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6000 First Year of Operation
Bill Billingsley
Member
I went QRV with my 6000 on 14 Feb 18. It was ordered at Dayton in May 2017. In the first 81 days of operation it had two HW failures requiring the unit's return to Austin. Good customer service. Since that time, it has been rock solid. In the first year I made 9,774 QSOs.
I am a CW operator, who is a DXer (when the bands are open), a rag chewer, and a casual contester. I join one SSB net a week. I run v2.3.9. I have a decent antenna system for 160m- 6m. My 6600 interfaced easily with my Expert 2k-fa. I sold an IC-7700 to buy the 6600. I am not interested in remote ops to answer recent poll requests
I only got irritated one time with comments on this circuit. During the discussion on v3, one EU contester made the statement that a non-contester shouldn't waste his money on a Flex. That resulted in a few under breathe comments best summed up in English word 'Pshaw'. Why shouldn't a simple cw rag chewer enjoy the best S/N ratio that he can get, diversity reception, a tunable AGC-T so that he can basically take cw on FM and a multi slice pan adapter to watch the bands with. A RX equalizer that gives him another audio filter. The expandable pan adapter makes a DX pile a breeze. My IC-7700 only showed me a big blob on its pan adapter. While contest ergometics is important to him, the above is important to me.
I won the CWops 2018 Rag Chew Award with this 6600.
This is my first Flex product and I truly have enjoyed it. I look forward to v2.5. Many thanks to WS7M for helping out a Flex newbie.
Bill, N5IR
CWops, HSC, BUG, SKCC
I am a CW operator, who is a DXer (when the bands are open), a rag chewer, and a casual contester. I join one SSB net a week. I run v2.3.9. I have a decent antenna system for 160m- 6m. My 6600 interfaced easily with my Expert 2k-fa. I sold an IC-7700 to buy the 6600. I am not interested in remote ops to answer recent poll requests
I only got irritated one time with comments on this circuit. During the discussion on v3, one EU contester made the statement that a non-contester shouldn't waste his money on a Flex. That resulted in a few under breathe comments best summed up in English word 'Pshaw'. Why shouldn't a simple cw rag chewer enjoy the best S/N ratio that he can get, diversity reception, a tunable AGC-T so that he can basically take cw on FM and a multi slice pan adapter to watch the bands with. A RX equalizer that gives him another audio filter. The expandable pan adapter makes a DX pile a breeze. My IC-7700 only showed me a big blob on its pan adapter. While contest ergometics is important to him, the above is important to me.
I won the CWops 2018 Rag Chew Award with this 6600.
This is my first Flex product and I truly have enjoyed it. I look forward to v2.5. Many thanks to WS7M for helping out a Flex newbie.
Bill, N5IR
CWops, HSC, BUG, SKCC
3
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Comments
Gene
If I could afford it, I would buy a backup rig - but only if it is SDR and preferably made by Flex.
I have friends, though, who would never trade their "knob" radios for SDR. Vive la difference ...
---Gary WB8ROL
The radio is a paradigm shift but it will greatly reward the operator that takes the time to adjust and learn it. If you come into a Flex Radio thinking it will be like any other radio you order from the Big Three then you are likely to suffer frustrations!
I have a Yaesu FT-991A. I think I turn it on once a week for 2m. Used it once on HF but so addicted to the Flex I finally did get a backup Flex. I have a 6600, a 6300 (the backup) and a Maestro know. But 95% of the time I use the 6600 with SSDR and FlexLogger.
Bill that is fantastic you won CWOPs I am pretty sure we've worked a few times during CWT but recently my op time has been limited. I get a few minutes in the mornings then Saturday and Sunday but I've been busy on those days with FlexLogger.
But joining the praise here! I QSO with a few Anan 8000 ops and they all tell me to ditch my Flex. But when I tell them I'm on my iPhone from Starbucks and I can completely control my radio, hold the QSO and control my amp they shutup pretty quick.
The Anan is a good radio but talk about a radio where you have to nit pick every detail to get it to work...
Anyway great job Flex!