An announcement of a new radio was made by Flex Radio today. It is a completely full duplex radio. With transverter, it will be a wonderful satellite radio. No sound cards, etc. will be required. Again, it is completely full duplex.
FlexRadio Systems New FLEX-5000(TM) Software Defined Radio Product Line
FlexRadio Systems introduces the FLEX-5000 line of open source Software Defined Radio (SDR) transceivers. The FLEX-5000 family follows the very popular SDR-1000(TM), and now integrates all sound card functions and control over a single FireWire (IEEE-1394) cable connection to a user provided computer. A separate sound card is not required. There are two additional versions of the FLEX-5000 (models C and D) that provide higher levels of integration.
The FLEX-5000C(TM) model has a built in Intel Core2 Duo processor and comes with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, wireless keyboard and mouse. The FLEX-5000D(TM) includes everything above and adds a 9" LCD display with touch screen and large tuning knob.
For more information and pricing on the FLEX-5000, please see the copy of our ad linked below:
http://support.flex-radio.com/Downloads.aspx?id=148
You may also click on the "Contact Us" link on our home page at www.flex-radio.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I place an order?
A. We will begin taking orders for the FLEX-5000 (base model) and the FLEX-5000C on or before Monday, April 9th. Orders can be placed on our website at http://www.flex-radio.com or by phone/fax (see the Contact Us link on our webpage footer). Note that all online orders are prepaid (balance is charged immediately).
When will I get my FLEX-5000?
A. We expect to begin delivery of the base model on or before the end of June, the C-model on or before the end of Q3, and the D-model on or before the end of Q4. Pre-paid orders will be shipped first followed by unpaid advanced orders in the order that they are received.
How can I ensure that I get one quickly?
A. Order now and pre-pay. Pre-paid orders will be shipped first followed by unpaid advanced orders in the order that they are received.
Will the SDR-1000 still be available?
A. We have a limited inventory of SDR-1000s available. The SDR-1000 continues to be a high performance / low cost transceiver. The PowerSDR(TM) software will continue to support the SDR-1000 and will continue to receive new features and performance enhancements over time. Many improvements to the software developed in correlation with new hardware, such as the recent improvement in TR transition time and accurate power control from 1-100W, will apply to the SDR-1000.
How long can I expect FlexRadio Systems to support the SDR-1000?
A. We plan to support the SDR-1000 far into the foreseeable future.
Can I use an external sound card with the FLEX-5000?
A. No. The built-in "soundcard" is the equivalent of a comparable $1000 pro-audio card.
Will there be a low power or receive-only version of the FLEX-5000?
A. We are considering coming out with such models sometime in the future.
What happened to the SDR-XT?
A. The SDR-X project is alive and well. The goal of the SDR-X project is to build a supremely high performance multi-channel receiver. The target market has shifted to commercial and government applications. The work on the SDR-X resulted in the development of the FLEX-5000 family.
We recognize that the introduction of the FLEX-5000 will continue to raise questions. We will post these and other popular questions on the FLEX-5000 FAQ page on our website (coming soon).
The SDR-1000 set new performance standards for radio communications. The Flex-5000 will continue to raise the bar.
Thank you for your support.
Gerald Youngblood, K5SDR President FlexRadio Systems