We haven't reached that point, yet. A new transceiver from Kenwood, the TS590, has good specs, lots of features and controls, and a speech board that can speak almost anything you would want to know. It's probably the most accessible HF transceiver ever made.
I use a three-year-old Yaesu FT950 transceiver. I can either control it with its sixty-plus buttons and ten knobs, or with Ham Radio Deluxe through its serial port. I have used the DM780 part of Ham Radio Deluxe to click on signals in a waterfall display in order to decode PSK31 or CW signals. It isn't the most efficient system in the world, but it can be done. I haven't read all of this discussion. I would like to see someone analyze some of this software and determine, for instance, whether it uses standard controls, is running under QT, Swing or what. But I'm not going out to buy one of these rigs at this time. SDR software is quite processor-intensive, so I would expect some issues in trying to run Window-Eyes and Eloquence on the computer that is doing a lot of signal processing at the same time. That could be more of an issue than the software's gauges, slide controls, virtual knobs and switches. Yes, there are problems, but I don't think we can throw in the towel at this time. See you on the bands. Cross-country blind operators net meets on Sundays at 2100Z on 14258 KHz. 73, Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Kensington, Maryland Home: http://lras.home.sprynet.com Work: http://www.loc.gov/nls > -----Original Message----- > From: Alan R. Downing [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 3:39 PM > To: 'Russ Kiehne'; [email protected] > Subject: RE: flex radio > > I seriously doubt it as there is absolutely nothing displayed that is in > text format. Flex's software uses waterfall displays, icons, and all > manner > of pictorials to represent all of the radios controls, not to mention the > spectrum analyzer that is basic feature of the radio.. There are also > many > hundreds of menus as I understand it, all of which are also graphical in > nature without text. If it turned out to be possible to write a script to > operate a Flex, which I don't think is likely, it would be massive and > unspeakably complex, and I doubt anyone would be willing to invest the > time > in writing one without charging an arm and a leg. Remember, there isn't a > single knob, switch, or button on the radio itself. It is just a plain > box > with a number of conections. No controls, no meters, no nothing. > > BTW, it is quite likely that most, if not all, future ham rigs will use > SDR > technology. It is much cheaper for a company to build a plain radio > without > any physical controls, and present the functions on a large display and > thru > software. There is a lot of discussion along these lines all over the > bands. SDR radios will become as cheap as cellphones are today. The > companies will make their money selling the control software. That is > likely to spell big trouble for us. > > 73 > > > > Alan R. Downing > Phoenix, AZ > > -----Original Message----- > From: Russ Kiehne [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 7:28 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: flex radio > > I take it, no one would be able to write a script to make it accessible > with > > WE? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alan R. Downing" <[email protected]> > To: "'Jim Johnson'" <[email protected]>; "'Curtis Delzer'" > <[email protected]> > Cc: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 2:39 PM > Subject: RE: flex radio > > > > According to everyone that I have spoken with that use the Flex line of > > rigs, as well as to the factory itself, none of the radios are > accessible > > to > > blind operators. Nothing whatsoever can be controlled other than by the > > graphical interface. You can't even change frequency, band, volume, or > > anything else if you can't see the screen. The radios themselves have > no > > "regular" controls of any kind. > > > > > > > > Blind hams have no choice other than to scratch Flex radios off of their > > wish lists. I was prepared to buy a Flex 5000, but was told I might as > > well > > throw it in the trash when it arrives. > > > > > > > > 73 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Alan R. Downing > > > > Phoenix, AZ > > > > > > > > From: Jim Johnson [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 4:41 PM > > To: Curtis Delzer > > Cc: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: flex radio > > > > > > > > flex radio is a amateur radio tranceiver which has to display and all of > > the > > controls as a software package on your computer instead of hardware > > controls > > like knobs and buttons. the other part of the radio is the rf transmit > > and > > receive which is hardware. I don't know that this package would be very > > accessable but not sure. I have never seen it, just read about it. > > > > Jim Johnson > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: Curtis Delzer <mailto:[email protected]> > > > > To: John W. Carty <mailto:[email protected]> ; 'gw-info (List)' > > <mailto:[email protected]> > > > > Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 1:51 PM > > > > Subject: Re: flex radio > > > > > > > > What does this flex radio software do? > > > > At Tuesday 1/4/2011 10:45 AM, John W. Carty wrote: > > > > > > > > For any ham radio operators out there using WE, has anyone attempted to > > use > > WE with the software defined radio called flex radio? > > > > The package is pretty spendy but if the interface is really accessible I > > might give it a try. But I'd like to avoid wasting my money. > > > > John, Kf5dcg > > > > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. 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