Burt, et al, Flex 5000 can be used forever pending radical changes in
operating modes (Say for instance spread spectrum via super wide band FM or
frequency hopping or as yet unimagined modes.) The computer side of the
radio may become obsolete compared to the then state of the practice. USB,
Firewire, etc may become as obsolete as IBM single sided single density
251Kb 8 inch floppy disks but if you can find "old" boards to keep your
computer running A N D any replacement parts for any failures within the
radio box there is no reason why a Flex can't last essentially forever.
Saying "half" the radio is the computer and computers are nearly obsolete
when sold etc. doesn't really tell the story. Computers get obsolete
compared to newer offerings NOT because they start to loose function with
age like we all do. I have a good friend who is still using the Samsung
6-8MHz XT clone I gave him last century. It still performs flawlessly and
runs Multiplan, WordStar, etc just as good as when new.
Flex radios can evolve and change over time if someone has the ability to
improve on the software. This is a giant difference as compared to the
beloved venerable Hallicrafters of my youth. Only the future can dictate if
the Flex radio portion of the equation will become obsolete and unusable.
The 6K is (depending on your predilection for hyperbole) an evolutionary
improvement over the 5K or if you are a marketing type a REVOLUTIONARY
improvement but, "I don't think so, Tim.) (Spoken by Al to Tim "The Tool
Man" Taylor, not THE TIM of flex fame. The 6K does essentially what the 5K
does but does it differently and better in some respects. I am not in a
position to opine on the 6K's obsolescence resistance. After some
consideration I decided the 6K does not obsolete the 5K any more than a
Tesla obsoletes my wife's Prius. Different price points, different
performance, different sex appeal and both meeting their requirements very
well but not really intended to race each other or be rated as "Babe
Magnets."
May Flex and Flexers live long and prosper.
Patrick AF5CK
P.S. I hooked up my new 5K last night and have a few things to figure out
before you will hear me out and about the low bands as I got no response to
the key but did output some power by using tune. Only received digital
noise, 9 bits repeated ad infinitum but will try skywire in place of dummy
load next. hi hi.
-----Original Message-----
From: Burt
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2012 8:48 AM
To: flexradio@flex-radio.biz
Subject: [Flexradio] VU5K End of Production Notice
When you are dealing with today's state of the art technology this should be
of no surprise. When I bought my Flex 5000 I expect no more than 10 years
service. Flex is not your fathers or grandfathers's Hallicrafters,
Hallicrafters etc last but on the other hand Hallicrafters radios cannot
match up aspects like a panadapter in the Flex.
We don't expect more than 5 years out of our computers and Flex is half
computer.
The demise of the VU5K is a warning of what you are dealing with. It is not
Flex so much as this is the world we live in.
That said, I still prefer my Flex for how ever long it can be maintained.
Burt
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