New PGXL NOW WHAT DO I DO TO MAKE IT OPERATE?

Steve Sterling

Gee, I know Flex is a cottage industry with very few employees, certainly not an Icom or Yaesu, but after spending $7K on something, at least it should have a manual or instructions beyond a single sheet that shows where the input, output and antenna goes, and nothing more. On line is the control software, a firmware update, but no manual or instructions to download that I could find. I guess Flex expects early adopters to teach newbies instead of providing even the basic of instructions.

Trying to get the new amp operational with my Flex 6700. Was planning to just use LAN connection for control-- do we really need to use the PTT line?  Yes, the LAN is working, and the amp sees the Flex 6700, has the serial numbers and all that good stuff on the "radio" page, but it says it doesn't have band data. I can manually set the band using the amp control software, but it the amp won't go into transmit.  Yes, it is in Operate.

Do I need to attach it somehow to the CAT interface to get it band data and the ability to go into transmit?

I feel like the blind man feeling the foot of an elephant! There must be something more with setup, but I can't find anything more to set up other than treat the amp like it was connected to a non-flex radio.  I could have bought an SPE 2 years ago if I wanted to do that.

Steve WA7DUH

Craig_KØCF

As with all Flex products, the manuals are on their website at:
  https://www.flexradio.com/downloads/
There is a section here for the PGXL and it has several documents available,
including a Quick Start Guide and a User Manual.

Wayne Schonfeld

Make sure you install the Power Genius XL Utility and under flex, establish the radio, antenna and output.  Then push save and your PG will restart.  Hopes this helps.

Erika - KØDD

Don't panic yet Steve,  We'll figure it all out on here.  The radio fully integrates via the Ethernet.  So i'd think its just a matter of config settings and you'd be talking.  CAN you select a setting that allows you to turn the amp in and out of standby?

Erika - KØDD

See there you go.

David-N5PSM

Steve,  I just sent you an e-mail to your QRZ address with my phone number.   I have time and I am available now if you are stuck. 73 de N5PSM

Mike-VA3MW

Steve,

Yes, you should.  If you are not able to get in touch with David, you can call me in the office at 512-535-4713 x222.

Mike

Jim Gilliam

I have mixed feelings regarding including a nice manual with an expensive radio compared with the ease of downloading the entire manual in PDF format. It saves paper and changes can always be amended to the manual as needed so the information is always current. However, when opening the box for the first time, it is so nice to see a manual sitting on top of the radio.

Erika - KØDD

I have had a manual since it was posted on the website...  I don't even have a PGXL...  EVEN had the Latest PGXL application on my computer for quite a while.  DD

Mark_WS7M

Steve, if you want I'll take your PGXL in trade for my SPE 2K-FA and send you full printed manuals in color!   <grin>

Mike-VA3MW

I gather Steve has it functional now as he doesn't have time to update us!    He must be on the air.  LOL

Steve, if not, this video might help as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5bR79Ef7Aw

Steve Sterling

Thanks Craig-- for whatever reason when I originally went looking, following a link on a add-on sticker to the quick guide, all I could find was the firmware upgrade.

Steve Sterling

Followup-- thanks for guiding me to the manual-- for whatever reason I could not find it when I went looking. I finally got a chance to troubleshoot and the problem was in the network setup. The PGXL had picked up an IP address from my DHCP server, and was able to communicate enough with the 6700 to get the radio serial number and the utility program would talk to it fine, I could manually change bands, standby/operate etc from the utility, but the client apps didn't recognize the amp. I thought all was good connection-wise, but then noticed the subnet mask and gateway fields were blank. For whatever reason the amp had not picked these up. I planned to move it to a static address block anyway, and once the subnet mask and gateway entries were made, everything worked.
Thanks for putting up with me.
73 Steve WA7DUH

Doug

Steve perhaps you can answer a question for me since you just installed your amp. I ordered one yesterday and was trying to see what type of plug was on the end of the power cord. The manual says C13 connector and pigtails but doesn't show what the pigtails are. Hopefully one is for 110 and one for 240v. Can you clear this up for me or someone on the forum here reading this Doug K9CRT

Mike-VA3MW

Hi Doug

There is no AC plug since there is no 1 240VAC unique connector.   

Pigtails are bare wires.  You have to add your own 120VAC plug, if for 120 or the 220 plug you might have in your shack.

Mike va3mw

Wayne Schonfeld

The socket on the PG XL has 3 leads.  A ground and 2 hots.  It works with either 120 or 240VAC.  The amplifier self adjusts.  This is my undertanding and how I installed mine.  Any Elmer out there can confirm or correct.

Dan-N7HQ

The subnet and gateway values are blank in the PGXL Windows Utility when the amplifier is set to DHCP because a bug in the utility attempts to save any changes to those values back to the NVRAM in the amplifier, which can create problems difficult to recover from without performing a factory reset.   They are not blank or missing, just not displayed.  If the amplifier is picking up a valid IP address and the radio or the PGXL utility can connect to the amp, then all is well. 

Once the PGXL Windows Utility is updated, the values will be displayed again and the text boxes that hold them will be properly greyed out to prevent editing them. 

