Any news of a software update from 3.1.8?

Bob Dianetti

3.1.8 is working fine, but I was wondering if anyone knows if there will be any updates in the near future?  Would love to see some additional features around CW operation, like a SPOT button and perhaps some enhancements to CWX.  

Neil D Friedman N3DF

The Shadow knows.  

W7NIK

Would be nice to address the atu. Issues , Maybe the maestro up grade . With the shutdown thought flex would have spare time

Jim KJ3P

I agree!  Now that the contesters' needs have been addressed, let's have a little **** for the CW crowd.

How about the often-requested Auto-Zero, but with a programmable XIT, so it would automagically set your TX freq 5 or 10 Hz away from zero beat?  Even the contesters might like that one!

Andy W3LI

I do not think my ATU works as it should. I just leave it in Bypass.

k0eoo

Yes, I would like to see the ATU problem and USB popping problem resolved sooner than later, I hope, I hope....

Terry K8EET

It's called "Split" it's already there.

Burch - K4QXX

Probably have another month to wait.  Usually Flex comes out with something new around Dayton time.

Mike VE3CKO

Let me explain it this way, businesses have been forced to close down and workers sent home. Many can work from home but do not have the tools and team effort to be as productive at home as they would be as a team in the workplace.
The Walking Dead season finale was filmed months ago, but has been delayed for weeks because of the post editing that needs to be done. So all the blue or green screen cgi stuff goes much faster as a team working together than it could as individuals working from home. It's been weeks and they still can't set a date for airing the season finale. This is a tv production but you can imagine the even more complexity of Flexradio software development where a much more coordinated team effort is necessary. A lot more complicated than adding some cgi blood spurting FX.
Saying that it has been a while, looking forward to an update, looking forward to people getting back to work.

Sergey KN7K

Mike, you could be correct and I do not know if Flex performing any work from home or not.
In another hand I can tell you that I work from home 1.5 month and debugging Semiconductor equipment remotely. I have a team that works with me on Webex meetings every day, we can share the screens and work as a team all the time. So, all tools for SW development are exist and available.

Mike VE3CKO

Yep, understand writing code and Webex tools of course, progress in this type of environment can be made. We can only guess but an educated guess For example, the multiple variations of windows, SSDR, Maestro, 6000 series radios and associated software/hardware beds needed to test would surely not be available to the person working from home. The time and expense to setup every developer would be out of this world to be economical and get any return on investment. Security is another whole matter, this would be extremely risky in my opinon. Can only imagine the degree foreign agents try to infiltrate industry now, hacking or breaking and entry into peoples homes will be a piece of cake for those kinds of characters.

HCampbell WB4IVF

From Flex:

To Our FlexRadio Customers and Partners,

 Today the city of Austin, Texas and Travis County, where FlexRadio is located, issued a Stay Home - Work Safe Order effective midnight March 24, 2020, and extending until April 13, 2020.

 Like companies around the world, FlexRadio has already taken preventative measures to ensure the health and well-being of our employees and to follow the guidelines of our local, state and federal authorities. With this new legal directive in place, FlexRadio is revising its operations to comply with the order. Most of our employees are already working from home, but this new directive will alter our service and shipping operations and thus increase lead times for repair returns and shipping of new orders.

 To support Minimum Basic Operations, beginning Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, the FlexRadio service center and shipping departments will move to alternating workdays and be manned by only one individual on any given day. This will minimize the health risk to our employees and community while allowing us to keep our repair centers open and product moving. 

 We ask that during this time you work cooperatively with us and accept that this will cause some delay in receiving, servicing, and shipping efforts for RMAs and new product orders. Our teams will work diligently through this time to support you as quickly as possible under these new constraints.

 Starting today, March 24, 2020, our HelpDesk staff will be working with each of our customers requesting an RMA to schedule a time for your repair. Our support/ service reps will work with you to manage the return of your radio for service during this time period so that we can ensure the most timely repair process possible. 

 Orders will continue to be accepted through our normal sales channels including our online store (https://shop.flexradio.com/cart.php) and phone lines. Shipment of orders may experience some delay during the shelter-in-place order. Payments will not be processed until your order ships, as usual.

 FlexRadio is committed to providing you the highest levels of technical support and service options during this time period. We encourage you to also use the following resources as you may encounter a longer wait time for a response on a support ticket.

 Our learning center (https://www.flexradio.com/learning-center/), is available to you 24x7 and has the latest software, documentation, and helpful videos. Our technical staff continues to add new information to this valuable resource regularly. 

