Hi to all,
as waiting for nearly 12 months for delivery of a maestro to Germany, i wonder if anyone elsewhere (or within DL) got his/here maestro lately?
Or does anyone know when you will get your ordered one?
TNX,
Uli DK8NE
as waiting for nearly 12 months for delivery of a maestro to Germany, i wonder if anyone elsewhere (or within DL) got his/here maestro lately?
Or does anyone know when you will get your ordered one?
TNX,
Uli DK8NE
Posted 2 years ago
Translation:
Maestro
The Maestro will be available again in mid-October. The first 4 units are now tested. Next week, the first Maestro's will roll out. SmartSDR has already been modified for the new screens. One of the new Maestro's will be offered in 14 days for a CE re-certification.
So it can be ordered again in the shop.
Maestro
The Maestro will be available again in mid-October. The first 4 units are now tested. Next week, the first Maestro's will roll out. SmartSDR has already been modified for the new screens. One of the new Maestro's will be offered in 14 days for a CE re-certification.
So it can be ordered again in the shop.
My problem is different, I have a maestro but not a flex. :) Waithing for the flex 6600. 73 Kurt ON3VHK
ohh, that is even worse! - when did you order your Maestro and when did you get it? Maestro officially wasn ́t available since Mid of 2016 - at least for DLs!
Uli
Uli
Also order by Parma.com. Available begin november. The Flex 6400M and 6600M end october.
Flex Maestro end october. Guess for me, end of the year.
Kürt
Flex Maestro end october. Guess for me, end of the year.
Kürt
So you already have the maestro in hands or are you still waiting for it?
Uli DK8NE
Uli DK8NE
Yes Uli, already have a Maestro. Bought from a colleague amateur.. Lucky me ;)
73 Kürt
73 Kürt
I have a Maestro that I do not use now that I have the iPad interface. Go ahead and connect with me via QRZ.com if you want to purchase it.
David Decoons wo2x, Elmer
Tom, you forgot to post your call so people can look you up
Dave wo2x
Dave wo2x
Silly me..Sorry. Call is N9GUN.
I had looked at.qrz.com under search by name, but not found.. HI. 73 Kürt - ON3VHK
I use the Maestro earlier but sold it and bought an iPad. From my experience, this works better than the Maestro. You have a larger screen also and many extras in the software.
I agree. The iPad interface is awesome. Does anyone know when the WAN interface will be available with the Flex iOS software? That seems to be 2-3 months late, too. Seems like FEX has their priorities somewhere else, not on the ham market products.
WB6RAW, Werner
WB6RAW, Werner
David Decoons wo2x, Elmer
It is already available. It was released when 2.0 was released.
I was using my iPhone in the park today.
Dave wo2x
I was using my iPhone in the park today.
Dave wo2x
Werner, maybe your not up to date :-)
73 Chris
73 Chris
Can anyone (in the US) tell me how long this re-certification of the maestro will take for normal? i still want to dig out a date when the meastro could be available again. just to know when i have to push FRS again.. i ́m still unhappy with the info i got or better did not get from FRS.
Uli DK8NE
Uli DK8NE
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
Uli, unfortunately, we will not be providing any definitive information on ship dates other than what has been previously communicated. There are too many indeterminate variables to make forward-looking statements of that nature.
This is how the process will unfold. Once we have production versions of Maestros completed and they pass our internal QC processes, we will start full-scale production of the units. At the same time, we will begin the CE recertification process on production units. We do not know how long that will take to complete; it takes as long as needed to achieve the recertification. Once we have received CE recertification, we will begin Maestro shipments to our international distributors.
As of today, we have manufactured and are testing a few production units and working out the production kinks. We hope to begin increased production of Maestros and the CE recertification process shortly.
This is how the process will unfold. Once we have production versions of Maestros completed and they pass our internal QC processes, we will start full-scale production of the units. At the same time, we will begin the CE recertification process on production units. We do not know how long that will take to complete; it takes as long as needed to achieve the recertification. Once we have received CE recertification, we will begin Maestro shipments to our international distributors.
As of today, we have manufactured and are testing a few production units and working out the production kinks. We hope to begin increased production of Maestros and the CE recertification process shortly.
(Edited)
TNX Tim. Although it was of course not what i wanted to hear, i can understand the situation much better now. Please keep us informed if there is any progress. The lack of information is the point I was complaning about!