Dan

Steve Sterling

As mentioned, just pigtails to attach the type of plug needed at individual locations and voltage. The amp will take any AC power from 100-250vac on the same wires, so it works on most world standards voltage-wise without different cords or a switch to set. I had to buy a matching plug for my 220v outlet previously installed. I used a Male electric plug, 220V 15AMP, NEMA 6-16P available at Lowes and Home Depot.

Mike-VA3MW

Wayne, if you are not comfortable with house wiring, we highly recommend involving an Electrician.   The PGXL is a high current device and needs to be treated like a stove or dryer.  (sorry for the lecture)

Should something go very wrong and a fire happened, it would not be good.   If you do not follow the Electrical code for your area and your insurance company found it, your insurance would be null and void.

Case in point, here in Ontario about all you can do with house wiring is change an bulb and a light switch.  You can't add a socket anymore!    You have to involve an electrician.  

Mike

Doug

Ah OK Mike, tnx got it no problem I will pick up the plug I am now running a Ten Tec Centurion I wired up for my 220 outlet. Without seeing the cord it was hard to visualize.. Good heath and keep safe 

Erika - KØDD

Say guys something to think about...  You CAN program your radios to static IP addresses in your routers...  But HERE at my location; I have done something slightly different.  ALL of my gear, radios, TV, computers, and the Toaster.  Just kidding about the toaster, but the new OVEN could be on the router.  sigh   

***I have setup my router to look at MAC addresses and then DHCP assigns the IP's but those IP's are Permanent  addresses in my small but dedicated IP POOL. 

I have limited my number of IP to just a few more than what I need and at a range only I know where they're at and how many.  If you want to get on my network I have to get into the router and ALLOW YOU!!!  No pushing buttons and you're instantly in.  I had a neighbor gal do that with her iphone on a spy mission during our weekly coffees.  Lets just say she doesn't visit anymore.  DIAL TONED!

Basically there has been a bunch of IP SPOOFS from outside across the internet trying to gain access to my network, but they are Denied instantly as I'm looking for MAC addresses not IP's.  Well sure somebody could do a MAC address spoof, but really? Try to calculate those? 

This method REALLY locked down my router.  A common IP spoof is 192.168.1.100 I laugh every time I see that...  as that address is way out of where my RANGE is set... OF course the router password is 30 some characters randomly generated and I can see access attempts, but I get to select who gets in.

Think about this a bit and tell me if you see any flaws in my methodology?

Erika DD

Steve Sterling

Oh but I got BIT big time doing that last fall that cost me the 2019-2020 contest and DXing season. Had the DHCP server looking at the MAC address of the 6700 when it asked for a lease and then assigning it to a specific IP address. Except about 2 weeks after we escaped the winter for 5 months, intending to run remote for that time as we have done successfully for the last 7 years, the 6700 on it's own UPDATED it's microsoft engine (it was already running SSDR 3.1.8 when we left) and changed it's MAC address. Now why the 6700 decided to change it's MAC address has never been figured out, but the DHCP server saw it as a different device and assigned it a different IP of course. So now the port forwarding set up was trying to forward to the old static IP. Had to fly home to figure it out and fix it last December.

Ah but still no remote. After I flew back to Arizona, because in all the updating, factory resetting of the database performed on the 6700, it lost all it's SmarkLink info to connect to the Maestro that I had left in Arizona, I still could not connect to it. They have to be INITIALIZED on the same physical LAN before taking the Maestro remote.

Erika - KØDD

I'm sorry you did not have this setup correctly at the router.

You use ACCESS CONTROL with Mac address filtering, and DHCP with reservations.  PLUS I never mess around with IPv6...  Too many access loopholes for hackers..  I'm locked down to IPv4 only.  There's no reason to be messing with v6 in a residential installation.

I do this INTERNALLY... My computer and radio are both on a switch in the back of my Wifi Router.  Both Wifi and Wired utilize the same DHCP server with preassigned addresses.

Access Control is switched open to allow a device to connect and then DHCP assigns an IP using that Mac's preassigned reservation, and once the new device is connected. you turn Access Control back on so NO new devices can connect...  If you try the log will show a denial of service log entry.

Honestly I have NEVER HEARD of a device changing its MAC address it is hard coded into the Ethernet interface chip and the WIfi Engine.  The chips have a sticker and the address listed right on them.

I cannot understand what happened in your instance, the radio should never have been allowed to reconnect if there was a way to change its mac.  It should have been totally denied access.  SEE? 

Coming in from remote there should only be ports assigned for access.  a swinging gate for anybody to come into the house.  You need to stop Egor Hacker in Moldova trying to hack open all your ports...  FLEX should be telling everybody which ports to assign to where, not have port forwarding etc wide open...  Erika DD

Dan-N7HQ

Steve,

"...the 6700 on it's own UPDATED it's microsoft engine (it was already running SSDR 3.1.8 when we left) and changed it's MAC address. "

A FLEX 6700 does not have a stitch of Microsoft software in it and the MAC address is written into permanent memory at the factory, and cannot change.  I'm not sure what happened on your system, but we don't update any firmware automatically on our radios and MAC addresses can never change unless we replace a chip and reprogram it in the service lab.

Note: some electronics employ firmware that allows the reported MAC address to change, for example, some routers allow this, Arduinos, etc.  

73,
Dan, N7HQ