Roadmap for SmartSDR+

iz7auh · November 3

This evening I'm in a mood for reflection and I want to share with the community. This is the place for sharing, and I'd like to get the attention of the wider user base and the FRS staff. I'm wondering if I did the right thing by trusting this company by investing my financial sacrifices in SmartSDR+ EA. I don't know what their plans are for the next few months. It would be nice to know what they'll do. It could be a draw for other users. If there's only one more update in the next 12 months, what's the point of spending $300? I also think the choice I made wasn't the right one. A one-time payment policy for the major version and multiple minor fixes would have been better, and it would have attracted less criticism. Instead, I see a lot of negative feedback on choosing an annual subscription plan. What do you think? Are there ways to find out what I'll get and when?

Erik Carling EI4KF · November 4

Flex discontinued publishing a roadmap many years ago. So the absolute answer is no, there is not any way to find out what you will get except of course immediately ahead of any version release as is currently the case with 4.0.1.

Flex publishes "Flex Insider" that usually describes the latest software updates and perhaps some new products or planned software. There are not any promised dates included. You can subscribe to it by going to https://www.flexradio.com/ and a pop-up will prompt you for your email address.

I think the choice you made was not the right one. However, there will be numerous Flex users who believe the opposite.

Mike-VA3MW · November 4

We often get asked why we don’t share a public product roadmap anymore, and it’s a fair question. The short answer is that product development is fluid — priorities shift, technologies evolve, and new opportunities appear faster than ever. What looks certain today may be completely different three months from now.

In the past, we found that publishing a roadmap created expectations that were difficult to manage. Some items that were listed as “in development” never made it to release for a variety of reasons — sometimes the feature turned out to be too complex or expensive to complete, or it didn’t ultimately add enough value to justify the engineering time required. Every project requires staff, testing, documentation, government and worldwide certifications (most people do not think of this one) and post sales support (which we offer for free)— all of which are real costs. In the end, we must focus on features that have the greatest impact for the majority of our customers and the long-term success of the company.

Another big factor is communication overhead. Once a roadmap is public, customers understandably want regular updates. We absolutely value that engagement, but responding to daily or weekly “when is it coming?” questions across email, community posts, and social media takes time away from actually developing and delivering new features. If updates are delayed or plans change, we can also face frustration or criticism — even when the changes are for good reasons.

We are constantly working on new ideas and innovative features behind the scenes. Many projects never leave the lab, but the ones that do are well-tested, stable, and ready to provide real value to your experience.

We’d rather surprise you with something great than promise something we might later have to take back.

73, Mike

p.s. if you have ever worked in a manufacturing world, you fully understand all the challenges

Trucker · November 4

Mike, I am curious, when did improvements in DSP functions require Government and Worldwide certification? Except for Adaptive Pre-Destortion ( Pure Signal) which involves a transmitted signal which could impact other spectrum users, I cannot imagine something like Noise Reduction for received audio processing would require any kind of certification.

James

WD5GWY

Mike-VA3MW · November 4

James, that was a global statement.

iz7auh · November 4

Dear Mike, I disagree with you. It's too banal to say that you stopped because some projects turned out to be more expensive than expected. In fact, I'd say your answer has provided me and my readers with a very important insight: now that we users are paying an annual fee, do I think we'll settle for banal features that even the cheapest radios have had for decades? For example, see voice calls and CW autotune. Now you really have to commit to something unique because if you don't, you'll lose credibility and customers will start looking elsewhere. So, your financial operation is a double-edged sword. Be careful and make the expense worthwhile. Share your future projects and ensure periodic updates and implementations. Otherwise, I'll be the first to not confirm my subscription for the future, and like me, there are many who think the same way.

K9YK · 2:26AM

I've been a co-founder and CTO of a business that serviced millions of POS transactions at some of the largest grocery retailers in the country, where processing speed and accuracy are of the utmost importance. That business was successfully sold to a much lager company. I've worked for a small start-up to a very large company and in between doing everything from database design, software engineering team leadership and have 12 years of software product management experience (the guys who are responsible for creating and managing a product roadmap).

The risks that you mentioned Mike are mitigated with proper product management. Feature design, business value, and level of effort are all evaluated before commitment to publicizing a roadmap or beginning development (proof of concepts not withstanding). I've been on a team of 3 engineers writing mission critical POS software for the 2nd largest grocery retailer in the US and not communicating a roadmap an delivering on it was not an option. Every business environment is different, but I believe product roadmap execution has to be possible at Flex with proper focus and management. I want nothing but the best for Flex, it's products, and customers because I believe the potential of the product line is tremendous and very exciting.

ik7ezn · 5:18AM

Dear Mike, I cannot agree with your comments. I was a software project manager for a major international bank for about 40 years.
I assure you that the roadmap and periodic updates on projects and scheduled releases have always been a priority.
Especially now that you've decided to charge users a fee, it's at least necessary and desirable to have an overview of the releases
scheduled for at least the year. Commitments must be honored. I disagree with Flex's current policy, which, from your words, I would define as "day-to-day."
For example, with the new update, I saw the NB NR APF sliders, etc., disappear without a detailed explanation, at least I didn't find one.
In this regard, I chose Flex precisely for these features, which are now being arbitrarily eliminated, and I don't think it's fair for us customers.
I would also agree to annual payments, provided I know the exact dates and release. Also, one thing I think is fundamental: if I have a 6400
and many features won't be available, I think there should be a lower fee; otherwise, I'll be paying for non existent features.
In addition, when on the market do I buy and can have it available after 30 days !!... it's just absurd
Ermanno / ik7ezn

Roadmap for SmartSDR+

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