Uli DK8NE
Uli DK8NE
(Edited)
I have a question about the "NEW" Maestro. It appears that it requires re-certification which tells me there have been some design changes. Anyone care to tell us what they are?
Norm - W7CK
Norm - W7CK
So Tim what happens to those maestros that are out there when there is a problem with that tablet that is inside the Maestro that is obsolete now.
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
We have contingencies to handle the out of warranty service if it is needed. In general, the displays have been very reliable.
What about the "internal battery bricking" and other issues on the original Maestro..... Will the changes implemented in the new production run be offered as a fix to those who bought Maestros early on?
Also, was there any improvement made to the original design of the main power button?
(Edited)
I would also like to know what flex is going to do on some of these issues that Eric has mentioned I was going to write a letter to Gerald personally on these issues hopefully Gerald will reply to Eric's post.
Now that I think about it, most if not all of the first run Maestros all probably all out of warranty by now. So maybe that's an easy "out" as far as fixing the known issues ?
(Edited)
Will the "new and improved" Maestro also be able to charge the battery.
Good luck
Eric - KE5DTO, Official Rep
No. There are no new features in the updated hardware. The changes were simply to address the display being discontinued.
(Edited)
Steve - N5AC, VP Engineering / CTO
How might a customer acquire and use a dumb charger in order to fix this issue should it unavoidably happen?
Hi Steve I have a Maestro plus other flex radio's.
I am sitting here reading what you wrote and I am puzzled if we did this in my industry we would have to fix it.
If I have to sit and Worried about my Maestro when I leave to Florida and don't bring it with me Then this is a problem I believe flex radio should retrofit all of the
Maestro's so this cannot happen for you to say that this was fixed in the second run of maestros doesn't make me feel very good I think at this stage of the game you should fix these issues .
Hopefully you will recall all of the maestros that are out there and take care of this issue.
I am sitting here reading what you wrote and I am puzzled if we did this in my industry we would have to fix it.
If I have to sit and Worried about my Maestro when I leave to Florida and don't bring it with me Then this is a problem I believe flex radio should retrofit all of the
Maestro's so this cannot happen for you to say that this was fixed in the second run of maestros doesn't make me feel very good I think at this stage of the game you should fix these issues .
Hopefully you will recall all of the maestros that are out there and take care of this issue.
Steve - N5AC, VP Engineering / CTO
I think you missed my point where I said: "The design of the new Maestro is significantly different in this regard and is not a "retrofittable" change that can be made to older Maestros, otherwise we would be offering this as we have done with similar issues to this in the past." This is akin to asking for a V8 in a car with a V6 because the V6 has an issue where the ECM can run the car battery down if the car is not started for some number of months. Yes, it's an inconvenience and I wish there was an easy fix. Unfortunately there is not one and the V8 can't just be "dropped in" in a retrofit. Having said this, in my final point, I mention that we are looking at alternatives to a retrofit, but don't have an answer yet. We need some time to study the issue and alternatives.
We also clearly understand that fixing products in production does not help current customers. I included this because both customers with existing Maestros and those that have ones on order are likely reading this topic so both cases are addressed.
We're certainly already motivated to fix the issue if we can.
We also clearly understand that fixing products in production does not help current customers. I included this because both customers with existing Maestros and those that have ones on order are likely reading this topic so both cases are addressed.
We're certainly already motivated to fix the issue if we can.
If my car had a defective ECM that drained the battery, they wouldn't swap the engine. At a minimum they would issue a technical bulletin, if not a full blown recall, and fix the ECM and/or associated components.
Some of the Maestro issues have been known for over a year now.
Now who the heck in their right mind is going to want to buy our used Maestros, at any price, after reading this thread.
First you decimate the used value of our existing 6000 series radios with the new pricing structure, now our Maestros are worthless..
Then factor in the painfully slow software development.......
At this point, anyone with half a brain has to be asking themselves, "why would I buy another Flex product? "
Thank you, FRS!
Some of the Maestro issues have been known for over a year now.
Now who the heck in their right mind is going to want to buy our used Maestros, at any price, after reading this thread.
First you decimate the used value of our existing 6000 series radios with the new pricing structure, now our Maestros are worthless..
Then factor in the painfully slow software development.......
At this point, anyone with half a brain has to be asking themselves, "why would I buy another Flex product? "
Thank you, FRS!
