First 10 Days with a New Flex-6400

I agree. I am glad for the OP, sounds like a great rig and that he's having lots of fun. Awesome! However, not "News". This sort of post belongs in the "Ham Radio Discussions" forum, or similar.

I have made this comment before in other "news" stories. IMHO, if QRZ want's to have a news forum, they need to make sure that actual, NEWS gets posted to it.

Glad you're having fun with you new rig - enjoy!!!

 

Enjoyed the article very much! Bought a Flex 6400M back in February, maybe this will give me motivation to get it out and try it before it is obsolete.

 

Leave it to the "ZED COPS" to rain on your parade. Glad you like the radio. Everyone that I know that has a Flex 6000 series radio REALLY likes them. I know that the upcoming Pitcairn Island DX pedition is using Flex 6700 radios with ACOM 1500 amps.
73s Jeff KA0JW

 

So......is there a PGXL in your future?

73
Jim, WQ2H / WK2XAH

 

Congratulations on your new Flex ! I started with a Flex 5000 and moved up to the 6400 and like others have said I can't imagine going back to knobs and buttons. I like the red mic, curious have you're inputting it, through the computer or a USB port on the Flex?
73, Bart
N1UB

 

I understand the software will still function, but, is there any particular reason you are 500 Hz high on FT 8?

 

After owing many radios, some of them fairly high end, I decided to try out a Flex 6600. I was very weary about the lack of knobs like most other folks so I decided to purchase a Maestro in case I started to go crazy as the Maestro is made to resemble most other radios.

The remote capabilities of these radios are second to none, this was the main reason I wanted a Flex, I do not always want to be stuck in a radio room sitting at a desk when I want to operate. With the Flex I can operate while I am in the backyard, at the park, in my garage, at work and while in another country. You can use a laptop, Ipad, Iphone or Maestro to operate the Flex, one of the coolest things we did is have two Ipads running multiflex at the same time with each Ipad on two different bands. Some of the features that no one really mentions is that with the Flex SmartSDR you can now use a standard USB microphone or headset, so you no longer require to buy some $400 headset and $300 microphone in order to sound good on the air. The other feature that is not talked about often is diverse reception, you can now try to pull out a weak signal by receiving the same frequency with two different antennas at the same time, I believe that not even the overpriced Yaesu FT-101D has this greatly underrated feature.

I still have an old Icom 781 in case I want to turn back the clock but honestly I cannot remember the last time I even powered it on, all of my other radios have been sold off.

 

What on earth did ham radio do before this new-fangled CW stuff and vacuum tubes? I can't imagine.

 

Maybe that's why he didn't say it was a review, OM...

 

Exactly why I said what I said. There are a whole generation now that have no clue what CW or vacuum tube radios are. They also won't know how to survive without their silly Internet either.

 

Congrats on your new radio and enjoy !!

 

To me, a useful review always includes a subjective description of the real-world user experience. When most of us unbox a new rig and set it up, we don't measure the receiver sensitivity, the blocking dynamic range, the harmonic suppression, and the 3rd order IMD. Instead, we get on the air and operate it. Even if a radio has top end technical specs, I wouldn't buy it if other operators don't find it easy and enjoyable to operate, so I like to read about the operating experiences of other ops like this, whatever you call it.

 

On the USB mic..Is that supported by the 6400, or do you have it going into your computer's USB port? Glad you are enjoying your nice setup..I'm old school with a 6300 hi hi
73,
KC7ES

 

Would anyone want to hear about my FT818?
You don't even need a ham shack or BMW, you can hang it around your neck!
Shack in a box, shack on a belt, this is shack around your neck.
Actually it is 99% the same as an 817, so anyone could just go read up on it.

Rick K2XT

 

I got a little old 6300 4 yrs ago. Out of the box, on the desk, loaded sw from the cd, plugged into the pc and a ps and an antenna AND a stereo (it is basically an octopus), and a mic. It has worked flawlessly ever since. The most trouble free rig I ever owned. The display is so awesome that when you see any of these sdrs with knobs and their minuscule spectrum displays it is actually laughable. Understandable, of course, but the display with a Flex allows you to actually see what the signals are all about.
Which reminds me, the spectrum level appears to be perfect. That is, from about -120 dbm up to around 0 dbm the display is calibrated perfectly and linear. As good as a spectrum analyzer. And today the replacement 6400 is under $2000. A bargain.