 Our community forums ( https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio) comprise a world-wide group of FlexRadio System’s customers with years of hands-on operating experience with our products.  Some of our most knowledgeable customers are designated “Elmers” and are available to assist you 24x7.

 Our technical HelpDesk (https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us) provides a significant content repository authored by experts.  US-based product specialists staff our helpdesk, all work remotely, and are available during our regular business hours -  8 AM to 5 PM Monday – Friday. There, you can expect a response within one business day.

 This is an unsettling time and we are all concerned about our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. The most important thing we can all do right now is to follow the guidance from public health and government officials and remember those affected in our thoughts and prayers. We will work to support each of our customers, old and new, while we are navigating our way through this crisis together. Thank you so much for everything you are doing to take part.  Please stay safe and well.

Gerald Youngblood

President & CEO

FlexRadio

Russ Ravella

Yeah, we all saw this.  It doesn't address this question at all.

Also, I don't agree that developing an update for SSDR is more difficult than or even comparable to TV production work.  My guess is the process was largely remote in the first place and was easy to adapt to the new conditions.  I'm aware of other ongoing software development projects that haven't been effected at all.  Everything depends on how well things are managed.  So I'm not optimistic.

Jim KJ3P

I'm aware of Split operation.  My suggestion has to do with any future auto-zero feature that could also have, for lack of a better term, an "auto-XIT" setting, to put your TX freq just a few Hertz away from zero beat, all without opening a new slice, or fiddling with XIT.  I do this now manually with XIT to differentiate my signal from the zero-beat signal, but I thought it could make an interesting side feature of auto-zero..  

Pat N6PAT

For 9 years I telecommuted from my QTH in upstate NY to Alaska developing and maintaining telecommunication software without any decrease in productivity.

Given the availability of high speed connectivity as well as teleconferencing, there is almost no difference between  working from home vs working in the office  when it comes to software development.

Mike W1BFA in Maine

I know this Infection has been difficult for all of us in a myriad of ways.  I too would like to have the AT back and a few other things.  My outlook on it is the same as I am using with most other current things that are making life a little difficult.  I am being patient and giving others the benefit of doubt so as to not pressure them to act unsafely and endanger themselves or their family to satisfy my non life threatening needs. 
There, I’m off my soapbox.  I will however continue to complain about lousy propagation and the last snowstorm that decimated my hex beam and put us without power for a couple of days.  Mike

Mike VE3CKO

Russ, I don't mean to say FX editing is easy but a graphics editor is given tasks to add FX and can complete said tasks from start to finish on his own. It's art, it's objective, it will take input like the blood should gush out with more spatter onto the clothing of the actor. He is given instructions, "this scene at this time frame needs this done, do it". For example in a scene where one of the characters kills a walker with say a crowbar stabbed to the head. In this case the entry wound etc will be all FX. The scene was shot months ago, it's in the can. The actor is not holding a crowbar, it's a green stick, the crowbar is an added FX. So the editor does his job on his computer, see's immediate results on his screen, when done to TWD standard, uploads to others, gets feedback, corrections, repeat upload until final approval. Scene done, next. The final product is a scene on a tv screen. Very simple, one end result, one platform, it's art. Some people live that kind of art, some people like watching game shows or song competitions, that's TV. Same product, doesn't really matter screen size or platform it's being viewed on it's done. That is a simple process as compared to a software bug or feature addition. I'm over simplifying, sorry.

In my opinion fixing bug # 1234 or adding feature #5678 is much more complex for many reasons, the final result is not a single product, it is several products on multiple platforms/windows/computers/shack/remote etc. Should start getting obvious. Here is my guess on what some of  the process may include and not necessarily is this order or time frame. The bug has to be duplicated so to understand where it maybe within the code and to formulate a fix, a team effort no doubt. Code has to be reverse engineered so to identify areas of the software the so-called bug may actually be, including all other areas of the software that code has affected, on each platform it was written for, then diagnosed, then written, then tested in each said platforms, in each of the test beds available, repeated until the teams(s) are satisfied it's done, then approval, then repeated processes throughout, and many more procedures and formalities I'm surely missing before that code snippet will see the light of day for beta testing let alone in an actual release. This process would be even more complicated when more than one person is working on the bug/feature. Certainly not the same as a one code, one man project, similar but obviously more complex.

Terry K8EET

Wow. People are dying, people are out of work stuck it home. We have a great hobby that allows us communicate with other people in the hobby and some of us are complaining that Flex isn't releasing a new update. I know for a fact they are continuing to provide great support. If that's not good enough considering the current conditions for you, take up a different hobby. 

Pat N6PAT

Yeah. sometimes folks forget that ham radio is just a little hobby.