Hi Eric this saves me from writing another letter.
Steve I read where you talked about the retrofit take out the boards in the old maestros and swap them with the new board that we can go on and on the point is the issue should be fixed
Steve I read where you talked about the retrofit take out the boards in the old maestros and swap them with the new board that we can go on and on the point is the issue should be fixed
Steve - N5AC, VP Engineering / CTO
If my car had a defective ECM that drained the battery, they wouldn't swap the engine. At a minimum they would issue a technical bulletin, if not a full blown recall, and fix the ECM and/or associated components.
It was an imperfect analogy and it's pointless to argue about an analogy anyway. I was attempting to make a point that a retrofit wasn't possible -- and that this is not dissimilar from a car running down that is left for an extended time.
Some of the Maestro issues have been known for over a year now.
We've know about this issue for about a year, but not understood what causes it for that long. Regardless, when the problem arose and before we even understood it, we offered to repair customer units for free with the problem (as I mentioned before) and instruct them on how to avoid the issue. The problem is completely avoidable and is not dissimilar to the same issue on a car -- you have to start the car periodically to avoid the battery running down.
Now who the heck in their right mind is going to want to buy our used Maestros, at any price, after reading this thread.
It sounds like you are angry about the thread -- our role in the thread is to answer questions and offer help to the best of our ability. The thread was started by another customer. Would you prefer that FlexRadio did not respond?
First you decimate the used value of our existing 6000 series radios with the new pricing structure, now our Maestros are worthless..
It sounds like you are upset that we came out with better products at a more competitive price. It appears that you don't understand the "why" here. This strategy is called market cannibalization, referring to the fact that better and/or less expensive products (FLEX-6600/FLEX-6400) supplant existing products (FLEX-6300/FLEX-6500) and reduce demand for existing products. There are a number of excellent business articles you can read online about why you might want to do this, but most business scholars are in general agreement that it's better to cannibalize your own products than allow your competition to do so. In other words, you should offer your customers the best products at the best price you can -- or your competition will do this and you will lose market share. I would recommend reading Harvard Business Review (they have a number of good articles on the topic) or MIT Sloan Management Review. Both are excellent and have articles on the topic. I prefer and subscribe to HBR, but YMMV.
Decimate means literally to "divide by ten." In the radio business we use it differently, but either way, it implies that the value is significantly reduced. We had a great deal of discussions on pricing and value while we designed our latest products. Much of the discussion was around preserving value for our existing, loyal customers. Along these lines, one of our strategies is to take existing radios on trade. We take in our own radios at significantly larger numbers than they appear online for sale (I know because I personally have bots to watch sales on major resale sites where our radios appear). We are a market maker in FlexRadios which means that we stabilize the market prices for the radios by offering good trade-in values. No other radio company I'm aware of does this. I've seen other vendors say publicly that when you buy a new radio, they'd like you to take your old radio of theirs and give it to someone, keep it as a backup, etc. That's in their best interest, of course. While we work to grow our company, I truly believe we look hard at helping our customers and do as much as we can that is in their best interest. In this regard, I believe we go above and beyond any other manufacturer in this market.
I do not think that your Maestro is worthless. This comment reminds me of a young couple that moved in next door to me when I bought a house in North Texas. The builder didn't do what they wanted surrounding some repair or something and their solution was to hang a sign on the back of their house, facing a major road, stating that the builder was horrible. I asked the guy about the sign and he complained about what his house is going to be worth because the builder didn't stand up and do the repair (it was minor as I recall). The irony was palpable. His sign, although intended to ameliorate the issue, only served to potentially lower EVERYONE's home values by maligning the builder of our homes. Your comment is both inaccurate and self-defeating.
Then factor in the painfully slow software development.......
I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'll stack our software development record against every other amateur radio vendor. I wish I had the development staff of Apple, Google, Amazon, etc. to build software faster.
At this point, anyone with half a brain has to be asking themselves, "why would I buy another Flex product? "
Thank you, FRS!
This forum exists to allow customers to communicate with each other and share information. I think it works very well, for the most part. We value and discuss constructive criticism from our customers and those criticisms are always factored into policy and actions we take. Customers and prospects regularly find much useful information and friendship here. Direct feedback is also a valuable component of this community. Nonconstructive complaining, baiting, and the like deplete the time, energy and morale of our employees and customers for no benefit to either our company or customers. As such, it's not well tolerated. Access to the FlexRadio Community is a privilege which can and will be withdrawn from individuals that insist on these behaviors. As with any online community, please think before you post. If you're upset, write your post, sleep on it and then read it the next morning before you post.
