[Elecraft] TS-990

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

 > Flex makes a radio,

Correction - Flex makes a complex analog to digital and digital
to analog converter.  The ADC/DAC is *not a radio* without all
the external computer hardware/software to control the ADC/DAC,
process the digital data and handle conversion back to audio for
the user.  The computer hardware comes from any number of vendors
and much of the software (PowerSDR) has been public domain.

73,

   ... Joe, W4TV


On 2015-03-10 9:50 AM, Harry Yingst via Elecraft wrote:
> I've had a Flex-1500, the Flex may be nice for some, but being tied to a PC is a huge shortcoming. It's so much easier (and quicker) to just grab a knob instead of having to use a mouse and keyboard.
>
> As for performance, The K3 is the First radio I would ever consider rating a 10.
> The real beauty of the K3 is the Company behind it; Flex makes a radio, Elecraft makes a Product Line. Being able to have all the various pieces work seamlessly is very slick.
>
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>        From: Kevin Stover <kevin.stover at mediacombb.net>
>   To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>   Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 9:04 AM
>   Subject: Re: [Elecraft] TS-990
>
> The plain and simple fact is that if you have a Flex you are dependent
> on the computer you are running.
> Computer breaks, and of course they do, your off the air. SIMPLE.
> I read the minimum requirements to run the 6000 series. Half of the PC's
> in use by Hams won't cut it.
>
> Minimum, Windows Vista SP2, Dual Core 64 bit processor, Video card 256
> MB memory, Direct X 10 or higher ,Net 4.0 or higher. Those are minimums.
> You can probably run SmartSDR with that but if it's like most software
> it will run like crap on it's minimum requirements.
>
> SDR's like the K3 aren't dependent on any other piece of hardware or
> software.
> You can run it and it will perform well without ever being hooked up to
> a PC.
>
> On 3/9/2015 1:20 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
>>
>> On 2015-03-09 12:23 PM, Jim Brown posted from Michelle, W5NYV:
>>> So, If you want to talk about what the best contesting rig is, then
>>> I think you have to consider radios in a more multidimensional manner
>>> than by just comparing the equivalent of horsepower. Of which, Flex
>>> clearly seems to win.
>>
>> That claim hides a major blind spot.  Sherwood's test numbers show
>> that the K3 with the new synthesizer is every bit equivalent to the
>> Flex-6000 series when one considers noise floor (MDS) (weak signal
>> performance) and realizes that the Flex can not handle multiple very
>> strong signals without serious blocking and compromised dynamic range
>> due to A/D limiting.
>>
>> With the new synthesizer the K3 has a better MDS without a preamp than
>> the Flex with its preamp enabled.  The measured difference without a
>> preamp on either unit is 18 dB!  Even with a 20 dB preamp for the Flex
>> (which reduces the strong signal handling capability by 20 dB and could
>> be fatal with multiple strong signals), the Flex still has a 4 dB
>> higher MDS (less sensitive receiver) that the updated K3 with its
>> 10 dB preamp.
>>
>> So long as direct conversion SDRs have A/D limiting issues that occur
>> at real world signal levels (e.g. on 160 meters within a few miles of
>> 50 KW AM broadcast stations, on 40 meters in Europe with multiple
>> strong broadcast signals in the band, etc.) the Flex SDRs simply can
>> not be said to "win" any comparison of "horsepower" (and their user
>> interface sucks!).
>>
>> 73,
>>
>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>
>>
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