I really don't care about the next release as I'm not going to pay $200 for the privilege of experiencing any new bugs (and there are always bugs in new releases it seems).

Mike VE3CKO

Thanks for sharing that Pat, I can go on with the rest of my day now. The glass isn't always half empty you know.

Robby Robertson

I use N1MM+ logging software for every day use. It has a command [clearrit] that can be embedded in a F# macro. Put it in the 'tu 73' macro and it will zero RIT at the end of the QSO. You TX frequency does not change. Doing anything with XIT is not recommended as it will be confusing to others waiting on frequency to work you. That way you will be chased all over the band. The solution does not need to be in SSDR.

When in S&P mode there is a feature to add or subtract a random number of hz to your TX frequency when clicking on a spot to spread out several responses to to a CQ. This may be found in a TELNET window tab.

You can export your log periodically and import it to whatever you are using to give a wider selection of features for non contesters.

 I am amazed by the number of stations calling off frequency these days. As much as several hundred hz. I see them blazing away beyond my passband every time I call. This usually because they had RIT on before they called. Another reason to use [clearrit] at the QSO end.

Check your S/W. It may have these features. If not, a note to the developer might put it right.

Steve K9ZW

You’re looking in exactly the right place. FRS usually announces new versions here at the community first. (But you already knew that).

They sometimes drop a few hints a release is coming out shortly before release, but not always. (And we know that only FRS themselves drops the "good" hints.)

Those testing prototype software sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA is the shorthand) and have agreed to wait for FRS to make announcements first. (So yes, even if we're being waterboarded we're supposed to keep quiet.)

Makes sense with the complexity of making sure software works across all hardware and documentation is ready. (And there is a LOT of background work always going on, so so I am told...)

So keep watching the community for hints from FRS employees or FRS’s official announcements. (And know that FRS and the Alpha testers are always thrilled to know so many of the community are eager for updates!  Makes all the efforts worthwhile!)

73

Steve
K9ZW

Blog:  http://k9zw.wordpress.com 

Ted VE3TRQ

With all due respect, Pat, software development in general is nothing like developing firmware, or software directly linked to hardware, let alone ASICs or FPGAs. I spent 25 years working for HP developing firmware and software on hardware platforms. I had logic analyzers, network analyzers, high speed scopes, and specialized interface hardware on my desk or in the hardware lab constantly during development. It is impossible to carry a half million dollars of test and development hardware home to telecommute with. Even software bug fixes and new features need the help of diagnostic equipment.

Not all development is able to be spread around the countryside easily.

Bill -VA3WTB

Perhaps if we are lucky, Gerald will write an article about what Flex did and how during this scary and strange time. I always love it when he gives us a look inside the workings of one of the most successful businesses in America.

Mark_WS7M

No one is idle at Flex.  Things are happening.  I can't speak to software updates, contents or when.   I can say that Flex people are still doing their jobs.  My radio decided it didn't like its SD card anymore and the help desk pipeline worked as efficiently as ever to get a new one on its way out to me.

So things are still ticking at Flex.

Russ Ravella

Terry, I think the point is that all of this has nothing to do with the COVID crisis.

Mike, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.  I'm aware of similar software development on a much larger scale going on long before COVID that was  performed by folks spread around the planet, required intimate testing and validation on real hardware and involved all of the things you mentioned.  They're simply continuing on as always with no impact to schedule whatsoever.  They work exactly the way they did before.  In fact, it's basically the poster child case for remote work.

Bill -VA3WTB

Mike, a matter of fact do we really know if there is anyone working on SSDR from another location away from Flex Building? on a regular basses? It is possible to write code, then send your work to were ever it needs to go for testing? or what ever they do with it?

Russ Ravella

Man, I always feel a strong urge to respond to comments like this !  Having had nothing but (a LOT of) outstanding experiences with Flex employees, I feel like the distinction always needs to be made between them and the way they're managed.  Those are two TOTALLY different things.  They can only do what they're provided direction and resources to do.  That includes the software development team.  They are amazing folks.  Of course they're still doing their jobs - and doing them excellently.  Because of the kind of people they are, whatever happens will be the best possible outcome under the circumstances and we have them to thank for that.

Pat N6PAT

I'm curious how everyone seems to know what's going on with the employees at Flex when they don't work there.  How is this information being acquired?

For all anyone knows they could be sitting at home watching TV and having a nice cold ****.

Bill -VA3WTB

LOL, I don't think they are sitting around doing nothing,,,but really, none of us know anything about what Flex is doing on any day, What are they working on? time lines, or even anything about their internal organization.

Pat N6PAT

Then it's all just speculation that for some reason is being presented as fact.