Jack Haverty wrote:
Thanks for the explanation - I figured it was something like that. I
worked for many years in the computer industry, so I understand about
the OS-level issues, proprietary BIOS and such. But I suspect there are
a lot of people interested in Flex who don't understand the fine details
of computer genealogy, and can't tell a "standard PC" from a
non-standard one. It used to be that "standard personal computer"
effectively meant any box that would run Windows. Not so any more I
guess.
I suggest that at least the web FAQs be amended to explicitly say that
Macs, even though they are running XP, are unsupported.
Personally, my "personal computer" is a Dell running Debian Lenny. I'm
hoping that the "new architecture" PowerSDR will eventually mean one can
choose what hardware/OS base to run SDR.
I've talked with several non-computer hams recently who are very
confused about the PC requirements for a Flex. The KB has an article on
how to configure a Mac with XP for use with the Flex. But the forum
says it's not a supported configuration. The web site says that Windows
XP and Vista are supported. But advice on the forums is to avoid Vista
at all costs. It's pretty confusing for a non-computer-geek, even
before you dive into Firewire and patches and DPCs and such.
One of my friends is waffling between a Flex and an Icom as his first HF
rig. Given his head-banging experiences over the years with "standard
PCs" and the confusion about what computer hardware he would need to buy
to pair with a Flex, he's leaning now back towards tried-and-true
knobs-and-switches.
If I were Flex, ... I'd ship a "Live CD" with each unit, that had *all*
the software, patches, service packs, drivers, tweakhounds,
configuration settings, and other arcane tidbits needed to make any
"standard PC" hardware into a functional, problem-free "PowerSDR Front
Panel" for any Flex product. Better yet, make it downloadable, give 'em
away at shows, etc. Then anyone could try it with whatever hardware
they like - if the Live CD won't load, it must not be a "standard PC".
Kind of like the Ubuntu CD - just put the CD in a computer and turn the
power on. I've been amazed at the variety of machines that their Live
CD runs on.
But the success of such a CD will depend on the state of the computer on
which the included programs are installed. Undoubtedly there are many
computers with all kinds of problems that the user may never have
noticed but that may prevent PowerSDR from running satisfactorily.
PS - I think you're being misled to think so much about the desktop
market. Desktop users almost never use real-time programs, so the
software (Windows OS) doesn't support it well at all, and probably never
will. Flex users are strongly advised to evict all other software from
the Flex PC, and disable any non-radio OS functionality. So that PC is
no longer really usable as their desktop general purpose computer. It
becomes a dedicated DSP box with a nice front panel. Which is fine,
that's how mine is set up and it works well with the F3K.
AlacrityPC allows one to disable unneeded services, then save those
settings to a special profile. Either this special profile or a standard
profile can be invoked at will. Invoke the PowerSDR profile when you
want to run PowerSDR, then invoke the standard profile to use the
computer for other things. There may be other programs that can do the
same thing.
73
Alan NV8A
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