.

I ALWAYS do a hard reset when a update is installed just to be sure everything is cleaned out then I IMPORT my settings and a way I go. 
good luck and 73's
Bret
WX7Y

Brian Denley KB1VBF

There was no update.

Ross - K9COX

Please do your research before you rant Philieep

Dan-N7HQ

Don (W7XY), is correct.   We do not send automatic updates to radios.

Pat N6PAT

I think the source of the frustration often released in this forum stems from the vulnerability of the software involved with Flex radios. Just look at the multitude of issues regarding Windows updates that many have experienced over the past few years.

Why is it that the only app I've ever had trouble with after a Windows update is Flex? Why is it that the only app I must repeatedly shut down and restart is Flex? I still have to stop and restart DAX several times a day. And before you say "get a new computer" let me point out that this has been happening on three different computers of mine for over 2 years.

I've been designing software systems (telecommunications, security, etc.) for over 30 years both as an employee and as the owner of my own company and I would never release any application that consistently demonstrated such drawbacks.

Why can't the Flex software package be made more impervious to these Windows updates and impacts of third party apps? It's better now than it was two years ago but why have the improvements taken so long to roll out?

While the Flex software offers many innovations it does not warrant a five star rating in my book due to the lack of what I would consider a solid foundation. Stop chasing new dollars with new models until you reinforce the common denominator.

And yes, I am aware that this particular case is probably not related to Windows updates. No need to point out the obvious. I just felt compelled to vent as well.

David Decoons, wo2x

Was the color white with a slight blueish tint? It sounds like your radio did a reset. Maybe you held the power button too long when turning it on? It only requires a short press of the button.

Dave wo2x

VK7WH Winston

“ And yes, I am aware that this particular case is probably not related to Windows updates. No need to point out the obvious. I just felt compelled to vent as well.”

With respect, Pat, your constant venting is becoming a little tiresome.

Winston

Pat N6PAT

So is the constant need to stop and restart DAX. When that is corrected then maybe I won't have a need to vent anymore.