I think that's the key to the transition, Barry.
It will only happen when someone provides a user interface we are
comfortable with.
[Barry] when you are contesting, how many of the knobs do you actually use?
I use 3 in CW and 4 in SSB.
Even when I had radios with a lot more knobs, that was all I would use.
I set the radio up slightly different for SSB contests than I do for CW
contests, but once I have it set up, I don't touch much.
Of all the radios I have ever owned, which is quite a few, the OMNI VI was
the one whose user interface appealed to me the most. I liked punching
buttons and seeing an led light up. I much prefer radios with lighter front
panels and dark print (easier to read), I like the big S-Meter.
How about a combination of a User Interface Box with 4 or 5 knobs, together
with an abbreviated screen of a few more features you might occasionally
need to change? During a contest I don't need to view every single
changeable parameter that the radio has, each time I want to change the
important features that I change often. I want to see as few as possible -
only the ones I actually need, keeping it as simple as possible so that I
don't make mistakes when operating half in my sleep.
When the contest is over, I can change the on screen interface to show as
many features as I like.
Seems this user-definable interface would give me what I want, as long as I
could define a few of them to be on knobs.
In the past when this topic has come up and I have said I don't change much
in a contest, others have chimed in that they need to be able to change all
kinds of things. But when I ask the simple question, "what all are you
changing during the contest", nobody ever replies.
73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Barry N1EU
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2014 8:23 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Radios in the Future
The Flex 6K is a different ball game - only SDR without latency. It's a
different ballgame now. The new Flex series is the first SDR worth
considering IMHO. I just have to figure a way to graft my Omni 6 front
panel on to it ;-)
73, Barry N1EU
On Sun, Nov 2, 2014 at 7:02 PM, Wade Staggs <tvman1954@gmail.com> wrote:
> *His is the Flex 1500 .... Maybe they have gotten better. The
> Flex-6500 is quite expensive, next to his Flex-1500 ...... Nothing we
> have found in the Flex Forums so far has helped. Other reasons, maybe
> he is just likes the Omni D. We do have a DDS VFO installed on it!*
>
> * 73
> from Wade/KJ4WS*
>
> On Sun, Nov 2, 2014 at 12:51 PM, Duane Calvin <ac5aa1@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Interesting - my Flex-6500 has nearly instantaneous QSK T/R turnaround.
> > Really nice. Faster than my Orion was.
> >
> > 73, Duane
> >
> > Duane Calvin, AC5AA
> > Austin, Texas
> > www.ac5aa.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> > Wade Staggs
> > Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2014 12:34 PM
> > To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> > Subject: Re: [TenTec] New Radios in the Future
> >
> > *A very good Friend of mine has a Flex Radio. He Brags about it
> Constantly.
> > So why is it that every time we hear him On the Air, He is talking
> > on an Omni D which he has had on loan from me for a bit over a year
> > now? He
> even
> > has the 100 Watt Amplifier and All the Bells and Whistles........ We
> > have tried 3 different Computers from Slow to Quad Core with 4 Gig of
RAM.
> There
> > is still about a 1.5 second delay between Keying the Microphone and
> > Actually Transmitting anything. The Receive has about the same Lag Time.
> > Yay and Whoopie for the SDR Radios, if you want to be constantly
> > doubling with other stations. I like my radio's to work in Real
> > Time. *
> >
> > * Just my opinion and 73 from Wade/KJ4WS*
> >
> > On Sun, Nov 2, 2014 at 12:06 PM, Lee <ny6p01@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Think you have your finger on it. What would facilitate this even
> > > more, would be if those who designed s_d_r, would adhere to a few
> > > common standards which would make hardware controllers of the type
> > > you
> indicate
> > > portable and interchangeable.
> > > On Oct 31, 2014 4:26 PM, "Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP" <Rick@dj0ip.de> wrote:
> > >
> > > > IMO, the time has come to stop worrying about which "radio".
> > > > It's time to abandon the concept of a radio as being the single
> > > > stand
> > > alone
> > > > device that gets us on the air.
> > > >
> > > > SDR radios such as FLEX and ANAN ARE THE FUTURE.
> > > > BUT NOT as stand-alone devices.
> > > > Most of us will have and use an additional "Human Interface Box".
> > > >
> > > > What most of us don't like about the current SDR radios is their
> human
> > > > interface.
> > > > ..We want knobs.
> > > > ..Some of us want big knobs.
> > > > ..Some of us want more knobs
> > > > ..Some of us want fewer knobs
> > > >
> > > > The Eagle is a fantastic radio but we can't seem to agree on the
> > > > knob arrangement for the perfect Eagle.
> > > > WHY MUST WE AGREE ON JUST ONE SOLUTION?
> > > > What if we could have a dozen different solutions to the knob
> > > arrangement,
> > > > but they all control a black box called "Son of Eagle"?
> > > >
> > > > CONSIDER THIS:
> > > >
> > > > In the future there will be multiple companies offering various
> > > > Human Interfaces.
> > > > Our choice of human interface will be just as important as our
> > > > choice
> > of
> > > > SDR
> > > > radio that goes behind it.
> > > >
> > > > Before I continue, let me explain what I have in mind.
> > > > I'm thinking of things like the Wood Box interface such as their
> > TMate2.
> > > > See: http://www.woodboxradio.com/tmate2.html
> > > >
> > > > My first impression of the TMate2: "Nice but too expensive."
> > > > But is it really too expensive?
> > > > It is exactly the knobs that this device has which I like so
> > > > much in
> my
> > > > radios.
> > > >
> > > > Considering its price, the performance of the FLEX 6300 is
> phenomenal.
> > > > But who wants a radio with no knobs? I certainly don't.
> > > >
> > > > In the future, that performance level will be available for $1K
> > > > or
> even
> > > > less.
> > > > Couple that with a $300 human interface and we'll have a lovely
> > > > radio
> > at
> > > a
> > > > reasonable price.
> > > >
> > > > Each of us can choose which human interface we want, with as
> > > > many
> knobs
> > > as
> > > > we want, and the radio behind it is a black box engine. We can
> > > > swap
> > the
> > > > SDR
> > > > black box engine as often as we want, but keeping our own
> > > > favorite
> > human
> > > > interface. Each new radio will have the same look and feel as
> > > > the
> old
> > > one.
> > > > No new steep learning curve.
> > > >
> > > > Upgrading to newer technology will be cheaper because we don't
> replace
> > > > everything.
> > > > We just purchase a new engine.
> > > >
> > > > I believe this will be the ham radio of the future.
> > > >
> > > > This approach will enable each of us to create a radio
> > > > environment
> that
> > > > suits our own personal tastes.
> > > >
> > > > Even though I was one of the ones yelling loudest that real
> > > > radios
> have
> > > > knobs, I'm ready to jump ship as soon as they build solutions
> > > > like
> > this.
> > > >
> > > > 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> > > > (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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