It was an imperfect analogy and it's pointless to argue about an analogy anyway. I was attempting to make a point that a retrofit wasn't possible -- and that this is not dissimilar from a car running down that is left for an extended time.
Some of the Maestro issues have been known for over a year now.
We've know about this issue for about a year, but not understood what causes it for that long. Regardless, when the problem arose and before we even understood it, we offered to repair customer units for free with the problem (as I mentioned before) and instruct them on how to avoid the issue. The problem is completely avoidable and is not dissimilar to the same issue on a car -- you have to start the car periodically to avoid the battery running down.
Now who the heck in their right mind is going to want to buy our used Maestros, at any price, after reading this thread.
It sounds like you are angry about the thread -- our role in the thread is to answer questions and offer help to the best of our ability. The thread was started by another customer. Would you prefer that FlexRadio did not respond?
First you decimate the used value of our existing 6000 series radios with the new pricing structure, now our Maestros are worthless..
It sounds like you are upset that we came out with better products at a more competitive price. It appears that you don't understand the "why" here. This strategy is called market cannibalization, referring to the fact that better and/or less expensive products (FLEX-6600/FLEX-6400) supplant existing products (FLEX-6300/FLEX-6500) and reduce demand for existing products. There are a number of excellent business articles you can read online about why you might want to do this, but most business scholars are in general agreement that it's better to cannibalize your own products than allow your competition to do so. In other words, you should offer your customers the best products at the best price you can -- or your competition will do this and you will lose market share. I would recommend reading Harvard Business Review (they have a number of good articles on the topic) or MIT Sloan Management Review. Both are excellent and have articles on the topic. I prefer and subscribe to HBR, but YMMV.
Decimate means literally to "divide by ten." In the radio business we use it differently, but either way, it implies that the value is significantly reduced. We had a great deal of discussions on pricing and value while we designed our latest products. Much of the discussion was around preserving value for our existing, loyal customers. Along these lines, one of our strategies is to take existing radios on trade. We take in our own radios at significantly larger numbers than they appear online for sale (I know because I personally have bots to watch sales on major resale sites where our radios appear). We are a market maker in FlexRadios which means that we stabilize the market prices for the radios by offering good trade-in values. No other radio company I'm aware of does this. I've seen other vendors say publicly that when you buy a new radio, they'd like you to take your old radio of theirs and give it to someone, keep it as a backup, etc. That's in their best interest, of course. While we work to grow our company, I truly believe we look hard at helping our customers and do as much as we can that is in their best interest. In this regard, I believe we go above and beyond any other manufacturer in this market.
I do not think that your Maestro is worthless. This comment reminds me of a young couple that moved in next door to me when I bought a house in North Texas. The builder didn't do what they wanted surrounding some repair or something and their solution was to hang a sign on the back of their house, facing a major road, stating that the builder was horrible. I asked the guy about the sign and he complained about what his house is going to be worth because the builder didn't stand up and do the repair (it was minor as I recall). The irony was palpable. His sign, although intended to ameliorate the issue, only served to potentially lower EVERYONE's home values by maligning the builder of our homes. Your comment is both inaccurate and self-defeating.
Then factor in the painfully slow software development.......
I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'll stack our software development record against every other amateur radio vendor. I wish I had the development staff of Apple, Google, Amazon, etc. to build software faster.
At this point, anyone with half a brain has to be asking themselves, "why would I buy another Flex product? "
Thank you, FRS!
This forum exists to allow customers to communicate with each other and share information. I think it works very well, for the most part. We value and discuss constructive criticism from our customers and those criticisms are always factored into policy and actions we take. Customers and prospects regularly find much useful information and friendship here. Direct feedback is also a valuable component of this community. Nonconstructive complaining, baiting, and the like deplete the time, energy and morale of our employees and customers for no benefit to either our company or customers. As such, it's not well tolerated. Access to the FlexRadio Community is a privilege which can and will be withdrawn from individuals that insist on these behaviors. As with any online community, please think before you post. If you're upset, write your post, sleep on it and then read it the next morning before you post.
