David Ackrill wrote: >Guy Olinger, K2AV wrote: > > >>I agree with the issue of the complaint, but not the tone. >> >> >>73, Guy K2AV. >> >> >> > >I'm sorry if my tone seems abrasive, I admit that I tend to state my >opinions and point of view in few words. > >Tha fact is, I want to like the SDR1000 and, whilst I was using what was >sold as a kit and work in progress I did give more than I have done >since buying the latest unit. > > > [etc]
I've thought long and hard about this note. I believe the main issue here is simple -- while the software has improved by leaps and bounds, we have only the most modest changes to the hardware. Last night, even with all my experience, I had a major heartache. The CW was "stuck on". After reseating the parallel cable maybe three times (and reseating everything else and rebooting Windows inbetween), it finally went away. Imagine my consternation with a week to go before leaving town. And, I was about 80 per cent sure of the solution at the start! The cables, their care and feeding, and the sheer complexity of remembering the 25 leading things that can go wrong as they come loose are far and away the biggest problem with owning this otherwise wonderful rig. I think many of us have forgotten how much of a problem it can be to deal with all of it. We get it going, it glitches once in a while (it does at my QTH anyway), we get really busy figuring it out. And, when we do, it goes away for a while. I know it's asking a lot, but we do need that Flex 2000 of my dreams where the sound card function is brought inboard and the entire communication takes place as data bytes over a USB cable as an ordinary PC peripheral. That is, an on-board D/A and A/D process, all run in a manner like a printer or any other PC peripheral. Whether it is a chosen sound card or a real D/A A/D pair, I don't care. Whatever meets the need. It probably means some modest CPU in there, too. So be it. It can be pretty dumb. Just enough to run the A/D and D/A process and not a whit more. The "smarts" (especially serious DSP smarts) can and should stay outboard. This is all about simplifying the delivery of the command and data bytes and the cabling of it all. If USB 2.0 is too slow (doubtful, but who knows by the time it is all "data-ized" and latency is considered) then let it be Firewire. Let it cease being all these cables. If there has to be a firmware "burning" process to go with it, so be it. Obviously, if Flex has anything of the sort on plan, I don't expect them to talk about it, especially if it will take some time to bring the plans to market. But, while we've all made our various levels of peace with the rig as it is, the 1/8 inch plugs, the occassional wiggling loose of the parallel cable, etc. all are huge liabilities and are also leading causes of the steep learning curve that generates so many notes in here. It really ought to become all software all the time and today, it just isn't. Larry WO0Z PS, this solution also makes it about 100 times more practical to take "portable" to, say, Aruba and Belize. That isn't the reason I'm not taking it this year, as I've explained, but after last night's scare, it certainly makes me think twice. _______________________________________________ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com
