{"id":2268,"date":"2017-05-07T06:36:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-07T12:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fallows.ca\/wp\/?p=2268"},"modified":"2017-05-07T07:19:34","modified_gmt":"2017-05-07T13:19:34","slug":"explore-flexradio-6300-new-ham-radio-option-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fallows.ca\/wp\/radio\/ham-radio\/explore-flexradio-6300-new-ham-radio-option-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore FlexRadio 6300 – New Ham Radio Option 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"explore<\/a><\/p>\n

Before making a final decision, I decided to explore FlexRadio 6300 as my third option. This is a completely different radio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many folks credit Gerry Youngblood for kick-starting the serious adoption of software defined radio in the ham community. Back in 2002, he\u00a0wrote a series of articles in QEX magazine called “A Software Defined Radio for the Masses<\/a>“. Some of us used these articles as a cookbook to create our own SDR. In 2003, Gerry formed FlexRadio <\/a>in Austin, Texas. There most recent incarnation of software defined radio for hams is the Signature Series<\/a>. The 6300 is the entry-level unit. You can buy one for $US 2,600 complete with antenna tuning unit.<\/p>\n

Unlike many earlier SDR, all of the digital processing is done in the “black box”. Computer software is only used for control and display through SmartSDR. In terms of raw specifications, the 6300 is very similar to the ICOM 7300 and Yaesu FTdx3000. The main hardware difference is the firmware for processing radio signals. The other important difference is the software for display and control.\u00a0Knobs and displays are completely missing from the box.<\/p>\n

Also, the Flex Signature Series contains multiple independent receivers – 2 in the 6300 and 4 or 8 in its bigger, more expensive brothers.<\/p>\n

Before reading on, you might enjoy this quick look<\/a> or a more detailed look<\/a> at the radio.<\/p>\n

Explore FlexRadio 6300 by Criteria<\/h2>\n

You will find all three of my options have similar receiver performance specifications. The 6300 appears to be best for shortwave listening, though, as it contains synchronous AM detection; the others do not. Also, the 6300 has additional wideband noise blanking. Otherwise, pretty close.<\/p>\n

Signal display shines on the 6300 through the use of SmartSDR software on a large computer monitor. But it is not fair to compare a “front panel” to an external display, so the Flex stands on its own.<\/p>\n

So, what about control and interconnection? When you explore FlexRadio 6300 you find amazing flexibility. It has all the visual knobs you might ever need. Flexibility for interconnection comes in three features. First, the radio just plugs into your network with an Ethernet port. This means you can drive the radio from almost any computer or tablet. Second is SmartSDR CAT which enables connectivity to other software or hardware through real or emulated serial ports. Finally, there is Digital Audio Exchange (DAX). This lets you connect virtual audio cables within your computer applications. Very useful for digital modes, in particular. DAX can also be used to export or import I\/Q data. For an experimenter like me, the flexible and expansive control and interconnection offered by the 6300 just might be the deal maker.<\/p>\n

To close this explore FlexRadio 6300 article, you might enjoy this video presentation of the history of FlexRadio<\/a>, by Gerry Youngblood, now K5SDR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before making a final decision, I decided to explore FlexRadio 6300 as my third option. This is a completely different radio.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Explore FlexRadio 6300 - New Ham Radio Option 3 #hamr #hamradio","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[242,243],"series":[254],"class_list":["post-2268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ham-radio","tag-hamr","tag-hamradio","series-buying-a-new-ham-radio-2017"],"yoast_head":"\nExplore FlexRadio 6300 - New Ham Radio Option 3 - Living On The Horizon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Before making a final decision, I decided to explore FlexRadio 6300 as my third option. 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