SunSDR MB1 by Expert Electronics – Review and walk through

Went through Flex 6300, then 6500. Anan200D. Have been using SDR Console with my TS990S also with the SDRPLAY2Pro unit. I really love the SDR Console program. However, the MB1 SUNSDR software looses them all in the dust. You just have to use them each for awhile and feel the difference. The Power SDR program is way outdated now. Feels antiquated next to the SUN SDR software. The Russian engineers really have the brilliance and experience to design a radio that compares to no other at this time. The Flex Maestro panel either alone or built into the new Flex series has severe limitations for a complete do-all radio. Most of the stand alone face panels are either on sale or sold by hams that found them to be very limited in functions available on the front panel where they should be. The MB1 has everything right where you expect it to be as well as under mouse or touch screen control. Blows the IC-7610, the now outdated 7700, and 7800 away so much that prices are falling like rain.

 

far to much money for that radio , will rather keep my Flex radio.......................

 

Waiting for a good price on a 7700/7800 I like the knobs..

 

Tho I don't have the MB1, I don't think this is going to far off topic. Knobs/buttons versus none.

I received my SunSDR2 on 6/23/2014 and received their E-coder a few weeks later. That gave time to experience no-knobs and no-buttons ... which I was convinced was what I wanted. We-e-ell, not so fast.

I do like the buttons & knobs the e-coder adds. And, they are programmable giving easy access and customized to the way you operate.

I also bought their foot pedal. I liked the idea of freeing my hands from keying the xmtr although I don't use my foot. It is mounted on a leg of my desk so that I can push my knee against it. To say that it is very solidly built is an understatement.

 

I think I'll keep my IC-781 for now. Too much $$$

 

For about $5600 I agree it's competitive with the rest. I especially like that they made the decision to go open source. This potentially could really set this radio apart from the pack.
It intrigues me. I will be watching developments closely. Thanks for the review.

 

Yes, Open Source is a very cool. Android has done well with open sourced. I would think that the open source would make for a much more competitive playing field. Open Source has the ability to offer versatility and so much innovation due to the collective participation of the given community. When successfully implemented Open Source can create huge users base with widespread popularity, it has the ability to become the defacto standard in a given marketplace. However, Open Source can be a P.I.T.A. for many consumers. Some people want a complete polished good to go instant satisfaction solution to accomplish the end of all means....
Several respondents have voiced how aghast they are over the price of just a ham radio.
Yeah obviously Chinese radios are popular. You have to realize that the radio and electronics hobby and consumer items have ever been such a bargain as they have been now. The Chinese have greatly contributed to flooding the markets with such vast quantities of mass produced goods from their state sponsored industrial production machine.... I am getting off track, but my point is we never have had such affordable gear or such a great bang for the buck radios as we do now. Consider this, if you look at the cost of say a serious full featured high end amateurs station from the late 50's or 60's the top of the line might be what? Undisputed, many would arguably agree that ,,,, what an S-line ? A full featured "Doctors" station likely included a Transmitter , Receiver, Amplifier, Power supply, Speaker, Matching Station accessories such as the clock and phone patch . filters ect.....There was an easy couple of grand right there in 1960 dollars! Adjust that to inflation??? Sheesh! The Japanese solid state wonder radios of the late 70 and 80's were already a tremendous bargain.....
What did the luxury rig found at the Dentists Hamshack cost? My Dentist ran a Kenwood 940 and a Henry export Amplifier. The 940 was over two grand in 1980s dollars and the Henry was like 4K and that coincides with dollars not model number. Ten Tec Omni wasnt too cheap either ......
The real OOOOhhhh Ahhhh serious deal contest dream rig that floored me was back around 89 or so when that Icom 781 came out...... over 12k out the door!
So a rig that is suppossed to compete with the creme de la creme of the contester fat cat deep pocket ham of luxury the under 10k price doesnt even evoke any sticker shock in my mind. The radios are getting better and better for less price. That 7300 and 7610 are GREAT deals in my way of thinking. The top of the line Flex is up there around the same price class as any luxury flagship contest styled rig ,,,, or basically getting at that 10k mark. Not so differnt once adjusted for inflation for todays dollar.
I will be critical of the price on both these software rigs being that it surely is less expensive to write code than manufacture hardware. I would expect some savings there. Even more so would I expect a radio that uses an opened sourced firmware to reflect that fact in the price. I understand that a proprietary system to be more expensive and do less but do so very eloquently.
With a open sourced deal, You are part of the product development and are always a bit of that experiment and beta user. You get the skies the limit in uh.... how should I say????? UH Flexibility, but at the cost of complication and certain amount of toil. Maybe it is this feature and the demographics of hams being hands on experimentation under the hood get your hands dirty that makes this such an attractive way to go.....
The Flex already offers a that hands on kinda technical aptittude feeling already but in a proprietary package.
Open Source should reign but the price on the open source should be reigned in just a bit too.
The prices overall arent so scoff worthy. Not for the worldclass jetset hams anyways! For a serious working class ham I will invest in the bargain radio 7610, however I have no need because my neophyte 7300 is doing me very well for the time being. Desk space being the bigger premium feature for me right now.
Never been a better time to get a bargain on appliances than these days! LOTS OF BANG for THE BUCKS! Just compare todays dollar against yesterdays dollar.... even if its Reagan $$$ you still win when it comes to radio, electronics and in particular silicon.
Regardless premium priced luxury gear aimed at our niche and demographic,,,,, I totally get it, the sticker price doesnt shock me. Of course I would likely wait and purchase last years model next year.

