SmartSDR Sandbox before radio purchase

Maxejb

I want to play with profile building prior to buying either a 6400 or 6600 radio. Can I download SmartSDR into my Lenovo laptop (AMD A10 with 10 core) running Windows-7 32-bit before I actually buy my Flex radio?

Bill W2PKY

Unfortunately, SSDR will not show unless it connects to a radio.
Not aware of a demo version.

Ken Hansen

Yes, you can download the software without purchasing a radio, it is available here: https://www.flexradio.com/downloads/smartsdr-v3-1-8/ But I am uncertain how functional the software is without being connected to a radio, as the first thing the software asks for once installed is what radio to connect to.

Maxejb

Bill, thanks. Ok. So the question begs...if i buy the 6400 with 1 SCR, rhen i can only listen to 1 ant port at a time (both slices are listening to enither ANT-1 OR ANT-2 OR ANT-Receive, BUT not 1 of each.....correct?). To listen to more than 1 antenna (a different antenna per slice) requires me to buy a 6600 radio correct?

Maxejb

Thanks, Ken

Mike-VA3MW

Let others have said, there is no Demo that you can run.  However, we do have a 30 day return policy that gives you time to play with the actual radio.  

The 6400 has only 1 SCU but 2 slices (receivers).  You can listen to what ever you like, you just have to use the same antenna for both slices.  If you wanted to use 2 antennas at the same time, you would need a 6600 or a 6700.

If you wanted to listen to 6M and HF at the same time, you can use a Comet or Diamond Diplexor to split the RF signals.  I am going to write this up shortly.

Mike

Bill W2PKY

Yes, the 6400 has one receiver where 6600 has 2 completely separate receivers. I bought the 6300 in '14 started operating digital and soon found I wanted to monitor 6M and some HF bands so soon upgraded to 6700 which has 2 receivers as well.
If you have multiple antennas and think you might enjoy monitoring signals from each antenna simultaneously then the 6600 would be the way to go right away. 
Good luck with your quest for a new radio. 



Bill W2PKY

An additional feature of a 2 receiver radio is the ability to do Full Duplex operation. That is transmit on one antenna and receive on the other at the same time. This is handy for SO2R or VHF net operation while monitoring HF etc.

Mike-VA3MW

Just a small correction.  Even 1 SCU radio can do Full Duplex using the RX A antenna.

Maxejb

Michael, thanks. I now know what I want...the 6600 Again, thanks

John KB4DU

Just some background. The SmartSDR software is just a display of what is happening in the radio. For the 6XXX series, all the heavy lifting is done in the radio. The radio feeds the display through the Ethernet connection, and receives control info from SSDR. Without a radio, there is nothing to display.

The 30 day return is a good deal. Just be aware that 30 days will probably  be enough to be familiar with the radio, but not proficient.

Maxejb

Afternoon John, Yes, i know you are correct. But at present, i am in the process of returning from South America and moving back to the States. So, i will need till I get settled into a house and get the Shack setup after this Cornonavirus situation is behind us....

Bill NE1B

Another advantage of the 2 SCUs would be Diversity Receive.

John KB4DU

Wow! Wishing you a safe journey. Hope you can actually get back into the US without exra-ordinary hassle.

Maxejb

Thanks John, For the moment...I am stuck. I accepted a job back in the States, Pennsylvania to be precise. But, this Coronavirus situation has put things on hold. So when it is over, and if the company's offer stays viable, then God willing....I'll be back. I am used to the hassles by now....but it is getting tougher as the years go by....hihi 73 Mike