Is the Flex-6500 still fully supported ?

Dcharlan · February 19

I'm considering the purchase of a used Flex-6500. That said, since FlexRadio does not release schematics or parts lists, I am somewhat concerned that some components in the 6500 may already be obsolete and unobtainable. So, my primary concern is that, are the FPGA(s), Regulator(s), and ADC(s) / DAC(s), i.e. the most critical components, still available ?
Can anyone shed any light on this, Also, does FlexRadio still officially support the Flex-6500 ?
Thanks, Dcharlan, K1JQ

Mike-VA3MW · February 19

Let me try to touch on all your concerns:

The Flex-6500 is End of Life, meaning we are no longer manufacturing new units.
However, we continue to develop and release SmartSDR software that fully supports the 6500. In fact, a new version was just released yesterday, and it runs on the 6500 without issue.
We still provide hardware service and have stockpiled a significant number of parts for repairs. We planned for this sort of event many years ago. That said, as with any discontinued product, there may come a time when certain components become unavailable.

If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to ask.

73,

Dcharlan · February 19

I still have one question; Are any of the critical "Single Source" components used in the Flex-6500 currently discontinued by their manufacturer's, specifically, devices such as FPGAs, ADCs, DACs, CPUs, Regulators, Ethernet related devices, etc. ? That's my biggest concern. A failure of a single component, if unobtainable, can turn a $2K - $3K transceiver into a brick ! I'm a lot less concerned with regards to diodes, resistors, capacitors, op-amps, et. al., as such common jelly-bean like devices can almost always be substituted with a comparable part. It's the critical single source parts. So, have the manufacturer's of any critical single source part in the 6500 discontinued it ?

I'm not attempting to be nit-picky about the question, but if I only had even a partial parts list of the single source components, I could at least check their availability myself. Then I'd have my answer.

Thanks again, Dcharlan, K1JQ

Mike-VA3MW · February 19

Hi Dcharlan

Sorry, I don't have that information to share.

73

Dcharlan · February 19

I understand your reluctance to reveal proprietary information. That said, it makes me less willing to trust Flex-6000 series products over the long-term. I have to lament that this drives me more towards Japanese manufactured transceivers, which are more open with regards to publishing of schematics and parts lists.
73's, Dcharlan, K1JQ

Martin AA6E · February 19

Uncertainty about future parts availability has to be factored into the price you pay for EOL equipment. (Well, this should be true of current production, too! Everything has a finite lifetime.)

Would I buy another 6500 today? Yes if the price is right!

My 6500 is as good today as it was when I got it new. Much better actually, since the software has vastly improved. (Also I like the original pizza style packaging compared with the current box.)

73 Martin AA6E

Neil D Friedman N3DF · February 19

I still use a Drake TR-3 from 1964.

Dcharlan · February 19

The main point I was attempting to make is that with my Flex-1500 and Flex-5000a, I have access to the schematics. Thus, I was able to identify all the critical single source components, and purchase a couple of spares of each ahead of time. Since, the Flex-6500 is closed IP, i.e. no schematic or parts lists available, one has to procure one first and examine the hardware in order to make an inventory of the critical single source components. This incurs more risk as I just may be purchasing a transceiver that already suffers from unobtainable / discontinued components. Yes, all components are eventually discontinued. It would be nice to know ahead of time what critical components a transceiver incorporates so that a more educated decision as to whether or not to purchase it or pass it up as a lost cause can be made. This is a much easier case for Japanese manufactured gear as the Japanese manufacturers tend to publish schematics and parts lists. By the way, I still own an IC-765, which performs flawlessly. I also have the full schematics and parts lists for it. If it's not already obvious, I am a fan of Open Source projects, especially Linux, and likewise, a huge fan of Ghidra ! I tend to loathe big corporations, such as John Deere, that try to make it impossible for anyone to repair their products themselves. Fortunately, "Right-to-Repair" is becoming more of a hot topic as of late.

73, Dcharlan, K1JQ

Mike-VA3MW · February 20

Great points! It’s true that the landscape of electronic communications has changed dramatically, shifting toward more integrated, software-defined architectures that require specialized test equipment and diagnostic tools. The era of having full schematics and easily replaceable components is largely behind us, and while that does introduce challenges, it also enables advancements that wouldn’t have been possible with older hardware designs. Look at every industry at start with automotive.

FlexRadio’s approach with the Flex-6500 and other SDRs is focused on maximizing performance through software innovation, where much of the radio’s functionality is defined in code rather than discrete hardware components. That said, we understand the concerns about long-term serviceability, especially for those who like to plan ahead for component availability.

The "Right-to-Repair" movement is definitely gaining traction across industries, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts the future of radio hardware. While we can’t offer full schematics for the newer models, we do support our community with ongoing software updates and factory service options to ensure longevity. If you are actually working in a problem, we have offered up schematic sections on a as required basis.

Glad to hear you are a fan of opensource. This is why the API is published. This is for people like yourself who could build your own user Linux interface. Despite reaching out to many many Linux users, none of them know or want to build such a client. It is a dying art it seems. Maybe an AI will do it.

Dcharlan · February 20

First, I must comment that I'm somewhat surprised that my initial simple request for info regarding as to whether or not any critical components used in the Flex-6500 might no longer be available would elicit so much response. In any case, I'm kind of giving up on the idea of purchasing a used Flex-6500. I really wanted to purchase an American made product, i.e. the Flex-6500. Since it is virtually impossible to learn whether or not any components used in it are currently discontinued I'm reluctant to pursue the matter any further. So this thread can be put to bed. I'm now, albeit with a slight reluctance, focused on the acquisition of an ICOM IC-7610. I will likely just purchase one brand new. I have to give praise where it's due to ICOM for producing a nice service manual with PCB Outlines, Schematics, and Parts Lists. So, chock up a win for ICOM here and a "Thumbs Up" ! for their documentation. It came down to a simple choice for me of good vs poor, or rather lack of, documentation.

Gregg E. McArthur · August 4

The ICOM-7610 is a great radio. A close friend has one and I have used it frequently, but whie it is an excelllent receiver, it lacks many functions that are easily available on the Flex 6500. And it is really fun to use the Flex radios for hunting signals across many bands at the same time. For DX, the Flex 6500 is so fast to use to find those DX signals.

WX7Y · August 5

Hi Greg, the Flex6500 is still a top notch radio and the only thing it WON'T do that the newly released 8400 is the "Automatic Pre-Distortion", the 6500 is still being repaired and will be until they run out of parts for repairs so who knows there .

Anyway good to hear your still around and talk to you later

73

Bret WX7Y

Is the Flex-6500 still fully supported ?

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