 

"Angle Funds" are for going around corners?

 

At that price, quite the opposite. Great customer support with years of experience at Flex....just sayin'.

 

I know this is a old post and I'm waking up the dead but... I have used just about every SDR known to man along with most radios. I have used the Pro2 and the MB1 is its big brother and one hell of a radio. I currently have a MB1 prime coming and can't wait to get it. My last rig was a Flex 6600 which don't get me wrong, its a great radio but, it does not bring to the table what the MB1 has. The only thing the flex or anan has over the MB1 is they use a second SDU on them. With that said, most OP's don't need that which includes me. My backup is a Icom 7300 in the shack. Now if you are not computer savvy, stay away from most SDR's unless its something like a Icom 7300 or a 7610.. I know there many out there drinking the Flex koolaid and I'm not one of them. If a radio is a great performer I'll say so, not brand loyalty from me. I call it what it is and from what I have seen both in reviews and my exposure to the Sunsdr pro, the MB1 is a winner and you know what they say, you get what you pay for. If you don't want to spend the $5k for a MB1, get a flex 6600 or 6500 for about $1k less or maybe a 7610 floats your boat. Either way baring none the MB1 is a big player within the hobby and I don't see them going out of business. Her's a little factoid for you, Apache labs in the past year has only sold about 100 units of the 7000DLE including the mark II. The MB1 sales is beyond that in yearly sales so, think on that.

Oh for those that are a little worried about the MB1 crashing within the OS, reinstalling the OS and the MB1 software is a cake walk! Also, if you do weekly backups (which can be automated) you have all the protection you need and far better then most rigs.

 

W2NER
Hope you are enjoying the MB1 as much as I am. Lots of room for improvement on the RC software. The new software 1.3.1 update 2 brings many improvements like the new NR filter which is incredible. Also the improvement on the TX audio is great, the 1.3.0 was very challenging to adjust properly on phone.
Dream Rig for the Digi-operators. I am mostly on SSB and after a while found the perfect configuration for SSB tied in with my Expert 2k amp and SteppIr antenna.
On FT8 100% automated with log book and spotters.

Good luck and if you have any questions Roman and his team are fantastic and very helpful.
73
WX2CX

 

Im thinking about buying one too. I like the dx spoting on the screen feature and can run the FT8 and rtty psk and cw etc all with-in the radio. Would be nice if they had a 200watt version. I have friends with the TS990 and they like it but I think it could do more. Its getting old but they do have software upgrades and touchscreen now for it. The MB1 with all programs built in I like and not have to have other outboard stuff.