Opinion-Pros and Cons and comparisons of legacy Flex radios to 6XXX Flex radios

Robert KB6QXM

Flex Community

I would like to ask if anyone had or still has a 1500/3000/5000a (all flavors) and if you are now an owner of a 6XXX series radio. What do you like and dislike between the two generations? The Pros and Cons of PowerSDR versus SmartSDR.

Overall experience of between the generation of the products. I will be doing a side-by-side comparison myself, but I would like to hear other Flex users experiences and opinions.

David Decoons, wo2x

SmartSDR with Flex 6700 vs PowerSDR with Flex 5000a

SmartSDR/6700 Pros - No Firewire, now Ethernet. Direct sampling receiver. Included CAT and DAX make interfacing to other programs and hardware easy. SmartLink for remote access. MultiLink for having two clients connected to the radio simultaneously. Connection from SmartSDR, Maestro, iPhone/iPad, Mac.

Flex 5000 Pros - Can do VHF/UHF internally (if you can find the module anyplace). KE9NS software has some nice features.

The 6000 series has a LOT more Pros than the 5000a but it depends on your budget and operating preference. Computers with Firewire are getting scarce plus you need a Firewire interface with the TI chipset.

Dave wo2x

Robert KB6QXM

@David Decoons, wo2x I agree with you on the advantages/pros of the 6XXX. The only con of the 6XXX that you listed was that the radio will not do VHF/UHF as the 5000a V/U did. I agree with that. Are there some features in the KE9NS PowerSDR that is not in SmartSDR that you would like to see? Any other con of the 6XXX over the previous generation of radios from Flex?

ka9ees

I would like to see an S meter that is a part of SSDR. I'm probably not the only one that would like to see that. No opinion on PowerSDR or the 5000 as I have never operated one.

73,

Ed KA9EES

Robert KB6QXM

@ka9ees If I am not mistaken there is a 3rd party application that will provide an S meter.

WX7Y

Hi Ed, What kind of different S meter where you looking for then the one just under the Frequency display on the Slice your using?

With a external S meter you would only get the S meter for the first slice but what about the other slices?

The way FLEX does it is there is a S Meter for every slice you have open.

FRStack has the capability to see the S meter and I'm sure there are others but I just use the one on the main panel.

ka9ees

@WX7Y I’m an old ****. I’d like to see an S-meter that looks like an S-meter.

@Robert KB6QXM I have seen those. The They’re “OK”. I’d like to see a swinging needle VU type meter incorporated into the FRS software. I’ll take a look at FRStack. I have it downloaded to my win7 machine. I just haven’t installed it. I kind of doubt it will run on this iPad. Which is okay.

Ed KA9EES

Robert KB6QXM

@ke9ees @wx7y I took a look at the S meter of FRstack and unfortunately the type of S meter is not what I want. I like the old-fashioned VU swinging needle. Maybe a request to the coder and maybe he will make that available in a future release.

Unfortunately Wood Radio is out of business.

ka9ees

@Robert KB6QXM Me too. I was underwhelmed.