Don, There are a lot of differences between the FLEX-3000 and the SDR-1000. The SDR-1000 was a ground breaking radio, but it has its warts. These were eliminated with the FLEX family of SDRs
1.) With the recent changes in the FLEX-3000 preamp, the FLEX-3000 has better IP2 and IMD DR3 performance numbers than the SDR-1000 with any of the approved sound cards. 2.) The FLEX-3000 utilizes an on-board ADC and DAC provide the A/D and D/A conversions, therefore you do not have to use an external sound card to provide this function. An external sound card has to connect to the SDR-1000 via audio cables that have to be engineered to minimize RFI ingress, eliminate ground loops and can be difficult to manage since moving the radio a little bit can significantly effect the performance of the radio. 3.) The SDR-1000 has known frequency stability issues (long warm up times and drift) and MUST be manually recalibrated every time a new database is used. This requires a signal generator of known frequency and strength along with a dummy load. To get accurate RX image rejection calibrations, you need a RF signal source for all bands you will be operating on. The FLEX-3000 has BITE (built in test equipment) and stores its calibration info in its internal EEPROM. Calibration of the FLEX-3000 is rarely needed and if it is, it can be done easily without any additional test equipment for all but one test (PA bridge cal). 4.) The SDR-1000 is not really usable on 6m. Less than 1 watt output and the RX is deaf as a post. The FLEX-3000 is very good on 6m 5.) DDS spurs. The SDR-1000 is riddled with them making the upper bands (12 & 10m) almost unusable. The FLEX-3000 does not have this problem. Also the SDR-1000 is prone to DC-DC converter noise (aka "the traveling hump"). 6.) It is a discontinued radio. Don't expect the same level of support from FRS with it as you will with in-production radios. The FLEX-1500 is not a released radio. It will have a lot of the same characteristics of the FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000, but it will not have the performance levels of those radios. Its performance levels will also be less than the SDR-1000. Being only a 5 watt radio, you will need a specialized amp that will take a 5 watt input to generate 300 watts or use two amps. The lower sampling rate of 48 KHz will result in a narrow visual bandwidth on the panadapter as compared to the FLEX-5000 and FLEX-3000. And lastly, the FLEX family of radios represents the present and future of FlexRadio systems' products. The SDR-1000 is a first generation product and has technical limitations that may preclude it from moving forward with the FLEX family of SDRs. So you question boils down to is it better to spend a little extra $$ for a FLEX-3000 as opposed to the SDR-1000. I would say it is a no brainer to go with the FLEX-3000. It is much better engineered than the SDR-1000, more convenient (less hassle) and easier to use too. -Tim -----Original Message----- From: flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz [mailto:flexradio-boun...@flex-radio.biz] On Behalf Of Don Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 11:54 PM To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz Subject: [Flexradio] FlexRadio SDR-1000, 1500 and 3000. I am interested in purchasing a SDR radio. Lately I have noticed several sdr-1000 radios that have come up for sale. So I'm trying to weigh the advantages primarily between the 1000 & 3000 and possibly the 1500 which is looming in the background. Considering that I live in An apartment, have one antenna and probably will never run more than about 250-300 watts. In the used department I see the 1000 selling between $6-900 depending options and the 3000 for about $1350. So generally is there really a 4-500 dollar difference between the two? BTW the antenna is a 40-meter loop fed by twin lead and a Plaster BT1500A tuner. Thanks for your input. Don _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to telli...@itsco.com _______________________________________________ FlexRadio Systems Mailing List FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ Knowledge Base: http://kc.flex-radio.com/ Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
